Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (FEB 2021)

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Release Date: February 12, 2021

Status: In development

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Writer: Dave Callaham

Cast: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, and Tony Leung

What We Know So Far: With Shang-Chi, Marvel is looking to produce its first superhero movie with an Asian lead. The film is based on a comics character created in the early 1970s by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin and was born out of Marvel Comics’ desire to acquire the rights to the TV series Kung Fu, which they were denied. Instead, they acquired the rights to the villain Fu Manchu and created Shang-Chi as a son of Fu Manchu. In the comics, Shang-Chi was raised and trained by his father in martial arts, but when he learned his father was actually evil, he turned against him. Marvel intends to fill out the ensemble with a mostly Asian cast, looking towards Black Panther as a template for how this kind of movie should be put together. Short Term 12 director Destin Daniel Cretton won the directing gig over other candidates that included Alan Yang (Master of None) and Deborah Chow (The Mandarin).

The film will introduce the MCU’s real Mandarin, to be played by Tony Leung, following the fake-out of the character in Iron Man 3.

 

 

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