Kumail Nanjiani: “I Had a Contract for 6 Marvel Films and a Video Game”
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Kumail Nanjiani underwent a dramatic physical transformation for Marvel’s superhero film Eternals. Directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, the film was released in 2021 and grossed $402 million but received largely negative reactions. It became the first Marvel Cinematic Universe entry to earn a “Rotten” label on Rotten Tomatoes, and according to unofficial reports, its sequel has been canceled.
Four years later, Marvel has yet to officially announce any plans to bring back the large ensemble of Eternals characters—and may never do so. But in a new interview with ComicBookMovie, Nanjiani revealed that he was under contract for six films and one video game.
Nanjiani, who played Kingo in Eternals, said: “It came out right after COVID, so I’d been sitting at home for a year and a half thinking, ‘When is this movie coming out…’ It came out, got really bad reviews, and didn’t do very well. It absolutely crushed me. That’s when I realized, ‘I need to go to therapy to figure this out.’”
He continued: “I thought, ‘This is the role I’ll be playing for the next ten years.’ I had a contract for six films and a video game. I had a contract for a theme park. They make you sign on for stuff like that… None of it happened. What really shook me was realizing that my self-worth was tied to how other people reacted to my work.”
The Pakistani-born actor added that he remains “proud” of the film, though he believes it featured too many characters. He reprised his role as Kingo in Marvel’s animated series What If…?
