Walt Disney Co’s Marvel Studios on Saturday unveiled a slate of upcoming superhero films that includes The Eternals starring Angelina Jolie, Blade featuring Mahershala Ali, and a Thor sequel with Natalie Portman as a female Thor.

The announcements at San Diego Comic-Con charts Marvel’s course following the April release of mega-blockbuster Avengers: Endgame, which Disney said was set to top 2009 film Avatar by Sunday as the highest-grossing movie of all time.

Salma Hayek, from left, Lia McHugh, Don Lee and Angelina Jolie participate in the Marvel Studios panel on day three of Comic-Con International on Saturday, July 20, 2019, in San Diego. ( Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP )

Jolie appeared on stage in front of 6,500 cheering fans, along with other Eternals cast members including Kumail Nanjiani and Salma Hayek. The story about a group of immortal aliens is set for release in November 2020.

“I’m going to work 10 times harder,” Jolie said when asked how she would approach the role. “We all know what the task is ahead, and we know what you deserve, and so we are all going to be working very hard so I am in training and thrilled.”

Disney also revealed it will release Thor: Love and Thunder, the fourth movie in the Thor series, in November 2021. Portman will take up the superhero’s hammer as a female goddess of thunder. The films are part of Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that started with 2008’s Iron Man.

Director Taika Waititi hands the Thor hammer to Natalie Portman during the Thor Love And Thunder portion of the Marvel Studios panel on day three of Comic-Con International on Saturday, July 20, 2019, in San Diego. ( Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP )

Also read: Marvel releases new Avengers Endgame trailer filled with bonus content. Watch here

Other coming movies include Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which director Scott Derrickson described as “the first scary MCU movie” and Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings starring Simu Liu, Awkwafina and Chinese actor Tony Leung.

The presentation ended with a surprise appearance by Ali, who won two Oscars for Moonlight and Green Book. Ali walked on stage and put on a baseball hat with the logo for Blade.

Mahershala Ali, center, wears a hat to promote his new movie Blade at the Marvel Studios panel on day three of Comic-Con International on Saturday, July 20, 2019, in San Diego. ( Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP )

Scarlett Johansson introduced an action-heavy trailer for Black Widow. In an interview, the actress said having a stand-alone film for the Avengers character was “mind-blowing.” “I hope it adds a gritty kind of groundedness, that’s like a good punch in the gut, and a literal punch in the gut too,” she said. “We all get the crap beaten out of us!”

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed a forthcoming Fantastic Four film and sequels to Black Panther and Captain America. Feige also previewed Marvel series being made for the Disney+ streaming TV service that will debut in November. They include Loki, Hawkeye and animated What If.

The stories told on Disney+ will weave into Marvel’s movie, Feige said. For example, Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda will star in the WandaVision series and in the new Doctor Strange film. “The same teams that work on the movies are going to be working on these mega-event limited series,” Feige said in an interview. “They are completely intertwined.”

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First Published: Jul 21, 2019 09:22 IST