Eternals Director Chloe Zhao Wants to Make a Star Wars Movie
Chloe Zhao, director of Marvel's upcoming film Eternals, recently revealed that she wants to make a Star Wars movie. Earlier this year, the Chinese-American director made movie history after becoming the first woman of color to win the Best Director Oscar for Nomadland. Prior to her major directorial breakout, Zhao was known for creating indie festival darlings like Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015) and The Rider (2017).
It was announced that Zhao would be directing and co-writing Eternals in 2018. A complete 180 from the quiet, nature-oriented settings of her past films, the epic scale of Eternals was seemingly new territory for Zhao. Headlined by A-list actors like Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, and Kumail Nanjiani, the MCU's next installment arrives in theaters next month. The story follows a mythical race of immortal beings, the Eternals, who are responsible for shaping Earth's history. Perhaps one of Marvel's biggest projects yet, Eternals is the third big-budget feature in the MCU's Phase 4, coming on the heels of Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, Zhao strongly hinted that she would be interested in directing a Star Wars film. While speaking with a reporter, Zhao apparently mentioned Star Wars five or six times, and described the sci-fi franchise as "being really close to her heart." When asked if she would like to make her Star Wars directorial debut, Zhao responded with "Yes." Her full quote, posted to Twitter by journalist Al Horner, can be read below:
"Hmmmm. I have to tread very carefully with what I say here. [laughs] Yes. Let’s just say, it’s a world I have so much reverence for because it was such an important part of my life. [laugh]"
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Coming off the highly-anticipated Eternals, it wouldn't come as a surprise if Disney allowed Zhao to franchise hop from the MCU to Star Wars. She wouldn't be the only female director to go from superheroes to stormtroopers, with Wonder Woman's Patty Jenkins set to direct 2023's Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. Previous MCU alums like Jon Favreau and Taika Waititi have already transitioned over to the Star Wars universe, so there's certainly potential for Zhao to do the same. Disney+ is seemingly intent on putting out new Star Wars titles, having announced projects like The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka at 2020's Disney Investor Day.
It will be interesting to see what kind of vision Zhao can bring to the Star Wars universe if she's given the opportunity. The director has yet to experiment with the sci-fi genre, but audiences will get a taste of Zhao's versatility with Eternals. As the Star Wars franchise continues to expand, there's limitless worlds, characters, and storylines to be explored. But for now, fans of Zhao's work can look forward to Eternals, which hits theaters on November 5th.
Source: Al Horner/Twitter