#Eternals Director Chloe Zhao Pitched Marvel Using Stills From Denis Villeneuve Movies

In the interview, Zhao explains that she looked to Villeneuve’s films as a good world-building model. She cites most of the films he’s made since transitioning from French-language features into English. “Prisoners,” “Sicario,” “Arrival,” and “Blade Runner 2049” all get mentioned.

Here’s what she had to say to Villeneuve, after he professed to being her biggest fan:

“I would like to apply for a job on your set to be your assistant. You know, when I went to pitch Eternals, I had stills from your films as references. I’m naturally drawn to filmmakers who have a very strong hand in world building. When I watch your films, even though they’re of different genres, from Sicario to Arrival to Prisoners and then Blade Runner 2049, you managed to build such visceral worlds I can feel and almost touch.”

If you want to pitch your movie, you can’t go wrong with a few Denis Villeneuve stills. The monolithic, oval-like spaceship in “Arrival,” hovering over a terrestrial landscape, for instance, seems like it would be a good reference for a movie such as “Eternals,” where you’ve got cosmic beings protecting Earth. 

“Dune” has its release on October 22, 2021. “Eternals” follows shortly thereafter on November 5.