Eternals was released back in 2021 to a mixed reception from fans and critics alike. It also became the first MCU project that received a "rotten" score on Rotten Tomatoes which was unprecedented in the franchise during that time.
So far, Marvel Studios has not announced any plans for a sequel or have the characters appear in other MCU projects aside from the easter eggs and references in subsequent projects that were released since then.
Despite the lack of announcements regarding the character's future in the MCU, the ending and post-credits scene teased that they still have more stories to tell in a potential sequel down the line.
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Eternals Almost Became a TV Series According to John Ridley
In an interview on the Comic Book Club podcast (via The Hollywood Reporter), Oscar-winning writer John Ridley revealed that he was developing an Eternals TV series for ABC and Marvel Television years before Marvel Studios eventually made the film.
He claimed that his take on the Marvel team is the "good" version compared to the MCU movie.
"My version or the good version was so fucking weird. There was my version, a good version, which is good to me, which that doesn’t mean anything," he said.
"There was the version that [Marvel] ended up doing, which I don’t think that version was particularly good. I’ll be honest."
Ridley went on to share the details of the first scene of the pilot episode that he wrote.
He revealed, "My version started with, the first thing you see is a young man, probably about 17, 18 years old. And he’s sitting there. He’s sitting there for a moment. And then he lifts his hands. He has a drill in it. And he turns the drill on. And he puts the drill to his ear."
"And he starts pushing it in. And then it goes from there... That’s how it starts. And then I think you see another kid. He sleeps in the bathtub, covers himself with foil. It’s just a really weird story about these people who are, I mean, it’s just weird."
The writer admitted that his version was a "really hard property [to develop]" and it wouldn't be entertaining for the general audience.
Ridley went on to write a Black Panther comic series from 2021 to 2023 that ran for fifteen issues.
It is intriguing information since it shows that the Eternals may have gotten a different screen debut if the Ridley project ended up moving forward and perhaps the MCU movie might not even happen.
However, just like some of the pre-MCU TV shows, the project might not have been able to strike the right chord and, in the end, a Marvel Studios production was a better direction regardless of the reception that the film received.
Eternals is available to stream on Disney+.
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