In just a few days, Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings arrives in theaters, introducing fans to the first lead Asian superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only is the movie adding another superhero to the MCU, but it will also work as the representation of culture, which was lacking in the cinematic universe before this. A new featurette released by Marvel focuses on just that and the film’s diverse cast.
As part of the featurette, the cast and crew of the highly-anticipated Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings talked about their experiences of working with a mostly Asian team and how that added to the entire experience of bringing this Marvel Studios film to life. From the director to the main actors and the writer, there is a little bit of Asian representation across the board, and this team selection played a huge role in the end product that is Shang-Chi.
For Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton, the story of the film was “very personal.” In the featurette, he is heard talking about the film and how he wanted it to “add a whole cornucopia of Asian faces” that would represent something he has “never seen before” on the big screen. Despite the diverse cast, Cretton hopes that the film will be a project that every Marvel fan is able to connect to, and that won’t be difficult if it has a strong story. As actor Michelle Yeoh says in the featurette, “When your storytelling is good, it transcends culture.”
Lead actor Simu Liu, who portrays the role of Shang-Chi, on the other hand, claims to be living “every kid's dream” as the first lead Asian superhero in the MCU. “For many of us who grew up in the west, whose parents immigrated, we never really saw ourselves on screen meaningfully,” he is heard saying in the featurette. The Canadian-Chinese actor added that he believes Shang-Chi will be a very important piece of that conversation.
Writer David Callaham loved being able to bring a few of his own experiences into the script. As a Chinese-American, he was able to write Shang-Chi's journey of being raised in the U.S. with more honesty. Awkwafina, who played an important role in Liu's casting, revealed that there was a lot of care and research put into the script to ensure that all the symbology and language were accurate. Marvel Studios has set on a new course of being more diverse and Shang-Chi is a big piece of that puzzle.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings premieres in theaters on September 3, 2021.
Source: Marvel Entertainment/YouTube