Kumail Nanjiani comments on and debunks Patton Oswalt’s previous update claiming that Marvel Studios is currently developing Eternals 2.
Kumail Nanjiani debunks Patton Oswalt’s previous Eternals 2 update. Playing Kingo in Chloé Zhao’s 2021 MCU blockbuster, Nanjiani is one of the newest players in the Multiverse Saga. Like many of his fellow Eternals, he is expected to play an integral role in the franchise’s coming years. That being said, Marvel Studios remains mum about an Eternals sequel, something that is supposedly a given, considering the MCU’s penchant for character trilogies. Oswalt, who played Pip the Troll in the Zhao film, has claimed that the sequel is actually in active development, and Kevin Feige and his team just haven’t made an announcement about it. This excited many— but it may not actually be an accurate update.
Several months after Oswalt made the Eternals 2 claim, Nanjiani is coming out to cast doubts about the viability of this news about the sequel moving forward. Speaking with The Playlist, the Kingo actor floats the idea that his co-star may have been a victim of fake news online, with the information he repeated potentially not coming from Marvel Studios itself. Read Nanjiani’s full quote below:
I don’t think Patton was right. I think that there was a hoax website – one of those where it’s like one letter off from the real one. They tweeted it, and it spread around and I think that’s what Patton saw.
The Eternals Will Return In The MCU, But When?
For context, Oswalt’s comment simply says “there’s going to be an Eternals sequel. Chloé Zhao is going to direct it.” He made the remark during a guest appearance on The Today Show, but didn’t further expound on it further. He didn’t mention where or how he got the news. Interestingly, however, he claimed that Eternals 2 has already been announced, which isn’t the case. As previously noted, Marvel Studios has yet to make any comment about the status of the follow-up. MCU producer Nate Moore recently confirmed that the Eternals will indeed return to the franchise, he just didn’t say when.
Given that, it’s curious when the cosmic heroes may return to the MCU. The obvious choice is for them to headline Eternals 2. This would allow them to continue their stories, especially considering that Eternals ended on a cliffhanger for some of the team. It’s also the easiest way to go, since the heroes and their collective story have been removed from the bigger franchise. It would be tricky to get them incorporated into other projects, even with crossover endeavors like Destin Daniel Cretton’s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, without addressing some lingering questions about their origins. That being said, if Marvel Studios really wants to, they can have certain members join other movies and TV shows, as with Dane Whitman and the upcoming Blade film.
For now, fans will have to wait and see when and how the Eternals pop back up in the MCU. Unless Marvel Studios changes their storytelling format, Eternals 2 happening is all but confirmed, and the question is when it will actually release. Looking at the franchise’s Multiverse Saga slate, the franchise has some open dates in Phase 6 that could be reserved for the much-clamored sequel.
Source: The Playlist