Marvel Studios has pinned its next potential franchise, the Jack Kirby-created title The Eternals, and is moving ahead with development.

The studio behind Avengers: Infinity War has hired writers Matthew and Ryan Firpo, whose spec script Ruin shot to the top of the 2017 Black List, to pen the script for the superhero team adventure.

In comics lore, the saga of the Eternals began millions of years ago when the cosmic beings known as the Celestials genetically experimented on humans, creating the super-powered and near-immortal beings and a more monstrous off-shoot known as the Deviants. The two races moved behind the scenes throughout human history while also engaging in Game of Thrones-style cosmic powerplays.

Among the characters are Ikaris, fueled by cosmic energy; Sersi, who relishes moving amongst humans; and Thena, often mistaken for the Greek goddess Athena.

Kirby created the title in 1976 during his cosmic hero stage and influenced by such as works as Chariots of the Gods, which explored ancient gods as aliens. The comic was his part of his second sojourn at Marvel, which he had left in 1970 and done the then-unthinkable, moved to rival DC Comics.   

The Firpos are best known for writing Ruin, a spec script that shot to the top of the 2017 Black List. Even before that, the project was emanating enough heat that it attracted Gal Gadot and got set up at Marc Butan’s MadRiver Pictures.

Ruin tells of an ex-Nazi captain who, to atone for his crimes, hunts down and kills the members of his former SS squad.

The Firpos are repped by UTA and LBI Entertainment.