The next installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao’s Eternals, and it looks incredible. Kumail Nanjiani, one of the film's many stars, has talked about the long wait for the film and how it will feel when people actually get to see it it. The movie is a departure for the actor, who wanted to change things up and get away from the nerdy roles that he's played so often. He and the cast seem to have enjoyed making the movie, but they did have a bit of drama on set stemming from an apparent bomb threat. Now, Nanjiani has opened up about how things played out during the scare.
Starring in a big blockbuster film can have its share of occupational hazards, but most cast or crew members probably wouldn't expect a bomb threat to be one of them. But that was indeed the reality for Kumail Nanjiani and his co-stars while they were shooting in the Canary Islands in November 2019. The stars had been relatively quiet on the situation since it occurred, but Nanjiani shared with Empire (via The Direct) exactly how it affected things on set:
Some of the actors found this metal thing and were like, 'Hey, what's that?'... I remember being like, 'Guys why's the schedule changing? WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THERE'S A BOMB?!?
I think just about anyone would be just as startled by the situation as Kumail Nanjiani apparently was. Ultimately, the “metal thing” that was found by the crew turned out to be a bomb from World War II and, as a result, production was shut down. Richard Madden and Angelina Jolie were also reportedly on set when the device was found. Thankfully, the device was removed, and filming was able to continue.
Kumail Nanjiani and his castmates had a unique time during the production of Eternals. Nanjiani in particular has taken everything in stride and made the most of his time on the set. He recently discussed what it was like sharing the screen with an icon like Angelina Jolie. And Jolie is only one of the major stars he'll get to rub shoulders with, as the cast also includes A-listers like Game of Thrones star Kit Harrington, who could have a significant role in the MCU moving forward.
Eternals is proving to be an ambitious venture. Chloé Zhao actually had to convince Marvel to allow the film to use real locations as opposed to computer-generated ones. Ultimately, Marvel boss Kevin Feige was impressed by the beauty Zhao was able to capture for the film. As you've seen, unexpected things can definitely happen when you shoot on location, but this should allow the film to be visually distinct from anything we've seen in the MCU thus far.
Some stunning visuals and interesting characters should make the PG-13-rated movie a worthy entry in the MCU. Hopefully, fans will be more than satisfied with the work Kumail Nanjiani and his collaborators put in.
Eternals opens in theaters on November 5.
