Angelina Jolie is no stranger to big action movie roles, with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Wanted being some of the most significant titles on her resume, and it looks like she is now ready to join her first superhero franchise - specifically the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to new reports, the actress is now in talks to join the cast of The Eternals, albeit in an unknown role.
This news comes to us from The Hollywood Reporter, which sadly doesn't have a ton of info about the film beyond the fact that Angelina Jolie is now signing up to be a part of it. The project is set up to be directed by Chloe Zhao (The Rider), and it is said that the story will be a centuries-spanning romance that centers on the titular near-immortal beings and their monstrous genetic relatives, the Deviants. The two lead characters will be the cosmic energy-powered Ikaris, and the powerful sorceress Sersi - though it's unclear if either of these roles will ultimately belong to Jolie.
Given her stature in the movie industry both as an actor and as a director, rumors have been swirling around for years connecting Angelina Jolie to superhero film projects. One of the most prominent stories that stuck around for a while was the idea that she was on the short list to potentially helm Captain Marvel, but obviously that gig wound up going to Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. We'll just have to wait and see what it was about The Eternals that made Jolie want to be a part of the franchise.
What adds yet another layer of mystique to this development is the fact that Angelina Jolie doesn't really do a ton of live-action performing anymore. Later this year we will get to see her back up on the big screen in the sequel Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil, but it will be the first time we've seen her in the medium since 2015's By The Sea. Her career has been much more focused on the directing side of things, so it makes one wonder about the particular allure of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (assuming that it's more than money). She does have six children between the ages of 10 and 17, so it's entirely possible that The Eternals is a film she wants to make because her kids are fans of the brand.
Right now the state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's future is a bit hazy, as Marvel Studios isn't announcing any official plans until this summer. That being said, it's been reported that The Eternals could be going into production some time later this year, meaning that it could wind up with one of the three 2020 release dates that the franchise currently has carved out. If that's the case, it's very likely that we will be hearing more casting reports soon, so stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all the latest updates.
