Will there be an Eternals 2? Release date speculation, cast and latest news

Its minimal connections with previous films in the franchise are intended to make this more accessible than the likes of Avengers: Endgame or Black Widow, both of which required varying amounts of context to understand.

As producer Nate Moore told Toronto Sun previously: “If you just watch Eternals, you can enjoy Eternals, you can understand Eternals and you’re good to go.”

The film follows a group of immortal super-powered beings who have been placed on Earth supposedly to defeat some evil monsters known as the Deviants. However, there is a lot more to their true purpose than meets the eye...

Ahead of the film's release, fans and pundits had assumed that this new blockbuster would be a sure-fire hit, owing to the stellar Eternals cast and the intense brand loyalty movie-goers have to the bright red Marvel Studios banner.

However, some decidedly mixed reviews caused some to wonder whether Eternals will indeed turn into a major new franchise, or rather settle for one-and-done.

When it comes to the future, the cast certainly remain hopeful. Phastos star Brian Tyree Henry recently caught up with RadioTimes.com and admitted that while he doesn't know anything about future instalments, he certainly hopes to return as his character.

"I wish I knew," he said. "They know that I'm down, but I don't know yet. I hope so because I loved making that film. It was really great to do, and to be a superhero - I'm never gonna say no to doing that again."

Read on for everything we know so far about a possible Eternals 2.

Will there be an Eternals sequel?

Eternals 2 has not yet been confirmed by Marvel Studios.

Given that most Marvel franchises have naturally turned into trilogies (Iron Man, Captain America), while some have even gone beyond three entries (Thor, Avengers), it had been assumed by fans that Eternals would get a follow-up in the near future.

However, comments from Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore have suggested that may not be the case, with the executive putting emphasis on the idea of Eternals as a self-contained chapter in the MCU saga.

Discussing a possible Eternals 2, he told Toronto Sun: “It’s not something that is a must-have. Obviously, we have ideas of where we could go, but there isn’t a hard and fast rule where we have to have three of these things and this is the first.”

That's a markedly different outlook to director Zhao, who seemed enthusiastic about the idea of a sequel in an earlier interview with The Playlist.

"We got to play and do whatever we want and make a strong standalone film and leave everything on the table," she said. "I would be back in a second working with the team at Marvel for sure. So we’ll see."

It seems the jury is out within Marvel Studios over whether Eternals will continue, with the deciding factor likely to be those all-important box office results.

So far Eternals has earned $401.9 million at the global box office from a budget of $200 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

Regardless of whether there will be another Eternals film, the end of the film noted "The Eternals will return" - so we will see them again...somewhere.

Who would be in the cast of a potential Eternals 2?

The survivors of the first Eternals film could all return for a potential sequel.

Gemma Chan would likely return as de facto new Eternals leader Sersi. In fact, she seems like someone we can guarantee we will see again in the MCU.

When asked by W Magazine if she would play Sersi again, Chan replied: “Yes. Marvel owns us for life. [Laughs]”.

This likely means we will see her alongside Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo and Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos.

Henry spoke exclusively with RadioTimes.com in December 2022 about the prospect of another Eternals movie, and said: "I wish I knew. They know that I'm down, but I don't know yet."

Henry added that he certainly hoped the film would be getting a follow-up, saying: "I loved making that film. It was really great to do, and to be a superhero - I'm never gonna say no to doing that again."

Sersi, Kingo and Phastos were all taken by the celestial Arishem (voiced by David Kaye) at the conclusion of the film so we expect this cliffhanger would need to be resolved.

Meanwhile, we also have another trio to follow on the Domo in space: warrior Thena (Angelina Jolie), speedster Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) and brooding Druig (Barry Keoghan).

The group were questioning their comrades' disappearance but were confronted by the character of Eros/Starfox (Harry Styles) and Pip the Troll (voiced by Patton Oswalt) in the Eternals end credits scenes - so expect both of them to be back too.

Giant Freakin Robot reports from an unnamed source that Styles has signed a contract for five Marvel movies and is hoped to become a major player in the franchise, although take this with a pinch of salt for now.

Still, it seems like a reasonable expectation that the former One Direction member would make his full introduction in an Eternals sequel, which would give us a better idea of what to expect from his character moving forward.

We imagine we will also somehow check-in with Kingo's valet Karun (Harish Patel) and Sersi's human boyfriend Dane Whitman (Kit Harington) - but he may have a future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a certain Black Knight with an Ebony Blade.

Speaking to Inverse, Harington said: “I know at the end of the movie we see him find his sword. So we assume that's going to come into play.

"As far as the future goes, [Marvel said] to me, this could be a continuation. That’s all I needed to hear."

As a result of the post-credits scene, we could see an appearance from double Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali as Blade - who was confirmed to be the voice by director Chloe Zhao.

We doubt we will see returns from the deceased characters from the first film unless they appear via flashbacks.

These characters include former Eternals leader Ajak (Salma Hayek), strongman Gilgamesh (Don Lee), the deviant Kro (voiced by Bill Skarsgard) and the treacherous Ikaris (Richard Madden).

Finally, given that the character of Sprite (Lia McHugh) strives to lead a normal life and is transformed into a human so may not return and if she does then she may be recast.

Zhao has also teased in a recent interview that her Nomadland collaborator Frances McDormand could be eyeing a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

When asked if the two-time Oscar winner would be interested in joining the franchise, Zhao told Yahoo's Kevin Polowy: "I think she wants to. I think she’s open to it, yeah... I think she’ll want to something really fun.

'I think she would want to do something unexpected because that’s Fran. She’s always challenging herself."

Intriguingly, the director answered "no comment" when grilled on whether she had discussed Marvel projects with McDormand, with the Fargo and Three Billboards star sure to be near the top of Kevin Feige's wish-list.

Let the speculation begin as to who the celebrated actress could play.

What could happen in the plot of Eternals 2?

Marvel is always very secretive about which stories it has planned, so we can only speculate about what the plot of Eternals 2 would be at this stage.

There are some obvious story points to continue on from in a sequel.

Firstly, the cliffhanger kidnapping of Sersi, Kingo and Phastos by Arishem will need to be resolved and with Chan seemingly confirming a return for Sersi then this will be.

Meanwhile, we will also need to pick up from the scenes on the Domo where Thena, Makkari and Druig had their first meeting (that they remember) with the Eternal named Eros and his companion Pip the Troll.

Elsewhere, we also will likely follow up with Dane Whitman and his encounter with Blade - however, whether this will take place in an Eternals sequel or another MCU title such as the upcoming Blade film or a potential Black Knight spin-off remains to be seen.

One of the key questions is whether the cosmic beings will crossover with the established heroes of the MCU, with all talk thus far describing them as existing in their own space.

“We felt like there was enough story that it could be a contained universe,” producer Moore told Toronto Sun. “We definitely have ideas of how things can cross over later.

"But this movie with 10 characters and Dane Whitman and the Celestials and the Deviants, there was enough for us to play with," he added.

That said, we may see our first major interaction between the Eternals and the wider MCU in the second season of Marvel's What If on Disney Plus, with head writer AC Bradley teasing more Phase Four characters in the next run of episodes.

“Going into the second season, we're sticking with anthology form, and it's going to be all-new stories, lots of fun, new heroes, and pulling more from Phase Four than we were obviously able to this season," she told Entertainment Weekly.

"Hopefully, we'll see hints of Eternals and Shang-Chi and the Black Widow characters. The fun of What If...? is that we get to explore the entire infinite multiverse, so we try and bounce around as much as we can."

Is there an Eternals 2 trailer?

There's no trailer for Marvel's Eternals 2 just yet.

Heck, we don't even know if the film is going to get made at this point. But even if it does get the green light, we wouldn't expect footage from the sequel anytime soon.

As soon as we have any sight of footage from he film then we will be sure to share it here.

Read more:

• Eternals ending explained: Who dies in the epic Marvel film?
• Eternals director Chloe Zhao reveals moment she’s proudest of in MCU film
• How does Eternals fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
• Eternals writer confirms fate of major Marvel character
• Who is Eros in The Eternals? Harry Styles’ Starfox explained

Marvel’s Eternals is available to watch now on Disney Plus – sign up now for £7.99 per month or £79.90 for a full year.

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