To summariseMarvel's Eternals: Gemma Chan Confirmed As Sersi, Barry Keoghan as Druig
BY COOPER HOOD – ON AUG 24, 2019 IN MOVIE NEWS
Gemma Chan is playing Sersi in Eternals, with Barry Keoghan set to play Druig. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding in major ways. After eleven years of the Infinity Saga, MCU Phase 4 is set to introduce a plethora of new characters and franchise to keep the universe fresh. One of the prime examples of this is Eternals, a movie adaptation of the little-known Jack Kirby Marvel characters.
The movie has been speeding through development over the last year or so, with Chloe Zhao set to direct. But, since Eternals is not a well-known franchise, Marvel turned their attention to casting a high-profile, talented, and diverse ensemble. Most of this cast was announced at San Diego Comic-Con, with long-rumored castings of Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, and Kumail Nanjiani made official. After that panel though, reports surfaced that Captain Marvel's Gemma Chan could get a brand new MCU role.
During D23 2019, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that this is the case. Chan will play Sersi in Eternals, who is traditionally one of the lead characters of the comics. Meanwhile, Barry Keoghan was also confirmed to be part of the cast, and he will play the villainous Druig. You can briefly see concept art of the entire cast in these roles in the photo below, as well as Chan's reaction to her casting:
The confirmation of Chan as Sersi and Keoghan as Druig immediately give both of these talented actors potentially big roles in the MCU. Sersi is reportedly the lead character in Eternals, but she has also become an Avenger in the comics before. The MCU could bring Sersi onto a new-look lineup before too long. As for Druig, there is no word on if he is actually going to be the main villain of the film as he usually plays in the comics. If so, then Keoghan will immediately receive a major role in Eternals. But, there's also the possibility that a different character is the villain of the film, and Keoghan's Druig is part of the long-term plans for the Eternals franchise.
As exciting as this news was, they were far from the only details about Eternals that came to light during the panel. After his addition to the MCU was reported yesterday, Marvel also confirmed that Kit Harington will appear in Eternals too. He will play Dane Whitman aka Black Knight. While his appearance wasn't revealed during the presentation, Feige did show off concept art of the rest of the ensemble. All of this comes as Eternals is gearing up to start filming (if it hasn't quietly done so already), so it may not be too long before more details on the movie are released.
So we get the Jon Snow and Robb Stark back together again, although Kit Harington will be playing a mortal, Dane Whitman aka the Black Knight. Gemma Chan would play my favourite Eternal, and who is also my favourite Avenger after Thor, the flirtatious Sersi. The fact they are having the Black Knight appear looks to me to be setting up the romance the two had in the comic, which coincidentally was the Avenger stories when I started reading them again as a teenager in the 1990s. In those stories, Sersi wrecked Hercules, KOed Hang Pym in his Giant man in one punch, fucked over the evil Alternate universe Vision by transmuting him into stone etc.Angelina Jolie ... Thena
Richard Madden ... Ikaris
Gemma Chan ... Sersi
Salma Hayek ... Ajak
Kit Harington ... Dane Whitman
Brian Tyree Henry ... Phastos
Barry Keoghan ... Druig
Kumail Nanjiani ... Kingo
Lia McHugh ... Sprite
Dong-seok Ma ... Gilgamesh
Lauren Ridloff ... Makkari
The casting looks pretty diverse, and given that the Eternals aren't that well known outside of comicdom, they can play this diverse cast without pissing off too many hardcore fans. IIRC in the comics, most Eternals would be "white" with the exception of Kingo (who was Japanese) and Phastos (who was darker skin).
The fact that Sersi is going to be the lead character is just the bonus on top. As an Eternals fan, I am personally psyched up for this one.