Chloe Zhao, the Eternals director, revealed that she has drawn some inspiration regarding her upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film. It's an entirely different film which Leonardo DiCaprio starred in.
Zhao revealed that the action sequences of the upcoming Eternals film. The inspiration came from Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu's film The Revenant (2015). In an interview on The Playlist, Zhao explained that there were multiple films that inspired how she envisioned Eternals to be. Some of those films include Wong Kar-wai's Happy Together which inspired Zhao's new film Nomadland.
Zhao said that she referenced various films for the scale of the film. However, the action sequences for the Eternals referenced The Revenant mostly. The director added that she worked alongside a great team to make it happen.
Zhao continued that The Revenant is a film she loves very much. She added that she watched the film multiple times. She loved the immersion of the action sequences in the film which is why it's a film they tried to strive to. Zhao said that Marvel supported the idea of taking inspiration from The Revenant and they really went for it.
To give a background, The Revenant is set in 1823 wherein it follows the American frontiersman Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio). Hugh Glass must use his survival skills as he finds his way back to civilization after being mauled by a bear. The film won major awards during the 88th Academy Awards, including Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Cinematography.
Meanwhile, the Eternals film follows a race of ancient aliens who were living secretly on Earth for thousands of years. An unexpected event forces out these aliens from the shadows to reunite against The Deviants.
The Eternals is slated for release in November 2021.
Related: Marvel's Eternals Likely To Address the Origins of the Infinity Stones