Eternals director Chloé Zhao has discussed some of the films that influenced her Marvel Cinematic Universe epic.

Speaking to Fandango, Zhao said she pays tribute "to many films and filmmakers that had great influence on me" in Eternals. She went on to explain how that shaped the movie's style. "I try to let them inspire me in different parts of the movie because the film is so diverse, visually. I could do a lot of different things."

RELATED: ‘Eternals Assemble’ - Marvel Promo Teases the Future of the MCU

"Particularly with the team at Marvel -- our visual effects team, the action units, the design teams -- we watched [Terrence] Malick films, particularly The Tree of Life and The New World," Zhao continued. "We watched The Revenant a lot, and Interstellar a lot. We watched Blade Runner 2049 and a [2011 documentary] film called Samsara. We watched that a lot. Obviously 2001: A Space Odyssey was very important, too. So, these were the films we had on repeat, and of course, there’s many other things in my life that I’ve watched that snuck into it."

Blade Runner 2049 wasn't the only film directed by Denis Villeneuve that shaped Zhao's vision for Eternals. During a one-on-one discussion with the Dune director, Zhao revealed she used stills from his movies as references when she pitched her superhero epic to Marvel Studios. “I’m naturally drawn to filmmakers who have a very strong hand in world-building," she told Villeneuve in September. "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.”

RELATED: Eternals Monopoly Board Reveals the Marvel Film's MCU Locales

While she's been known for making films that are firmly rooted in the real world (like Nomadland), Eternals sees Zhao expanding into the realms of science-fiction and fantasy. She plans to continue that trend by directing a sci-fi western re-imagining of Dracula and even has her eyes on traveling to a galaxy far, far away one day. When asked if she wants to direct a Star Wars movie in a recent interview, Zhao replied, "I have to tread very carefully with what I say here. [laughs] Yes. Let’s just say, it’s a world I have so much reverence for because it was such an important part of my life. [laugh]"

Eternals begins its exclusive theatrical run on Nov. 5.

KEEP READING: MCU Theory: Thor's Age of Ultron Vision Foretold the Eternals' Movie Threat

Source: Fandango