Salma Hayek is the latest star who may be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While details on Marvel Studios' official slate beyond this year's offerings, such as Avengers: Endgame and the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home, are largely being kept under wraps, we do know some of what's coming down the pipeline. One of those projects is The Eternals, which has been quietly casting up lately as it gears up for production and it appears as though Hayek is on Marvel's radar.

According to a new report, Oscar-nominated actress Salma Hayek is in talks for an unspecified role in The Eternals. Marvel has yet to formally announce the project, but several reports have made it clear this is indeed one of their next movies that will enter production. Should the deal make, she'll join a cast that already includes Richard Madden (Game of Thrones), Kumail Nanjianai (Men in Black: International) and Ma Dong-seok (Train to Busan). Chloe Zhao (The Rider) is set to direct. The movie will reportedly center on a character named Sersi. Beyond that, not much has been made known.

It's interesting to note that Angelina Jolie has previously been reported as someone who was also in talks for the movie, possibly as Sersi. It's also interesting to note that this particular casting report makes no mention of Jolie. Did talks with her fall through? Is it possible that Salma Hayek is now being eyed for the role Jolie was up for? That's mostly speculation for the time being, but it is a curious coincidence.

Very similar to Guardians of the Galaxy prior to James Gunn's 2014 movie, The Eternals are a group that many people, save for comic book die-hards, are not familiar with. The group first appeared in the pages of Marvel Comics back in 1976. The Eternals were created by comic book legend Jack Kirby, who wrote and illustrated their first series. The story, basically speaking, centers on a group of individuals who were gifted special powers via accelerated evolution by the Celestials, a group has been teased in the MCU previously. The Eternals have been locked in a war with their counterparts, The Deviants, for thousands of years in an attempt to determine the superior race.

Salma Hayek earned an Oscar nomination for her role in 2002's Frida. Some of her other notable credits include From Dusk Till Dawn, Puss In Boots and Beatriz at Dinner. She most recently filmed The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, a sequel to 2017's The Hitman's Bodyguard.

Marvel currently has released dates set for May 1, 2020, November 6, 2020, February 12, 2021, May 7, 2021, November 5, 2021, February 18, 2022, May 6, 2022, and July 29, 2022. None of the titles for those dates have been revealed. Marvel is set to present at both San Diego Comic-Con and Disney's D23 Expo this summer, which is where we'll likely learn more about this project, as well as the others that will make up that release schedule. This news was first reported by The Wrap.