Angelina Jolie may become the next big-name star to suit up for the Marvel universe.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Oscar-winning star of such films as Girl, Interrupted and Wanted is close to signing up for The Eternals. Based on a comic created by the late Jack Kirby, The Eternals will follow a long-running conflict between two at-odds super-powered groups. It’s unclear who Jolie will play in The Eternals, which will be directed by Chloe Zhao, whose 2018 film The Rider was named best picture of the year by the National Society of Film Critics.
Jolie’s 2014 film Maleficent made more than $700 million worldwide, and her films—which include the lucrative Kung Fu Panda series—have grossed more than $2 billion, according to Box Office Mojo.
The 43-year-old actor has largely focused on directing in the last several years, but the Eternals news indicates that she’s heading back toward big-name, big-studio properties. She’s already set to reprise her Maleficent role in a sequel, scheduled to be released by Disney next year. That film will likely earn the actor a massive payday: According to reports, Jolie received a $20 million salary, plus a share of the profits, for the first Maleficent.
The Eternals is one of several forthcoming films in the work for Marvel, which has made billions for Disney since the release of 2012’s The Avengers. (Marvel films have also been produced by Sony, Paramount, and other Hollywood studios.) The forthcoming Avengers: Endgame, to be released April 26, will likely surpass the $2 billion worldwide haul of last year’s Avengers: Infinity War.
