'Eternals' movie, boasting a diverse cast and Marvel's first deaf role, premieres

LOS ANGELES, Oct 18 (Reuters) - (This Oct. 18 story refiles to correct typo in "adaptation" in first paragraph of story)

Actors Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek brought Hollywood glamor to the world premiere of Marvel Studios' latest comic book adaptation, "Eternals", on Monday.

Directed by Chloe Zhao, who won best director and best picture for the film "Nomadland" at the Oscars earlier this year, "Eternals" boasts one of the most diverse casts of any Marvel movie.

"I hope it just starts to normalize what should have been there in the first place," Jolie told Reuters. "I hope people watch these films in years to come and we don't even think about it as being diverse, it just becomes what's normal and what's right, and what's appropriate representation of the world we live in."

Gemma Chan plays the lead role of Sersi, one of the Eternals, a group of aliens who have lived on Earth and secretly guided humanity for 7,000 years.

"It's got a different tone, visually it's going to be quite different," said Chan. "Obviously the cast is huge and it spans 7,000 years so it's really an epic story. One of the themes of the film is connection, connection to one another, connection to earth. I hope that resonates with people in some way."

"Eternals" also features the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first deaf character in Lauren Ridloff's Makkari.

"I might be the first but I won't be the only one for much longer," signed Ridloff in American Sign Language. "There's another deaf superhero coming into the MCU very soon so this is definitely a game-changer."

Delayed a year due to the pandemic, "Eternals" will finally hit cinemas on Nov. 5.