{"id":1978994,"date":"2025-08-25T16:56:04","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T16:56:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1978994"},"modified":"2025-08-25T16:56:04","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T16:56:04","slug":"kumail-nanjiani-says-he-signed-on-for-6-mcu-movies-theme-park-ride-but-none-of-that-happened","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/kumail-nanjiani-says-he-signed-on-for-6-mcu-movies-theme-park-ride-but-none-of-that-happened\/","title":{"rendered":"Kumail Nanjiani says he signed on for 6 MCU movies, theme park ride but &#8216;none of that happened&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">What do you do when your superhero dreams fall through? Turn it into fodder for your comedy special, of course.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/kumail-nanjiani\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Kumail Nanjiani;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Kumail Nanjiani<\/a> is getting candid about his time in the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/marvel\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Marvel Cinematic Universe;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Marvel Cinematic Universe<\/a>, which was a much shorter stint than he expected. Four years after making his franchise debut in <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/eternals-2021-movie\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Eternals;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>Eternals<\/em><\/a>, the actor has yet to make his return. But on a recent episode of\u00a0 <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/mike-birbiglia\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Mike Birbiglia;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Mike Birbiglia<\/a>\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?app=desktop&amp;v=Y8zwAj3sYpc\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:\u201cWorking It Out\u201d podcast;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">\u201cWorking It Out\u201d podcast<\/a>, Nanjiani shared that it wasn&#8217;t all for nothing because his experience with the film has become the &#8220;last 15 minutes&#8221; of his upcoming stand-up special.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I talk about how I was in this big movie, it came out right after COVID, so I had a year and a half at home to just be like, &#8216;Oh, when this thing comes out!&#8217; But then it came out and it got really bad reviews,&#8221; Nanjiani shared. &#8220;It didn\u2019t do that well. It shattered me too much. That\u2019s when I was like, &#8216;Oh I need to go to therapy to figure this out.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After confirming that the project in question was 2021&#8217;s <em>Eternals<\/em>, Nanjiani noted that the disappointment only continued. The comedian explained that he expected to be much more involved in the MCU at this point, because his contract lined up several future projects.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Sophie Mutevelian\/Marvel Studios Kumail Nanjiani, Gemma Chan and Lia McHugh in &#8216;Eternals&#8217;<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I was like, &#8216;Oh, this is going to be my job for the next 10 years. I signed on for six movies. I signed on for a video game. I signed on for a theme park ride,&#8221; Nanjiani shared. &#8220;They make you sign up for all this stuff. And you\u2019re like, &#8216;This is the next 10 years of my life, so I\u2019ll be doing Marvel movies every year and, in between, I\u2019ll do my own little things, whatever I want to do.&#8217; And then none of that happened.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He continued, &#8220;But for me what really hit me was just realizing too much of my self esteem is tied up in other people&#8217;s reactions to my work. First of all, people have way bigger problems than this.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Birbiglia then chimed in, joking, &#8220;Not everyone&#8217;s in <em>Eternals<\/em>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Not everyone&#8217;s in <em>Eternals<\/em>,&#8221; Nanjiani agreed with a laugh, before quipping, &#8220;Honesty, too many people are though. There were a few too many people in <em>Eternals<\/em>, if the reviews are to be believed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Indeed, the sprawling cast was a point of frustration for many viewers: Nanjiani was one of 10 eternal beings in the starry epic, alongside <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/gemma-chan\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Gemma Chan;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Gemma Chan<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/richard-madden\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Richard Madden;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Richard Madden<\/a>, Lia McHugh, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/brian-tyree-henry\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Brian Tyree Henry;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Brian Tyree Henry<\/a>, Lauren Ridloff, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/barry-keoghan\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Barry Keoghan;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Barry Keoghan<\/a>, Don Lee, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/salma-hayek\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Salma Hayek;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Salma Hayek<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/angelina-jolie\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Angelina Jolie;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Angelina Jolie<\/a>. The film additionally starred <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/kit-harington\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Kit Harington;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Kit Harington<\/a> and featured brief cameos from <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/harry-styles\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Harry Styles;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Harry Styles<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/patton-oswalt\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Patton Oswald;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Patton Oswald<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But star power wasn&#8217;t enough to keep the film above water. Not only did <em>Eternals<\/em> mark one of the MCU&#8217;s lowest box office earners ever (ending with $402 million globally), it is currently the third worst reviewed films in the franchise, with a 47 percent on Rotten Tomatoes (<em>Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania<\/em> and <em>Captain America: Brave New World <\/em>are tied for last place with 46 percent).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Marvel Studios Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Don Lee, Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, and Barry Keoghan in 'Eternals'\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"268\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/B0fTGMakYz8KQxKqzPSG1Q--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQwMjtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/entertainment_weekly_785\/3269e65c439bf98b3e4cf7aaaecfb2ac\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Marvel Studios Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Don Lee, Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, and Barry Keoghan in &#8216;Eternals&#8217;<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Despite the negative reaction, Nanjiani made it clear that he remains &#8220;very proud of the movie.&#8221; The comedian previously expressed this sentiment in 2024, telling <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6wM8216D8kg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Inside of You;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>Inside of You<\/em><\/a> host Michael Rosenbaum that he viewed the project as <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/kumail-nanjiani-went-to-counseling-after-really-bad-eternals-reviews-8559893\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:&quot;a slam dunk&quot;;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">&#8220;a slam dunk&#8221; <\/a>and &#8220;had the best time doing that movie.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He added that the issue was always with the response to the film and how it affected him, especially because he was &#8220;too aware of it&#8221; and &#8220;reading every review.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><em>Want more movie news? Sign up for\u00a0<\/em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/forms.dotdashmeredith.com\/ewk-movie-opt-in\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Entertainment Weekly;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Entertainment Weekly<\/a><em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/forms.dotdashmeredith.com\/ewk-movie-opt-in\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:'s\u00a0free newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">&#8216;s\u00a0free newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He explained, &#8220;It was really hard, and that was when I thought it was unfair to me and unfair to [my wife] Emily, and I can\u2019t approach my work this way anymore. Some s&#8212; has to change, so I started counseling.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As for the six movies he signed on for, the film did end with a very confident &#8220;The Eternals will return\u2026&#8221; proclamation, but a sequel to the film is not currently on Marvel&#8217;s Phase Six slate nor were <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/avengers-doomsday-cast-confirmed-chris-hemsworth-florence-pugh-paul-rudd-more-11703752\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:the characters listed among those popping in;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">the characters listed among those popping in<\/a> for <em>Avengers: Doomsday. <\/em>Marvel boss <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/kevin-feige\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Kevin Feige;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Kevin Feige<\/a> last addressed the issue in a 2024 conversation with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inverse.com\/entertainment\/kevin-feige-eternals-2-update\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Inverse;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>Inverse<\/em><\/a>, stating, &#8220;There are no immediate plans for <em>Eternals 2<\/em>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/eternals-star-kumail-nanjiani-reveals-he-signed-on-for-six-mcu-movies-11796787\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Entertainment Weekly;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What do you do when your superhero dreams fall through? Turn it into fodder for your comedy special, of course. Kumail Nanjiani is getting candid about his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which was a much shorter stint than he expected. Four years after making his franchise debut in Eternals, the actor has yet [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1978995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[347324,311035,347625],"class_list":["post-1978994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-kumail-nanjiani","tag-marvel-cinematic-universe","tag-mike-birbiglia"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Kumail-Nanjiani-says-he-signed-on-for-6-MCU-movies.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1978994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978994\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1978995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1978994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1978994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1978994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}