Angelina Jolie reportedly set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in ‘The Eternals’

The Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t had any trouble enlisting serious Hollywood A-Listers to appear in its franchise in the past, from Kurt Russell and Samuel L. Jackson to Cate Blanchett. Now, it’s looking like Angelina Jolie might soon make her MCU debut.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor-cum-filmmaker is closing a deal to star in Marvel Studios’ upcoming outing The Eternals. Late last year, it was announced that The Rider director Chloé Zhao was on board to helm the picture, while screenwriter cousins Matthew and Ryan Firpo will pen the script.

Read more: ‘Avengers: Endgame’ character posters, synopsis, runtime revealed

Created by Jack Kirby, The Eternals are a group of immortal beings who possess god-like abilities having been created by cosmic deities the Celestials. Throughout their storylines, their most notable enemies have been the Deviants.

If Jolie does sign indeed on to the project, the film will mark her first foray into the world of onscreen superheroes, but it won’t be the first time she’s starred in a comic book adaptation. Back in 2008, she appeared in Wanted, an action thriller based on Mark Millar’s comic miniseries of the same name, opposite Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy.

Early this month, The Hashtag Show reported that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was seeking an openly gay actor to star in The Eternals‘ lead role. While that rumour has yet to be confirmed, Marvel’s production chief Victoria Alonso gushed about the idea to Variety on the red carpet of the Captain Marvel premiere in Los Angeles.

“The world is ready,” she stated, when asked about the prospect of a queer protagonist. “I’m so passionate about this I’ve got to tell you. Our entire success is based on people that are incredibly different. Why would we only want to be recognized by only one type of person?

Read more: ‘Shazam!’ star Zachary Levi on why he stood up to ‘Captain Marvel’ trolls

“Our audience is global, is diverse, is inclusive. If we don’t do it that way for them, we will fail. If we don’t put pedal to the metal on the diversity and the inclusivity, we will not have continued success. Our determination is to have that for all of the people out there watching our movies.”

In August 2018, Jolie wrapped production on Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, the follow-up to Disney’s live-action Sleeping Beauty spin-off. Directed by Joachim Rønning (Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar Revenge), it was initially aiming for a spring 2020 release but will now reach UK and US cinemas on 18 October 2019.