Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

[GeneChing]

This will need its own thread when a title is announced. For now, I'm just posting this on SHANG-CHI "MASTER of KUNG FU" (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?40472) & Which actors would do justice to Shang Chi in a movie (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?8550-Which-actors-would-do-justice-to-Shang-Chi-in-a-movie)?


DECEMBER 03, 2018 10:04am PT by Mia Galuppo , Graeme McMillan
Marvel Developing Shang-Chi Movie with 'Wonder Woman 1984' Writer (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/marvel-developing-shang-chi-movie-as-first-asian-lead-1165752)

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2018/12/gettyimages-859609996-h_2018.jpg
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Dave Callaham

Dave Callaham is penning the film, which would be the studio's first to focus on a superhero of Asian descent.

Marvel Studios is developing a new feature that will center on hero Shang-Chi in a project that would act as the superhero studio's first stand-alone movie with an Asian lead.

Dave Callaham will pen the screenplay, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. A director is not yet attached.

Shang-Chi — or, as Marvel refers to him, the Master of Kung Fu — debuted in 1973’s Special Marvel Edition No. 15, created by Steve Englehart and Thanos creator Jim Starlin after an attempt to acquire the comic book rights to the television series Kung Fu fell through. The son of infamous pulp villain Fu Manchu, Shang-Chi was trained as a martial artist assassin by his father, only to rebel against him and become a superhero instead. The character was a massive success through the 1970s, and was recently revived as a member of the Avengers during 2012’s Marvel Now! Publishing event.

Callaham is no stranger to the superhero genre, having helped to pen Warner Bros. and DC's upcoming Wonder Woman sequel, Wonder Woman 1984. His credits also include The Expendables franchise and Sony's upcoming Zombieland 2. He is repped by UTA and Kaplan Perrone.

The Shang-Chi news comes as Hollywood is embracing projects with Asian leads following the success of Warner Bros.' Crazy Rich Asians, which pulled in more than $236 million at the global box office. Warners’ film arm New Line has picked up China-set romantic comedy Singles Day, based on a spec by Lillian Yu. Last week it was announced that Crazy Rich star Awkwafina created and will star in a Comedy Central series based on her own life.

[GeneChing]

Like I said on the Black Panther thread "Because all minorities are the same?" (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70307-Black-Panther&p=1310184#post1310184) Why does Shang-Chi (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?40472-SHANG-CHI-quot-MASTER-of-KUNG-FU-quot) gotta be in the Wakanda wake? Why can't it just be the first in a new franchise?


DECEMBER 04, 2018 11:33am PT by Richard Newby
How 'Shang-Chi' Could Be Marvel's Next 'Black Panther' (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/how-shang-chi-could-be-marvels-next-black-panther-1166159)

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2018/12/bruce_lee_and_shang-chi_marvel_split-h_2018.jpg
Bryanston Distributing/Photofest; Courtesy of Marvel
Marvel's Shang-Chi (right) was modeled after Bruce Lee.

The studio is focusing on increased representation as its mysterious post-'Avengers 4' plans come into focus.
Even though we may still be waiting on the title and first footage for Avengers 4, Marvel Studios’ plans for its future are becoming increasingly clear. Phase 4, or whatever this next iteration of the Marvel Cinematic Universe ends up being called, is shaping up to run quite the gamut of characters, locations, and time periods with Black Widow and The Eternals set for their own films, while sequels featuring characters Spider-Man and Black Panther are also in development. Monday, an unexpected but welcome addition was added to the roster: Shang-Chi, the oft-labeled Master of Kung-Fu.

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has discussed his desire for increased representation in Marvel’s films going forward, not just in front of the camera but behind it as well. With Anna Boden co-directing Captain Marvel alongside partner Ryan Fleck, Chloe Zhao taking on The Eternals, Cate Shortland delving into Black Widow’s past, and Ryan Coogler returning to direct the sequel to Black Panther, the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is shaping up to be a space for voices and visions the industry desperately needs more of. Coupled with the Peter Ramsey co-directed, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse at Sony, James Wan’s Aquaman and Cathy Yan’s upcoming Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) at Warner Bros., it’s clear that the future of superhero movies will no longer be dominated by white male voices. This doesn’t just mean new opportunities for filmmakers, but new stories that can change how we perceive the ever-popular mythology of superheroes.

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/2018/05/black_panther_2018_24_copy.jpg
Photofest
Michael B. Jordan in Black Panther.

The news broke Monday that the character Shang-Chi is on the fast-track for a film with Chinese-American screenwriter Dave Callaham (Wonder Woman 1984, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 ) on script duties. While Shang-Chi might be largely unknown, even amongst comic readers, the character is primed to break out in a way similar to Black Panther earlier this year. Marvel is searching for Asian and Asian-American filmmakers to helm the feature in the effort to make sure the film offers a perspective on Asian identity, something Hollywood is coming to realize the importance of and desire for, following this summer’s breakout hit Crazy Rich Asians. Despite his lack of recognition, Shang-Chi has been a key player in Marvel Comics with a rich, though often trope-defined history, that is ready to receive a new perspective just as illuminating and unique as any to come out of Wakanda.

Created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin, Shang-Chi first debuted in Special Marvel Edition No. 15 in 1973. His existence actually came about because Marvel Comics couldn’t get their hands on another popular property: the Warner Bros.-owned television show Kung Fu starring David Carradine. Ultimately, this ended up for the better as Marvel was able to create an original Chinese character, rather than utilizing a white dude playing at being Asian. Shang-Chi proved to be popular, largely because of the increased distribution of kung fu movies in American cinemas. Modeled after Bruce Lee, Shang-Chi became an unofficial means to continue the legacy of the martial arts icon. In 1974, Special Marvel Edition changed its name to The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu to capitalize on the increased appeal of the character. While Shang-Chi’s reign was short, and his series ended in 1983, his team-ups with Iron Fist, Daughters of the Dragon, Heroes for Hire, Man-Thing, and Spider-Man cemented his place in Marvel’s history.

Despite good intentions and attempts to honor the legacy of martial arts films like The Big Boss (1971) and Enter the Dragon (1973), Shang-Chi’s appearances in the '70s and '80s relied on archetypes and troubling depictions. When Marvel couldn’t acquire the rights to Kung Fu, they instead bought the rights to Sax Rohmer’s pulp villain Dr. Fu Manchu and made Shang-Chi his honorable son. As a result, the history of Shang-Chi is also a history of one of pop-culture’s most controversial figures, one that relies on “Yellow Peril” and Asian-centric xenophobia spurned by World War II. Recent Shang-Chi appearances in the 21st century have retconned the Fu Manchu connection, possibly due to a loss of rights, and have instead made Shang-Chi the son of an ancient Chinese sorcerer Zheng Zu. As to whether this change was any better is a discussion best left to Asian-American voices.

Despite a dated history, Shang-Chi has evolved over the decades, though intermittently used and his evolution hasn’t taken him as far as it should have. While his powers have evolved beyond kung fu mastery to the ability to create duplicates of himself, and he’s helped heroes like Spider-Man refine their skillsets, and even joined the Avengers for a time, he still feels like something of a relic belonging to just a screen over from Blaxploitation films. Marvel was able to re-envision a character with a similar dated appeal with Luke Cage on Netflix. Thanks to Brian Michael Bendis’ Alias and New Avengers run, Luke Cage had once again returned to prominence among comic readers. But the series further eliminated some of the thug-life tropes that made him a black folk hero for our modern times, placing him within the context of contemporary race relations rather than the fantasy just outside of it. Shang-Chi felt deserving of a similar chance to shine on Netflix, especially following the controversy of Iron Fist, until it became clear Netflix and Marvel's relationship is winding down. But, it speaks volumes about Marvel’s plans for the character given that it is perusing a feature film for Shang-Chi, rather than a series on Disney+. Marvel wants to get as many eyes on Shang-Chi as possible, and that can only be a good thing.

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/2016/09/luke_cage_still.jpg
Courtesy of Netflix
Mike Colter in Luke Cage.

With Monday's news came a number of social media opinions that the film should be Marvel’s PG-13 take on The Raid (2011) or The Night Comes for Us (2018). As awesome as those films are, and as important as fight scenes will inevitably be to the film, we’ve had plenty of Asian action heroes who are cooler than cool, but few we’ve gotten to know as characters in the same way we know the plights of white action heroes like John McClane, Rambo, or Ethan Hunt. Shang-Chi is an opportunity to depart from the Asian martial artist as the sleek, unphased fighting machine, and instead our chance to get to know a distinct and highly-skilled character faced with challenging the perception pop-culture has so often attached to the Asian hero. Shang-Chi can be so much more than Marvel’s Bruce Lee.

There are Asian-American writers who can better speak to their hopes for the Shang-Chi movie and the kinds of trials and triumphs they’d love to see reflected from their own experiences. But as a black writer, I can speak to the fact that Black Panther illuminated concepts I never thought I’d see in a superhero film. From the feeling of being separate from Africa, to the importance of black women, and Killmonger’s plight, Black Panther is so clearly a film driven from the black perspective. It’s a film that allowed its titular character to become more than a stoic paladin, and instead become an actual character faced with authentic challenges and a place in the world that all audiences could learn from if they listened. I want Shang-Chi to be that for Asian and Asian-American audiences. I want Shang-Chi to be that for all audiences who are willing to listen to a story that offers more than kung fu – a story that will undoubtedly shape our next decade of comic book films and the people hired to tell them.

[GeneChing]

"Shang-Chi movie in the works!" needs its own indie thread, distinct from our general SHANG-CHI "MASTER of KUNG FU" (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?40472-SHANG-CHI-quot-MASTER-of-KUNG-FU-quot) thread, which is already 5 pages deep.


Casting Shang-Chi In The MCU (https://screenrant.com/shang-chi-mcu-casting/)
BY COOPER HOOD – ON DEC 04, 2018 IN SR ORIGINALS

https://static3.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Shang-Chi-Casting-Steven-Yeun-Lewis-Tan.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=798&h=407

Marvel Studios will soon be in the casting process for Shang-Chi, so here are some names they should consider. Kevin Feige is pulling the Master of Kung Fu out of development and is now fast-tracking what could be the first Asian-led superhero movie. The Shang-Chi movie just took a major step forward with David Callaham writing the script.

Shang-Chi was created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin in the early 1970s as one of the greatest martial artists in the world. Commonly known as the Master of Kung Fu, Shang-Chi was modeled after Bruce Lee. Shang-Chi isn't a stern warrior though, with his humor and playfulness also being a main component to his character. But, this doesn't mean he's totally lighthearted either, as he was raised to be a deadly assassin by his super villain father Fu Manchu. The character was originally set to be introduced on the big screen much earlier on, as Shang-Chi was among a variety of projects initially announced by Marvel Studios in 2005. There has been no movement on the character since the MCU has formed and grown to what it is now, but it appears he never completely was forgotten about by the executives crafting the universe.

Word of a Shang-Chi movie being back in-development is exciting news, with Marvel potentially getting an action-heavy franchise that once again adds diversity to the universe and reaches another community that hasn't been targeted by superhero films. But, since they are moving quickly with the project, it may not be too long before the kung fu master is cast. Marvel Studios and Callaham's take on the martial artist will "modernize the hero to avoid stereotypes that many comic characters of that era were saddled with." In order to do this, they'll need to properly cast the role soon - unless Remy Hii's already playing Shang-Chi in Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Before the potential candidates are laid out, some general ground rules should be implemented. Although Shang-Chi is specifically Chinese in the comics, it's possible Marvel will look at actors from all across Asia to fill the role. Additionally, Shang-Chi's martial arts experience is a major part to who he is, but that doesn't mean Marvel must or will cast someone who is previously trained. Without a character breakdown, it's impossible to know how much of an emphasis the studio will put on the action element, but Marvel's casting process is different compared to other studios. There's several different directions in terms of age, experience, and background for them to go when making their choice, so here are some options to help.

STEVEN YEUN

https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Steven-Yeun-as-Glenn-in-The-Walking-Dead.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=738

One actor Marvel Studios can look at for Shang-Chi is Steven Yeun, who's most well-known for his role as Glenn on The Walking Dead, a role that truly established him as a major TV star. In The Walking Dead series, Yeun proved that he not only has leading man potential but also can perform action-heavy scenes as well. Even though he isn't a trained martial artist, it's easy to imagine Yeun picking up enough in training to do some of his own stunts. Outside of his Walking Dead performance, Yeun has starred in Okja, Mayhem, and Sorry to Bother You. With plenty of fans already, which apparently includes Feige (who recently met Yeun at an awards ceremony, via Twitter), the 34-year-old actor could already be on Marvel's radar.

LEWIS TAN

https://static2.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Actor-Lewis-Tan.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=738

A fan-favorite choice for any martial arts-related superhero role is Lewis Tan, and he's another person Marvel Studios should be looking at for Shang-Chi. Tan first gained attention for played the drunken kung fu master in Iron Fist season 1, after also publicly lobbying to be cast as an Asian version of Danny Rand. He then followed this up by briefly playing Shatterstar in Deadpool 2, but that role could be short lived due to Disney's upcoming acquisition of 20th Century Fox. He has gone on to land roles in Into the Badlands and Wu Assassins, but his leading role many want to see is still needed. If Marvel does wind up prioritizing casting someone who can do most of their own stunt work, then this role could swing in Tan's favor. After all, he's a rising talent at only 31 years old who could really breakout as Shang-Chi.

ROSS BUTLER

https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Ross-Butler-Riverdale-13-Reasons-Why.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=738

Now, if Marvel wants to go for someone with the leading man stature that can stand tall with the MCU's various other heroes, then Ross Butler could be a nice choice as well for Shang-Chi. Butler has primarily stayed with TV as of late and has left a good impression. Roles in The CW's Riverdale and Netflix's 13 Reasons Why helped solidify his place in the industry, but he's also secretly joined the cast of DC's Shazam!. That role is likely a small one as another member of the Marvel family, yet it may be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe that can launch his career even further. Butler has the charisma that Shang-Chi could use and 6'3" build to become a powerful fighter. With a bit of training and a chance, Butler could be Marvel's next star. (Plus, it's worth mentioning that Marvel is already starting to mine 13 Reasons Why's cast for talent, as they recently cast Katherine Langford in Avengers 4.)

LUDI LIN

https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Ludi-Lin-as-Zack-in-the-Power-Rangers-movie1.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=738

If plucking someone from a small DC role isn't off limits, though, Ludi Lin may prove to be an excellent choice for Shang-Chi. The Chinese-Canadian actor got his breakout role as Zack the Black Ranger in 2017's Power Rangers movie; he also plays Murk in James Wan's Aquaman. Even though his role is small in DC's first Aquaman movie, it's not something that's expected to turn into a bigger role down the line. The 31-year-old actor could instead join the MCU to bring the Master of Kung Fu to life. (After all, it wouldn't be the first time that an actor or actress has appeared in both franchises.) Additional evidence that he's the perfect fit for Shang-Chi is the fact that he's studied Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, and Olympic style wrestling, and still trains today. Lin isn't a household name right now, but there's the potential for him to truly embody everything that makes Shang-Chi unique - and for years to come should Marvel look his way.

KI HONG LEE

https://static3.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Ki-Hong-Lee-Maze-Runner-The-Death-Cure.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=738

Another Asian actor who could easily become Marvel's next action star is Ki Hong Lee. Best known for his role as Minho in The Maze Runner movie trilogy, Lee's role continued to become more prominent as the franchise continued. By the end of the action-heavy series, Lee's ability in an action-heavy role is unquestioned. Beyond just the physical side of the role, Lee has also demonstrated his acting range in The Maze Runner trilogy and The Stanford Experiment, not to mention showing his comedic chops on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Considering the tone the MCU has established, Lee can bring a full personality to Shang-Chi.

YOSON AN

https://static2.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Yoson-AN.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=738

Likely the least-known actor on this list for many people, Yoson An is not a stranger to Disney - and that's a significant factor in him being a possible candidate for Shang-Chi in the MCU. The up-and-coming actor is appearing in Disney's live-action Mulan movie. Yoson will play Mulan's love-interest, but the war setting of the live-action remake could provide him with plenty of opportunities to show off his acting skills, including possible action capabilities. Disney likes to stay in business with people they enjoy working with, and even though audiences have yet to see Yoson in Mulan, he impressed the studio enough to cast him in a big role. If word from Mulan's set is positive, then Yoson could once again find himself as part of a major Disney release.

[Jimbo]

What? Are you kidding? No mention at all of Philip Ng?

[GeneChing]

What? Are you kidding? No mention at all of Philip Ng?

Good point.

[Jimbo]

Good point.

I agree with you that of the lot mentioned, Lewis Tan is the best candidate BY FAR.

[GeneChing]

‘Shang-Chi’ Marvel’s First Asian Film Superhero Franchise; Dave Callaham Scripting, Search On For Director Of Asian Descent (https://deadline.com/2018/12/shang-chi-marvel-studios-first-asian-film-superhero-dave-callaham-kevin-feige-black-panther-1202512660/)
by Mike Fleming Jr
December 3, 2018 9:30am

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/shang-chi1.jpg?crop=0px%2C77px%2C630px%2C422px&resize=446%2C299
Marvel Comics

EXCLUSIVE: Marvel Studios is fast-tracking Shang-Chi to be its first superhero movie tentpole franchise with an Asian protagonist. The studio has set Chinese-American scribe Dave Callaham to write the screenplay, and Deadline hears Marvel is already looking at a number of Asian and Asian-American directors who want to do something as potentially monumental as was accomplished in Marvel’s first viable Best Picture candidate, Black Panther. That film tied into African and African American cultures and the sensibilities of its nearly all-black cast, with a black director in Ryan Coogler and writer in Joe Robert Cole. The goal here is to do a similar thing: introduce a new hero who blends Asian and Asian American themes, crafted by Asian and Asian American filmmakers.

After Marvel Studios’ unparalleled decade of success following Iron Man, many have wondered how Kevin Feige’s next iterations of superhero franchises will distinguish themselves. Clearly an important theme will be ethnic diversity and inclusion, in front of and behind the camera.

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/callaham.jpg?w=151&h=224&crop=1
Kaplan Perrone

Callaham has strong credentials in the superhero and franchise-building realms and his own experiences as a Chinese-American will inform the Shang-Chi movie mythology, sources said. His recent work includes co-writing with Patty Jenkins and Geoff Johns the upcoming DC Warner Bros sequel Wonder Woman 1984, and he is writing Sony’s animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2. He also wrote initial drafts of Zombieland 2, which begins production in January, and created and produced Amazon’s recent action comedy series Jean-Claude Van Johnson, starring Jean- Claude Van Damme. Callaham also created the Expendables franchise as well as the story for the Legendary’s Godzilla reboot.

He’s got two comedies at Netflix: Callaham wrote the Black List-ed dark comedy caper script Jackpot, which Will Gluck will direct; and he wrote and is producing with Channing Tatum, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, and Archer’s Adam Reed and Matt Thompson, the animated comedy America: The Motion Picture. Thompson is directing.

Shang-Chi first appeared in Special Marvel Edition #15 in December 1973, hatched by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin. The script will modernize the hero to avoid stereotypes that many comic characters of that era were saddled with. The comic launched around the time that Enter the Dragon became a global sensation and martial arts films raged. In the comics, Shang-Chi is the son of China-based globalist who raised and educated his progeny in his reclusive China compound, closed off to the outside world. The son trained in the martial arts and developed unsurpassed skills. He is eventually introduced to the outside world to do his father’s bidding, and then has to come to grips with the fact his revered father might not be the humanitarian he has claimed to be and is closer to what others call him: The Devil’s Doctor. He also might be centuries old. The deceit makes them bitter enemies.

Marvel Studios has worked with a stable of talented filmmakers from diverse backgrounds including Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, directing next year’s Captain Marvel with Brie Larson; Coogler, directing the Black Panther sequel; Taika Waititi, who directed Thor: Ragnarok; Chloé Zhao, who will direct The Eternals; and Cate Shortland, who will direct a stand-alone film for Marvel staple Black Widow starring Scarlett Johansson.

Callaham is represented by UTA, Kaplan Perrone Entertainment, and Gretchen Rush & Dan Fox at Hanson, Jacobson.



I agree with you that of the lot mentioned, Lewis Tan is the best candidate BY FAR. Don't get me wrong. I would totally support Phillip in the role too. It's just I've always thought of Shang-Chi as a bigger dude. Phil is 5'9" and wirey. Lewis is 6'2" and has more muscle mass. Of course, I'd support either of them.

[Jimbo]

Don't get me wrong. I would totally support Phillip in the role too. It's just I've always thought of Shang-Chi as a bigger dude. Phil is 5'9" and wirey. Lewis is 6'2" and has more muscle mass. Of course, I'd support either of them.

Yes, either would be great.

None of the other actors on the list in that article look even remotely like Shang Chi material. Just being as Asian or Asian-American actor isn't enough.

I've been waiting for Marvel to get the go-ahead for a Sub-Mariner movie, and IMO an Asian-American actor would be perfect to play Prince Namor who, for whatever reason, always had Asiatic-looking features, even way back in the '40s. Unfortunately, with DC's Aquaman already a franchise, I find it doubtful that Marvel will ever make a Sub-Mariner movie.

[GeneChing]

Marvel ‘insults China’ by making its first Asian superhero film about Shang-Chi, a son of Fu Manchu (https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2176675/fu-manchu-fury-china-over-marvels-asian-superhero-origin)
First Asian superhero planned for the big screen is son of notorious fictional villain
Fu Manchu is regarded as an offensive symbol of anti-Chinese discrimination
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 06 December, 2018, 2:58pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 06 December, 2018, 10:55pm
Phoebe Zhang
https://twitter.com/dustguest

https://cdn2.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980x551/public/images/methode/2018/12/06/53e18fae-f90d-11e8-93b8-bdc844c69537_1280x720_225506.jpg?itok=zYrTI0t7

An angry Chinese public is accusing Marvel Studios of insulting China after learning that its first Asian superhero on the big screen will be the son of Fu Manchu, the offensive fictional character who has become a shorthand for racial stereotyping.

Chinese-American screenwriter Dave Callaham, whose movie credits include the upcoming sequels Wonder Woman 1984 and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2, is working on a script for a film showcasing Shang-Chi, who first appeared in Marvel’s comics in the 1970s.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel is expecting Shang-Chi, also known as the heroic Master of Kung Fu in the Marvel universe, to “break out in a way similar to Black Panther earlier this year”.

Hollywood, the online publication said, was coming to realise the importance of Asian identity following this summer’s box office hit Crazy Rich Asians.

https://cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2018/12/06/7074ded8-f90c-11e8-93b8-bdc844c69537_972x_225506.JPG
Shang-Chi, often called the Master of Kung Fu, was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin for Marvel comics in the 1970s.

However, when translated reports of the news reached Weibo, China’s Twitter-like service, the online community was unimpressed.

“You used Fu Manchu to insult China back in the day, now you are using Fu’s son to earn Chinese people’s money, how smart,” one internet user wrote.

Fu is a fictional villain who first appeared in a series of novels by British author Sax Rohmer during the early 20th century.

The character sparked accusations of Western racism and orientalism, with protesting Asian-Americans describing the depiction as offensive, in its reliance on “yellow peril” and Asia-centric xenophobia.

Another commenter on Weibo wrote: “It’s common in American comics that a superhero is the son or daughter of an evil villain, but the problem is Fu Manchu has already become a symbol of discrimination against the Chinese.

“There are many other Asian characters they could choose from but they had to choose this, it’s no wonder they are being criticised.”

https://cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2018/12/06/70aed728-f90c-11e8-93b8-bdc844c69537_972x_225506.JPG
Marvel comic featuring Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu, whose origin story has caused online fury in China. Photo: Handout

Some people expressed understanding, saying, “in many movies, even the American president can be the villain, why can’t we tolerate a bad Chinese?”

Ironically, Marvel originally tried to acquire the rights to Kung Fu, the popular 1970s martial arts television drama. When it failed in its bid, it instead bought the rights to Fu Manchu, as part of its ambition to create a superhero based on martial arts legend Bruce Lee.

Lee missed out on the leading role in Kung Fu in favour of a non-Chinese actor named David Carradine.




None of the other actors on the list in that article look even remotely like Shang Chi material. Just being as Asian or Asian-American actor isn't enough.
I totally agree. Not sure about the Sub-Mariner tho. :p

[mickey]

I've been waiting for Marvel to get the go-ahead for a Sub-Mariner movie, and IMO an Asian-American actor would be perfect to play Prince Namor who, for whatever reason, always had Asiatic-looking features, even way back in the '40s. Unfortunately, with DC's Aquaman already a franchise, I find it doubtful that Marvel will ever make a Sub-Mariner movie.


WAIT A FREAKIN' MINUTE!!!!

I said it first! I suggested an Asian for the part of Sub Mariner several years ago. The person I suggested was Jet Li. If Donnie Yen is still in good shape at this time, I will have to suggest him. Russell Wong really had the Sub Mariner look under lock. I do not know how healthy he looks now days.

mickey

[Jimbo]

WAIT A FREAKIN' MINUTE!!!!

I said it first! I suggested an Asian for the part of Sub Mariner several years ago. The person I suggested was Jet Li. If Donnie Yen is still in good shape at this time, I will have to suggest him. Russell Wong really had the Sub Mariner look under lock. I do not know how healthy he looks now days.

mickey

Hi, mickey.

For years I've advocated for Russell Wong to be considered for the role of Namor, but IMO the time has passed, as he would be too old now. Unfortunate, because he would have been perfect. If we wait 'til Marvel gets the go-ahead (assuming they care to do it), Russell would probably be 60 by then.

Brian Tee (Chicago Med, No Tears for the Dead, and a brief appearance in Jurassic World, among others) says he wants to play Namor. He would probably do well, if he can bulk up a bit.

[GeneChing]

I actually have faith that the MCU will do this right. We worried about the Mandarin in Iron Man 3 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?63555-Iron-Man-3&p=1180722#post1180722), but they spun it well. And despite the whitewashing accusations for the Ancient One in Doctor Strange (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69097-Doctor-Strange&p=1292943#post1292943), I felt Tilda was excellent in that role. And Wong was great - he stole every scene he was in - luv Benedict Wong (he's actually the first MCU Asian superhero, when you think about it).

Our Senior Graphic artist Patrick Lugo touched on the racial issues with the SubMariner in his last review - AQUAMAN: DC’s most MARVELous movie (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1459) (he actually had more to say about this but didn't want to get too off topic).



https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/landscape/public/d8/images/2018/12/10/076_chl_107555.jpg
Boris Karloff in “The Mask of Fu Manchu” (1932).

CULTURE
Marvel wants to do an Asian superhero movie, but it has to reckon with his racist past (https://www.goldthread2.com/culture/marvel-wants-do-asian-superhero-movie-it-has-reckon-his-racist-past/article/3000296)
Venus Wu
DEC 10, 2018

An Asian superhero is finally going to kick some ass in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The latest news that Marvel Studios is fast-tracking a film centered on Shang-Chi, a Bruce Lee-inspired kung fu master, comes on the heels of Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians blowing up at the box office.

It also comes as China has grown to become Marvel’s No. 1 overseas market.

But before the studio can make cinematic history with Shang-Chi, it must reckon with the character’s origin story—and tackle an Asian supervillain first.

That’s because in the old comics, Shang-Chi is the son of Fu Manchu.

Yes, that Fu Manchu, the supervillain with squinty eyes and a tentacle-like mustache whose name is synonymous with racism, orientalism, and pretty awful facial hair.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1320w/public/d8/images/2018/12/10/the_mysterious_dr_fu_manchu.jpg?itok=Wb5i8WGW
A poster for “The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu” (1929). / Photo: Paramount Pictures

The fictional character was created by an English novelist in the early 20th century against the backdrop of yellow peril, a racist ideology that casts Asians as real-life villains in the Western world.

In fact, this is how the novelist, Sax Rohmer, described Fu Manchu:

“Imagine a person tall, lean and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan...invest him with all the cruel cunning of an entire Eastern race...imagine that awful being, and you have a mental picture of Dr. Fu Manchu, the Yellow Peril incarnate in one man.”

It’s no wonder that Chinese commentators are already up in arms, questioning whether Marvel’s move is a “suicidal” one.

Other online comments also point out how Shang-Chi and Fu Manchu’s backstory mirrors a white savior narrative.

The kung fu warrior was raised by an evil Asian overlord to become an assassin, only to be “shown the way” by white people.

No longer evil, Shang-Chi returned to kill his father for the greater good.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1320w/public/d8/images/2018/12/10/shangchi.jpeg?itok=RRlgY2rp
In the old comics, Shang-Chi turns on his father, Fu Manchu. / Photo: Marvel Comics

Putting the original Fu Manchu on the big screen in this day and age would be unimaginable without provoking outcry. Marvel would either have to scrub him out or reinvent the character.

And Hollywood is no stranger to altering scripts that could “hurt the feelings of Chinese people,” to cite a common refrain in Chinese state media.

This is especially the case when Chinese money increasingly helps finance big productions, including Marvel’s Venom, which has already grossed more in China than in the United States and Canada combined.

Marvel had experience with this when it made Doctor Strange (2016).

In the original comics, Doctor Strange’s mentor, the Ancient One, is a Tibetan sorcerer who is said to be 500 years old.

Instead of casting an Asian or Tibetan actor to play the role, the movie reinvented the character and gave it to Tilda Swinton.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1320w/public/d8/images/2018/12/10/scmp_12jun16_fe_rant_3680_maxresdefault.jpeg?itok= oCHsMmmp
Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One in “Doctor Strange” (2016). / Photo: Disney/Marvel Studios

Director Scott Derrickson said he didn’t want to reinforce “a very old American stereotype of what Eastern characters and people are like,” but added that the film couldn’t afford to weigh in on Tibet and risk getting banned by one of the biggest markets in the world. (He later backtracked on his comments.)

Fu Manchu’s reinvention could prove to be much more difficult than the Ancient One, given the size of his baggage.

Even Shang-Chi himself will probably need some updating. The character is an American invention born out of the 1970s kung fu movie craze, which is arguably out of date.

There are signs that Marvel is already working on it. Shang-Chi used to have no superpowers beyond his kung fu prowess, but in recent years, he’s gained the ability to replicate himself.

Both Shang-Chi and Fu Manchu are products of their time, but as a globalized world grapples with more sensitive approaches to cultural nuances, what do you do with one-sided, stereotypical characters who do not age well with time?

This essay was originally published in the Goldthread newsletter. To get this and other great content first, subscribe here.

Venus Wu
Venus Wu is a senior reporter at Goldthread. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she wielded a video camera at Reuters for five years before swapping it for a pen.

[Jimbo]

It shouldn't be that hard for Marvel to delete the Fu Manchu character and update Shang Chi. In fact, it should be fairly easy. They've already altered old characters, some substantially, for the big screen.

Even though I liked the Shang Chi comics way back when I was a kid, the Fu Manchu angle bothered me even then. And that was WAY before the days of political correctness.

[GeneChing]

SHANG-CHI, FU MANCHU, AND MARVEL’S ASIAN PROBLEM (https://bookriot.com/2019/01/02/marvels-asian-problem/)
JESSICA PLUMMER
01-02-19

Recently, Deadline reported that Marvel Studios is fast-tracking a Shang-Chi movie, based on the comic book character of the same name. In an effort to recapture the lightning in a bottle that was Black Panther, they’re seeking to hire Asian and Asian American filmmakers to give it the cultural authenticity that has been lacking in their meager Asian representation thus far. They’ve already hired Chinese American screenwriter Dave Callaham for the script, and are on the hunt for a director of Asian descent.

With so many superhero movies and TV shows in the works these days, it would be easy to let this one slide by as just another project that may or may not materialize in the next decade. But I’ve been fascinated by Shang-Chi as a character for a while, and there’s a lot more going on here than bringing one of Marvel’s most prominent Asian characters to live action.

https://s2982.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/shang-chi-master-of-kung-fu-1.jpeg
The first issue of Shang-Chi’s long-running solo series. Note the monstrous Fu Manchu behind him.

Shang-Chi was created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin in 1973 to capitalize on the then-current kung fu craze—in fact, Marvel’s original intention was to adapt the David Carradine show Kung Fu. When they couldn’t get the rights, they settled on Fu Manchu instead, the infamous villain created in 1913 by Sax Rohmer for a long-running series of pulp novels.

Marvel’s new hero Shang-Chi was Fu Manchu’s son, trained to be the greatest martial artist alive, who discovered to his horror that his father was actually an evil mastermind and dedicated his life to opposing him. Rounding out the cast was an assortment of characters both borrowed from the Fu Manchu franchise (notably British secret service agent Sir Nayland Smith, his associate Dr. Petrie, and Fu’s daughter Fa Lo Suee) and Marvel originals. The series, Master of Kung Fu, ran for a decade, and Shang-Chi was also prominently featured in Marvel’s black and white martial arts magazine The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu alongside similarly kung fu–based characters like Iron Fist and White Tiger.

https://s2982.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/shang-chi-son-of-fu-manchu.jpg
Shang-Chi’s first appearance. He was originally designed to resemble the then recently deceased Bruce Lee.

In the mid-’80s, with the kung fu craze well past over, Shang-Chi faded from the limelight, and has appeared only sporadically since. Somewhere in there, the Marvel license to Fu Manchu and associated characters expired, but since Shang-Chi was an original creation, Marvel can still tell stories about him, as long as they don’t call his father “Fu Manchu.” It’s kind of like getting a temporary license to publish stories about James Bond’s son, Tim Bond, but then the Fleming estate takes the rights back so you can still publish the Tim Bond stories but you have to call him Tim Frond now. (Fun fact: one of the supporting characters in Master of Kung Fu, Clive Reston, is heavily implied to be both James Bond’s son and Sherlock Holmes’s grand-nephew. It’s actually super annoying in execution.)

The problem is, even though Shang-Chi is no longer canonically Fu Manchu’s son, he’s still essentially, well…Fu Manchu’s son.

I had only a vague sense of who Fu Manchu was before I stumbled down a Deadly Hands of Kung Fu rabbit hole about a year ago, since the character is thankfully no longer omnipresent, but holy crap, you guys. Here’s how Rohmer describes him in his first appearance, The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu:

“Imagine a person, tall, lean and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan, a close-shaven skull, and long, magnetic eyes of the true cat-green. Invest him with all the cruel cunning of an entire Eastern race, accumulated in one giant intellect, with all the resources of science past and present, with all the resources, if you will, of a wealthy government— which, however, already has denied all knowledge of his existence. Imagine that awful being, and you have a mental picture of Dr. Fu-Manchu, the yellow peril incarnate in one man.”

As long as we’re imagining, imagine reading that fully 60 years later and thinking, “Yeah, this sounds like a great franchise to get into bed with!” I mean, Rohmer allegedly created Fu Manchu when he asked his ouija board what the greatest threat to the white man was (!!!) and it spelled out “C-H-I-N-A-M-A-N.” (In another version of this story, Rohmer claimed he’d asked the board how he could make his fortune.) Come on, Marvel!

https://s2982.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/the-insidious-dr-fu-manchu-sax-rohmer.jpg
The original cover for Fu Manchu’s first appearance, and a contemporary one.

Fu Manchu, with his imperial costuming and iconic mustache, is a poisoner and a torturer, a manipulator seeking world domination. He exhorts his followers to “kill the white man and take his women” (in the 1932 film The Mask of Fu Manchu, which led to a formal complaint by the Chinese embassy), and, alongside his more fantastic plots, runs complex webs of drug trafficking and “white slavery.” Between the Elixir of Life that has made him nearly immortal and just plain Otherness, he’s usually portrayed as barely human.

And his reach extended everywhere. He starred in 14 books written by Rohmer (one posthumously) between 1913 and 1973, plus 4 authorized continuations, one published as recently as 2012. He’s been in over a dozen movies, a TV show, and several radio serials (always played by a white man), comic strips, and comic books from DC and other publishers as well as Marvel. There was even a candy called Fu Man Chews (not to be confused with the fake cereal by the same name from Nightmare on Elm Street 2).

continued next post

[GeneChing]

https://s2982.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/mask-of-fu-manchu-movie-poster.jpg
Boris Karloff and Myrna Loy donned yellowface for 1932’s The Mask of Fu Manchu.

That’s just the authorized stuff, of course. Plenty of properties have done what Marvel did after they lost the license and used the character without referring to him by name, like “the Doctor” in Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Both the Mandarin and the Yellow Claw from other Marvel comics are Fu Manchu copies, as is Flash Gordon’s Ming the Merciless and James Bond’s Dr. No, particularly the animated version. And of course, the mustache that he eventually wound up sporting (though he was originally clean-shaven) is today known simply as a Fu Manchu.

What’s more important than Fu Manchu’s omnipresence, though, is his effect. Rohmer was writing while completely ignorant about Chinese people and culture, for an audience equally ignorant, and played on xenophobic fears to create his villain. He depicted the tiny Chinese section of London’s Limehouse district as a nest of vice when those two blocks were in fact some of the most law-abiding in the city during the World War I and interwar periods. Anti-Chinese and anti-Asian sentiment had been prevalent in the West since the late 19th century (see, for example, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers to the U.S., and the earlier Page Act of 1875, which prohibited “undesirable” immigrants but in practice mostly barred entry to Chinese women in order to prevent Chinese population growth), but Rohmer’s creation shamelessly stoked the fires of those fears, portraying the East as sinister, unknowable, and ever-encroaching.

We haven’t gotten as far away from these pulp stereotypes as we’d like to think. In 2012, both How I Met Your Mother and the children’s show Big Time Rush depicted white actors in Fu Manchu mustaches for laughs. A year later, General Motors pulled a commercial from airwaves after public outcry over its use of the mind-bogglingly racist 1938 song “Oriental Swing” and its reference to “the land of Fu Manchu.” (Content warning: that link goes to a CNN clip that also discusses car commercials featuring suicide attempts, sexual assault, and human trafficking; the song’s lyrics also contain racial slurs.)

And comic books, given their love of nostalgia, are even less removed than other genres. Just the fact that Marvel continued to use their Fu Manchu obliquely after the rights lapsed, eventually renaming him “Zheng Zu,” is proof enough, but they’re still churning out new iterations of the trope, too. Check out Charles Soule and Ron Garney’s creation Tenfingers, a Chinatown crime boss who harvests body parts for power, from a 2016 Daredevil storyline:

https://s2982.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/daredevil-tenfingers-blindspot.jpg
Yikes.

Which, of course, brings us to the MCU and their portrayal of Asian and Asian American characters up to now. As Asian characters are nearly completely absent from the films (an issue in its own right, of course, especially when they’re absent because they’re being played by Tilda Swinton instead), criticism has mainly focused on Marvel’s Netflix offerings, particularly Iron Fist and Daredevil. Many critics, especially those of Asian descent, have detailed the issues with Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Defenders better than I can, but the short version is: every single Asian character is a ninja; all of them are evil except for Elektra and Colleen, who start out evil but are redeemed by the love of good white men; numerous characters who speak English perfectly well don’t, in order to more effectively Other them on screen; all of these Asian characters tie into a vast immortal conspiracy to destroy New York and K’un-Lun (that is ultimately led by a white lady because of course Asian people couldn’t really have agency); Daredevil, who refuses to kill, kills the Japanese villain Nobu not once but twice and doesn’t seem to think it counts; even though all Asian characters are ninjas, they are not as good at being ninjas as white guys like Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Stick; and the Defenders writers 100% cannot tell the difference between China and Japan.

https://s2982.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/daredevil-season-2-ninjas-punisher-elektra.png
The Punisher, Daredevil, and Elektra fight a sea of faceless ninjas, clearly lethally, in this Netflix ad for Season 2.

This mindless regurgitating of stereotype after stereotype isn’t all that shocking when you consider that Marvel TV’s executive producer, Jeph Loeb, after ignoring the widespread campaign to cast an Asian American actor as Danny Rand, decided it would be a great and funny idea to show up to the Iron Fist panel at this year’s SDCC wearing a kimono. (This was apparently for a bit where he talked about Karate Kid for a bit and then Jessica Henwick, who plays Colleen, told him to take the headband and kimono off, so the joke was…that it was offensive to Asian people? Ha ha? Making Henwick play along feels especially icky.) And even though he has no control over their multimedia properties, it’s worth pointing out once more that Marvel Comics’s editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski wrote for several years under the pen name “Akira Yoshida.”

https://s2982.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/iron-fist-promotional-still-danny-rand-finn-jones.jpg
And then there’s…whatever this is.

At best, then, we’re looking at a company obsessed with both fetishizing and vilifying the whole of East Asia—one that continually appropriates its stories, culture, artistry, and even names, but refuses to treat it or its diaspora with human dignity. Which begs the question: Is this a company that can tell a non-offensive story about Fu Manchu, even if Fu Manchu is never named as such? Can any company tell that story?

Right now it’s hard to say. On the one hand, it’s certainly a step in the right direction that Marvel has hired a Chinese American screenwriter and is planning to continue hiring Asians and Asian Americans. On the other hand, not!Fu Manchu has apparently been reimagined as a “China-based globalist,” which is about as dog whistle-y as you can get. The South China Morning Post reports that there’s already been pushback on the Chinese social media network Weibo. One user was quoted as saying: “You used Fu Manchu to insult China back in the day, now you are using Fu’s son to earn Chinese people’s money, how smart.”

Obviously China is a massive country and not every Weibo user is opposed to the film (or, presumably, even cares about it), but it will be interesting to see Marvel’s response if Chinese pushback grows. Especially since Chinese audience’s deep pockets and presumed narrow-mindedness are so often held up as an excuse for whitewashing, as with Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange. In the face of actual feedback from China, will Marvel listen?

https://s2982.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/shang-chi-master-of-kung-fu-126.png
Shang-Chi in his most recent lead role. I dig his new costume.

I’ll be honest: I actually really like Shang-Chi as a character. As much as he emerged from stock Orientalist character types of the last century, I enjoy his quiet thoughtfulness, his compassion, and his subtle sense of humor. He’d be refreshingly different from the Marvel heroes we’ve been getting lately (i.e. not a variation on the Tony Stark Template), and it’s potentially a tremendous, star-making role. I plan to see the movie, if and when it releases, and I hope it’s everything to Asian audiences that Black Panther was to black audiences.

But Marvel has a lot of making up for past mistakes to do before they can get there. Let’s just hope they’re up to the task.

"tall, lean and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan, a close-shaven skull, and long, magnetic eyes of the true cat-green. Invest him with all the cruel cunning of an entire Eastern race, accumulated in one giant intellect, with all the resources of science past and present" Ya know, if I had green eyes and shaved, I could totally fit this description. They just missed 'sexy AF' :p

[GeneChing]

MARCH 13, 2019 5:01pm PT by Graeme McMillan
How Marvel's 'Shang-Chi' Can Escape a Cliched Comic Book Past (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/can-marvels-shang-chi-movie-escape-a-cliched-comic-book-past-1194673)

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2019/03/master_of_kung_fu-publicity-h_2019.jpg
Ron Wilson/Marvel Entertainment

Director Destin Daniel Cretton and screenwriter Dave Callaham have the opportunity to take what works about the character and reimagine what doesn't.

The news that Short Term 12 director Destin Daniel Cretton has signed on to direct Marvel’s Shang-Chi is something to be welcomed for multiple reasons, not the least of which is that Cretton’s resume is an impressive one (and, perhaps not coincidentally, features collaborations with Marvel stars Brie Larson and Michael B. Jordan). More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that bringing an Asian-American director onto the project brings the likelihood that the movie will be able to sidestep some of the character’s more… troublesome elements.

Shang-Chi debuted in 1973’s Special Marvel Edition No. 15, a series that would be retitled The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu two issues later (and, later still, retitled simply Master of Kung Fu). The character was intended less as a push for greater diversity and more as a consolation prize; creators Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin had hoped to make a comic book version of the television series, Kung Fu; when that failed due to rights issues, Shang-Chi was created to — in the words of Englehart in the book Marvel Comics: The Untold Story — “do the Eastern mystical philosophy.” His name was chosen, apparently, by “throwing the I Ching and mixing and matching hexagrams.”

Things got arguably worse with the decision by then-editor-in-chief Roy Thomas to tie the character to Sax Rohmer’s racist pulp character Fu Manchu, which Marvel had the comic book license to at the time; as a result, Shang-Chi became the son of Fu Manchu, dedicated to fighting his father once he discovered how evil his parent actually was. (While this predated Star Wars and the relationship between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, it came after Jack Kirby’s New Gods, where the heroic Orion fought against his villainous father Darkseid; given that Englehart would take on the writing of sibling title Mister Miracle soon after, he was likely aware of the Orion/Darkseid similarity.)

Adding insult to injury, Marvel Comics: The Untold Story also revealed that the character’s design was the result of Starlin drawing a “generic [Asian] face” in early designs as a placeholder, only for Stan Lee to insist that it be kept, topped by simplistic color separations meaning Asian characters were given cartoonishly yellow faces in the series, something especially true of Fu Manchu. It was something so noticeable that letter writers to the series commented upon it, provoking apologies and explanations from editors.

Shang-Chi, then, was originally the result of recycled ideas, racist pulp characters, limitations of technology at the time and editorial mandates that made the character… less than he could have been, perhaps. (To illustrate the idea that the character deserved — and could be — better, the Master of Kung Fu series stuck around until 1983, becoming a critical hit under the pen of writer Doug Moench and artists Paul Gulacy, Mike Zeck and Gene Day as the series moved away from cliche — and Fu Manchu — and towards a more film noir-inspired take.)

A Shang-Chi movie offers Marvel a chance to basically reinvent the character and keep little beyond the name and the martial arts theme — something that, ironically, offers Marvel a second do-over, as the chance to redeem itself after accusations of cultural appropriation and insensitivity over the Marvel TV/Netflix series Iron Fist arose. Cretton has the opportunity and, as his past work demonstrates, the sensitivity, to ditch everything that doesn’t work about Shang-Chi’s past and, taking lessons from Marvel Studios’ treatment of characters like Hawkeye, the Falcon and Star-Lord, basically start afresh from all-but-scratch. Insiders say this is the approach screenwriter Dave Callaham is taking with the character.

Sure, it might upset the hardcore fanboys, but if the success of Black Panther and Captain Marvel should have taught Marvel executives, there’s significant financial upside in offering powerful representation to under-served audiences in the MCU. Let Cretton rebuild Shang-Chi into the hero Asian and Asian-American audiences want to see. There’s no worthwhile argument against it.

Just make the movie already. Or at least cast the lead...:rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

MARCH 13, 2019 11:25am PT by Aaron Couch, Borys Kit
Marvel's 'Shang-Chi' Sets Director Destin Daniel Cretton (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/marvels-shang-chi-sets-director-destin-daniel-cretton-1194443)

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2019/03/destin_daniel_cretton-shang-chi-getty-publicity-split-h_2019.jpg
Getty Images; Courtesy of Marvel
Destin Daniel Cretton, Shang-Chi

The 'Short Term 12' filmmaker will tackle the studio's first project starring an Asian lead.

Marvel Studios has hired its director for Shang-Chi, the project that will feature the studio's first Asian lead.

Destin Daniel Cretton will direct the feature, based on the classic character known for his martial arts prowess. Cretton broke out with the 2013 indie favorite Short Term 12, which starred Brie Larson as a woman working in a group home for teenagers. Cretton reteamed with Larson for 2017's The Glass Castle, and he is currently directing the Captain Marvel star and Black Panther's Michael B. Jordan in Just Mercy, based on the memoir of Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson.

Other filmmakers who were in the running to helm Shang-Chi included Dear White People's Justin Tipping; Master of None's Alan Yang, who is behind the upcoming John Cho movie Tigertail; and Deborah Chow, whose credits include episodes of Reign, Jessica Jones and the upcoming Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian.

Shang-Chi, who in the comics was born in China to a Chinese father and a white American mother, first appeared in 1973’s Special Marvel Edition No. 15 and was created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin after Marvel failed to acquire the comic book rights to the television series Kung Fu. Shang-Chi was trained as a martial artist assassin by his father, the infamous pulp villain Fu Manchu, but later became a hero after rebelling against his father's ways. Shang-Chi was a hit character in the '70s, and recently saw a revival as a member of the Avengers during 2012’s Marvel Now! Publishing event.

Wonder Woman 1984 screenwriter Dave Callaham is penning the script for Shang-Chi and will update the character for modern audiences. Marvel is said to be planning on assembling a largely Asian-American and Asian cast for the feature.

Marvel head Kevin Feige is producing, with Marvel’s Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso and Jonathan Schwartz executive producing. The studio is coming off of last week's successful opening of Captain Marvel, which has already passed the $500 million mark at the box office and is the studio's first female-led outing.

News of Shang-Chi comes as Marvel eyes an end to the 11-year journey it began with 2008's Iron Man and will in some ways conclude with next month's Avengers: Endgame. Aside from Spider-Man: Far From Home (due out July 5), the studio has not revealed its post-Endgame plans, though films it has in the works include sequels to Black Panther and Doctor Strange, a Black Widow prequel and The Eternals.

Cretton is repped by WME and attorney Chad Christopher of Stone, Genow, Smelkinson, Binder & Christopher.

Anyone seen Short Term 12 or The Glass Castle?

[Jimbo]

I keep wondering when (or if) the superhero movie genre will begin to tank (i.e., superhero burnout). Especially the Marvel Studios ones. They keep coming out with so many, I don't even follow most of them anymore, especially the Avengers/Thor/Iron Man/ Spider-Man, etc. I haven't followed any of the Avengers or related movies since Captain America: Civil War. After awhile, there is a sameness to it all.

The genre is red hot right now, but will it experience the same fate as the old-school kung fu and spaghetti western genres? They made literally hundreds of movies in each of those genres for years and years, but now it's all in the past. One might argue that the kung fu genre is still alive, but in reality it's been on life support for at least two decades, and it has nowhere near the variety, creativity, attitude, excitement and fun factor of the golden age of KF cinema.

All Marvel Studios has to do with Shang Chi is delete the stupid Sax Rohmer/Fu Manchu/Sir Nayland Smith angle, which should be easy to do. They should also make Shang Chi full Chinese, as opposed to requiring him to have a European mother like in the comic. That mix was to make him (like Kwai Chang Caine) acceptable to Western audiences, and added nothing to the Shang Chi character.

[GeneChing]

Kevin Feige Teases 'Shang-Chi' on 'Avengers: Endgame' Press Tour (https://comicbook.com/marvel/2019/04/21/avengers-endgame-kevin-feige-teases-shang-chi/)
By ADAM BARNHARDT - April 21, 2019 09:55 pm


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANI2otCPhqI

Come July, Marvel Studios' Phase 3 will wrap up with Spider-Man: Far From Home but beyond that, the future is still uncertain. Sure, there have been reports of various movies heading into production but the studio has yet to confirm a single film past Far From Home. One of those rumored projects is Shang-Chi, a movie featuring Marvel's martial arts maestro.

On a press tour stop for Avengers: Endgame in China, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige teased the introduction of a Chinese Avenger in the coming years, boosting hope that the Shang-Chi film will be one of the projects announced for a post-Avengers: Endgame world.

"This is not an Endgame question, this is a question about the future," Feige said in response to a fan question. "I'm not supposed to answer questions about the future but in this case, I will because the answer is yes."

In a separate interview earlier in the week, Feige called the prospects of a Shang-Chi film "very intriguing" to the studio, saying the film will be very different than anything that's come before it.

“I think every movie that we do is a risk. We only want to do movies that people seem to think are risks. Doing the story of an Asian-American hero of Chinese heritage is something that is very intriguing to us. It will be really different and special,” Feige said when asked if Shang-Chi is viewed as a risky project.

“I hope audiences around the world respond to it in the same way they did to Steve Rogers... whether they have [an] American flag or not. It’s about the individual storyline, spectacle and adventure that come with Marvel Studios movies.”

Captain Marvel is now in theaters. Other upcoming Marvel Studios films include Avengers: Endgame on April 26th and Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 2nd.

It's all about who they cast for the role to me.

[GeneChing]

SHANG-CHI Shortlist Reportedly Includes AQUAMAN's Ludi Lin; Donnie Yen Also Said To Be Up For Role (https://www.comicbookmovie.com/shang-chi/shang-chi-shortlist-reportedly-includes-aquamans-ludi-lin-donnie-yen-also-said-to-be-up-for-role-a168989)

https://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/articles/168989.jpg

Reports indicate that Marvel Studios is looking at a November shoot for the Shang-Chi movie, and we now have word on two actors that may be on the shortlist for lead roles.

Mark Cassidy | 6/17/2019

https://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/articles/banners/168989.jpg

All signs point to Marvel Studios getting Shang-Chi into production later this year, and we now have word on two actors who may be in line for lead roles in the film.

According to That Hashtag Show, Ludi Lin (Aquaman, Black Mirror, Power Rangers) is a top choice to play the titular martial arts expert - although there's no indication that he has met with the studio about the role just yet. Apparently, 13 Reasons Why actor Ross Butler is also on Kevin Feige's radar.

In addition, Marvel reportedly "hopes to meet" with the legendary Donnie Yen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) for another lead role. While there is a chance it's Shang-Chi himself, it's far more likely to be the mysterious "wise old statesman" character we heard about last month.

While THS has brkle plenty of scoops in the past, we'll have to take this as a rumor for the time being. If there's anything to it, expect the trades to weigh in sooner rather than later.

Shang-Chi will be directed by Destin Cretton from a acrip by David Callaham

Ludi would work for me. I just saw him in Black Mirror S5:E1 and thought he was good in that. Donnie is too old for the lead, but would make a good supporting character.

What this needs is Awkwafina or Ali Wong... :p

[GeneChing]

JULY 15, 2019 11:48PM PT
China Thrilled by Prospect of Chinese Casting for Shang-Chi, ‘Marvel’s First Chinese Hero’ (https://variety.com/2019/film/news/marvel-shang-chi-china-avengers-1203268595/)
By REBECCA DAVIS

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/rexfeatures_10213611cf.jpg?w=1000&h=563&crop=1
CREDIT: MARVEL/DISNEY/KOBAL/SHUTTERSTOCK

China’s internet is thrilled by news that Marvel appears to be insisting on casting an ethnic Chinese actor as Shang-Chi in the master of kung fu’s own spinoff film and has begun scouting out candidates for the role.

Variety reporter Justin Kroll tweeted Sunday that Marvel is apparently “putting out test offers for a group of men in their 20s” for its “Shang-Chi” movie. He added that the studio has “been adamant to reps offering up their clients for the role” that candidates “have to be of Chinese ancestry,” with no other Asian ancestry accepted.

Twitter is blocked on China’s highly censored internet, but that hasn’t stopped the tweet from going viral in the mainland. Users have screen-grabbed it and spread it on China’s parallel Weibo platform, where the hashtag “Shang-Chi casting” has since been viewed 100 million times, and the hashtag “Marvel’s first Chinese hero” has been viewed 590 million times, as well as picked up by all the major entertainment media outlets.

“First we got China’s first Disney princess, and then we got China’s first Marvel hero!” one publication declared excitedly, referring to Disney’s “Mulan,” whose title character is played by Chinese-born actress Liu Yifei. Last week, the first trailer and poster for the film caused a sensation on the Chinese internet, with some users saying they even shed tears of excitement.

Most of the online chatter about Shang-Chi at present is about whom users would love to see in the role. Age notwithstanding, some of the more popular names bandied about have been Eddie Peng (“Operation Mekong”), Zhang Jin (“Ip Man 3”, Wong Kar-Wai’s “The Grandmaster”), Wu Jing (“Wolf Warrior 2”), Huang Jingyu (“Operation Red Sea”), Ashton Chen Xiaolong (“Ip Man 2”), Li Xian (“The Founding of an Army”), rapper Jackson Wang, Leo Wu Lei (TV series “Nirvana in Fire”), and Liu Haoran (“Detective Chinatown 2”). Peng, who is starring in the upcoming big-budget Dante Lam blockbuster “Rescue,” is a clear favorite.

China is a critical market for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has an enormous, vocal fan base in the world’s second-largest film market. In April, “Avengers: Endgame” broke dozens of box office records in the mainland to earn a massive $614 million, becoming the country’s third-highest-grossing film of all time. “Spider-Man: Far From Home” has grossed $166 million so far in Chinese theaters, while “Captain Marvel” brought in $154 million in March.

Ashton Chen Xiaolong (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?61131-Shi-Xiaolong-aka-Kung-Fu-Prince-aka-Ashton-Chen) would be awesome. I knew him when he was a little boy. Here's my cover story on his dad, Chen Tongshan - Shaolin Masters Keeping the Faith (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=793) (NOV+DEC 2008 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=789)) :cool:

[@PLUGO]

Marvel’s ‘Shang-Chi’ Finds Its Lead (https://variety.com/2019/film/news/simu-liu-marvels-shang-chi-1203268497/)
By Justin Kroll

Marvel has found its next superhero.

The studio announced that Simu Liu has been tapped to star in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” during its Hall H presentation at Comic Con, joining cast member Awkwafina, who was also announced during the presentation. Additionally, Veteran actor Tony Leung has joined the film as The Mandarin, an uber-villain introduced in “Iron Man 3. “Destin Cretton is on board to direct.

Insiders say Liu was one of several actors who tested this week for the part and was chosen by Marvel just before the studio headed into Comic Con.

The original Marvel Comics Shang-Chi follows Shang, a half-Chinese, half-American superhero created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin. In the comics, Shang-Chi is a master of numerous unarmed and weaponry-based wushu styles, including the use of the gun, nunchaku, and jian. Shang-Chi first appeared in Special Marvel Edition #15 in 1973.

Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige is producing the film. Marvel’s Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Jonathan Schwartz are executive producers on the project.

Liu, whose family moved from China to Canada when he was a child, originally worked as an accountant, before moving over to acting as an extra in Legendary’s “Pacific Rim” in 2012.

Soon after, he began nabbing smaller roles in films like “Beauty and the Beast” and “Nikita” before getting his big break in the short lived NBC series “Taken.” Following “Taken,” he landed one of the lead roles in “Kim’s Convience.”

Liu is best known for his Canadian TV show “Kim’s Convenience,” which has been on air since 2016. Liu was also recently tapped to join the cast of “Fresh Off the Boat” upcoming season.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ8E8iy3YNs

I was at SDCC but no, I didn't get into the Marvel panel in Hall H. There were people camped out for that the night before.

[GeneChing]

Jin Hyun·July 22, 2019·7 min read
Simu Liu Became Marvel’s First Asian Lead With a Tweet (https://nextshark.com/simu-liu-marvel-shang-chi/?fbclid=IwAR3IX99ZdJ05MDhYOV_IyHWpwsYX-Nei-U1nWwK8fg8dH5e64euKKkGd96U)

https://nextshark-vxdsockgvw3ki.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Untitled-collage-1-6.jpg

The Asian American community has been dreaming of getting our very own Asian superhero for years, especially after the success of Marvel’s “Black Panther”.

This past weekend, we saw the official cast announcement for the highly anticipated film, “Shang-Chi”, with Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu revealed to be portraying the titular martial arts master.

Liu opened up to The StarThe Star in en exclusive interview on the announcement:

“I honestly hope this will help to change perceptions of the way Asian Americans and Canadians perceive themselves. Millions of children will watch this movie and feel like they belong in the larger part of the conversation, that they can accomplish anything themselves.”


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fN04CYvxL0

As it turns out, Liu has been campaigning for an Asian American superhero long before plans for “Shang-Chi” were even announced.

Back in 2014, he tweeted at Marvel, writing, “Hey @Marvel, great job with Cpt America and Thor. Now how about an Asian American hero?”



Simu Liu
✔
@SimuLiu
Hey @Marvel, great job with Cpt America and Thor. Now how about an Asian American hero?

18.2K
6:43 AM - Jul 17, 2014
Twitter Ads info and privacy
2,962 people are talking about this

Liu has been showing interest in playing a superhero for quite a while now, making this an even more exciting moment for him and his fans everywhere.



Simu Liu
✔
@SimuLiu
People ask why I go shirtless a lot; look, I’m just waiting for Hollywood to make me a superhero suit. #stillwaiting #sunfire #namor #terrymcginnis #amadeuscho

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DhpKLmfX4AA_dJe?format=jpg&name=900x900

View image on Twitter (https://twitter.com/SimuLiu/status/1016206234159022082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1016206234159022082&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnextshark.com%2Fsimu-liu-marvel-shang-chi%2F)
5,086
11:23 PM - Jul 8, 2018
Twitter Ads info and privacy
772 people are talking about this
Four years after his initial tweet to Marvel, the Disney-owned company officially announced its plans for its very first Asian-led superhero film, to which Liu once again tweeted, “OK @Marvel, are we gonna talk or what #ShangChi“



Simu Liu
✔
@SimuLiu
OK @Marvel, are we gonna talk or what #ShangChi

42.6K
1:54 PM - Dec 3, 2018
Twitter Ads info and privacy
6,871 people are talking about this
The 30-year-old “Kim’s Convenience” star’s tweets have clearly charmed the creators of the film as months after his second tweet to the studio, Liu was finally revealed as the actor portraying the character of Shang-Chi.

Last night, Liu jokingly responded to his own old tweets, thanking Marvel for getting back to him.



Simu Liu
✔
@SimuLiu
· Jul 17, 2014
Hey @Marvel, great job with Cpt America and Thor. Now how about an Asian American hero?



Simu Liu
✔
@SimuLiu
LOL

18.7K
1:33 AM - Jul 21, 2019 · San Diego, CA
Twitter Ads info and privacy
2,460 people are talking about this
Well ****.

— Simu Liu (@SimuLiu) July 21, 2019

See also

January 5, 2015

Simu Liu
✔
@SimuLiu
Thanks for getting back to me https://twitter.com/SimuLiu/status/1069696323056586752 …

Simu Liu
✔
@SimuLiu
OK @Marvel, are we gonna talk or what #ShangChi

186K
6:01 PM - Jul 20, 2019
Twitter Ads info and privacy
36.1K people are talking about this
While fans are celebrating this announcement, it hasn’t been lost on Liu that the role of Shang-Chi is a huge responsibility to take on, and is a great opportunity for all Asian Americans. “There is so much at stake here; we are fighting for our identity, for our right to be seen, to BELONG,” he wrote. “Eternally grateful to Marvel, to Kevin, Jonathan and Destin for this gift. @awkwafina LET’S GET TO WORK BABYYYYY!!!”



Simu Liu
✔
@SimuLiu
Now that the craziness is over, the work begins.

There is so much at stake here; we are fighting for our identity, for our right to be seen, to BELONG.

Eternally grateful to Marvel, to Kevin, Jonathan and Destin for this gift. @awkwafina LET’S GET TO WORK BABYYYYY!!!

18.8K
10:39 AM - Jul 21, 2019 · San Diego, CA
Twitter Ads info and privacy
2,525 people are talking about this
Alongside Liu, “Crazy Rich Asians” star Awkwafina and legendary Hong Kong actor Tony Leung have also joined the cast.

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is set to hit theaters on February 12, 2021 as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four.

I only looked into Liu cursorily. Does he have a martial background?

[GeneChing]

https://fsmedia.imgix.net/1d/32/23/60/3138/4229/b6b3/471abff44819/beefjpegrect2322c02c13272c664w650.jpeg?crop=edges&fit=crop&auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&h=325&w=650

Marvel’s Forgotten One-Shot: All Hail the King (https://www.inverse.com/article/58064-mavel-phase-4-all-hail-the-king-shang-chi-mandarin-also-the-boys)

Marvel Studios held a showstopping Comic-Con panel last weekend, but the most intriguing announcement was about Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The Asian-actor-led Marvel movie doesn’t hit theaters until February 2021, but in the meantime, we have a bit of required viewing for anyone excited to see Shang-Chi on the big screen: a direct-to-video short called All Hail the King.

Released as a bonus feature with the Thor: The Dark World Blu-ray (a Marvel Studios low point), this One-Shot was easy to miss. Back then, the studio packaged each movie with a short film that expanded the MCU even further, and All Hail the King is one of the best, featuring Ben Kingsley’s phoney Mandarin villain in jail as he comes face-to-face with the secret criminal organization he pretended to lead.

With Shang-Chi slated to reveal the actual Mandarin (played by Tony Chiu-Wai Leung), All Hail the King feels like necessary viewing now. The 13-minute short film offers a compelling look at the Ten Rings, a group that could play a huge role in the MCU as we head into Phase Four. It also features Ben Kingsley in top form, and it ends on a thrilling cliffhanger that might even lead straight into Shang-Chi.

You can find the entire thing right here, or just dig up a Blu-ray copy of Thor: The Dark World to watch it the way Marvel intended. — Jake Kleinman


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mceyJxMuYFE

[GeneChing]

...especially Chinese netizens. :rolleyes:

I just hope he has decent Kung Fu (https://www.martialartsmart.com/kung-fu-tai-chi.html), ya know?



Some Chinese think Shang-Chi isn’t hot enough (for them anyway) (https://www.inkstonenews.com/society/marvel-casting-simu-liu-shang-chi-reflects-different-beauty-standards/article/3020236)
Photo: Handout
by Qin Chen

When Marvel cast Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, the studio’s first Asian superhero, the Chinese internet reacted with a collective gasp.

The casting of the muscular Chinese-Canadian heartthrob, known for his role in the sitcom Kim’s Convenience, may be celebrated in the West, but for some Chinese, he just doesn’t look the part.

“He looks like how Westerners think us Asians all look,” said one commentator on China’s Twitter-like Weibo. The message is the second-most liked response to a report about Marvel’s casting decision on July 20.

“Single eyelid, small eyes, square face, check, check, and check,” said another popular post.

Many say they prefer someone along the lines of Eddie Peng, a Canadian actor born in Taiwan. Peng fits what most Chinese would prefer to see in a romantic leading man: deep-set eyes, narrow nose, chiseled face.

The reaction on Chinese social media highlights the large aesthetic gap that exists between the East and West about who’s considered hot (or not) among Asians.

“The kind of Asian beauty embraced by the West would not be considered mainstream in China at all,” Maggie Mao, fashion director of Grazia Magazine China edition, told Inkstone.

And the complaints would be hard for Marvel to ignore given that China is one of Marvel’s key markets. Avengers: Endgame made 22% of its box office earnings in China.

Separately, Shang-Chi’s casting of a beloved Hong Kong actor to play a villain that many argue has roots in racism has some calling the film “anti-Chinese.”

Chinese people have long griped about Hollywood directors casting only “stereotypical-looking” Asians.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/660x385/public/d8/images/2019/07/26/emmy_nominations_drama_actress_nyet501.jpg?itok=1e tBs1ki
Sandra Oh, a Canadian-American actress, won the 2019 Golden Globe's Best Actress in TV drama.

From Lucy Liu to Sandra Oh, massively successful entertainers of Asian origin found attractive in the US are often considered unconventional in China.

Mao, the fashion director, said many Chinese don’t understand why Western tastemakers aren’t casting an aspirational kind of Asian beauty.

“If you look at the Kardashians, how they have become all-consuming in the US, you find both Americans and Chinese are pursuing similar things: a heightened sense of beauty,” she said.

As in many parts of East Asia, celebrities in China, especially female stars, are often pale and slim, with perfectly symmetrical and chiseled features.

Mao said Hollywood rarely seems to cast Asian actors with pale complexions or doe eyes, which are strongly preferred by Chinese.



Kim's Convenience
✔
@KimsConvenience
"We can accomplish great things when we just turn off that fear in ourselves."
Head over to our Facebook page to learn more about what drives @SimuLiu
��https://bit.ly/2LzoAIk

Embedded video (https://twitter.com/KimsConvenience/status/1153281373785997312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1153281373785997312&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.inkstonenews.com%2Fsocie ty%2Fmarvel-casting-simu-liu-shang-chi-reflects-different-beauty-standards%2****icle%2F3020236)
1,473
5:31 AM - Jul 22, 2019
Twitter Ads info and privacy
278 people are talking about this
Chinese netizens believe Hollywood is “narrow-minded” when it comes to Asian looks.

Ruonan Zheng, a senior reporter of Jing Daily, a digital publication on luxury business in China, said: “I think the real complaint is of Americans' lack of understanding of China and what’s considered beautiful in China.”

“Stunning round eyes, curly hair, and pale skin tone, those are in-vogue beauty trends in China.”

Fan Bingbing and Kris Wu are two prime examples of the most sought-after looks in China.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/660x385/public/d8/images/2019/07/26/beauty.jpg?itok=8IZnDwgK
Fan Bingbing (left), Chinese actress, and Kris Wu (right), a Chinese-Canadian actor and singer. Photo: EPA-EFE/Franck Robichon and handout

“Take Lu Yan, for example, most Chinese find her unattractive, and can’t wrap their heads around how Lu would be qualified as a supermodel,” said Dr Wei, a plastic surgeon in Beijing who declined to give her full name.

Lu, 37, was one of the first Chinese models to make it big in the West. At home, her look was considered “unusual.”

Dr Wei attributed this aesthetic difference to what she calls “aesthetic fatigue.”

“When you are in Asia and almost everyone has a flatter nose and smaller-set of eyes, a defined feature helps you to stand out of the pack,” she said.

“It also explains why Westerners sometimes seek an Asian look, because it's exotic and different from what they have,” Wei added.

Mainstream Chinese beauty standards are heavily influenced by Korean and Japanese popular culture, which took Western aesthetics and mixed them with Asian trends.

Fashion editors say Chinese beauty standards are rather uniform, perhaps because of the country’s relatively ****genous population.



QIN CHEN
Qin is a multimedia producer at Inkstone. Most recently, she was a senior video producer for The New Yorker’s video team. Prior to that she was at CNBC, making short documentaries and writing about how technology shapes lives.

[GeneChing]

Marvel Doesn’t Own The Movie Rights To Shang-Chi’s Biggest Villain (https://screenrant.com/shang-chi-villain-fu-manchu-marvel-movie-rights/)
BY NICHOLAS RAYMOND – ON AUG 26, 2019 IN SR ORIGINALS

https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Shang-Chi-and-Fu-Manchu.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=798&h=407&dpr=1.5

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is set to finally introduce Iron Man's most iconic villain, The Mandarin, to the MCU, but Shang-Chi's greatest enemy, Fu Manchu, will be nowhere in sight. Why? Because Marvel no longer owns the rights to the character. Mandarin is replacing Fu Manchu as his primary antagonist and possibly as his father as well.

It was confirmed at SDCC 2019 that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will be part of Marvel Studios and Disney's lineup for Phase 4 of the MCU. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the movie stars Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Tony Leung as the Mandarin, and Awkwafina. Shang-Chi will be the first Marvel film to focus on an Asian superhero, too, which has drawn even more attention to the project. In Marvel Comics, Shang-Chi is the Master of Kung Fu and one of Marvel's two most prominent martial arts superheroes, with the other being Iron Fist.

In the movie, Shang-Chi will face off against the Mandarin, a villain who has been teased since the first MCU movie, 2008's Iron Man, with the introduction of a terrorist organization called the Ten Rings. Marvel notoriously faked out audiences with Ben Kingsley's Mandarin impersonator in Iron Man 3, but the Marvel one-shot, All Hail the King, proved that the real Mandarin exists somewhere in the MCU. He'll finally make his long-awaited debut in Shang-Chi, taking the place of the character's comic book arch-rival, Fu Manchu.

WHO IS FU MANCHU?

https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Fu-Manchu-Shang-Chi.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=738&h=369&dpr=1.5

Created in 1913 by Sax Rohmer, Dr. Fu Manchu was an evil Chinese criminal mastermind who was often identified by his iconic mustache. Fu Manchu was the leader of a Chinese gang called the Si-Fan. He used the Si-Fan to carry out his dream of returning China to its past glory. His schemes were often thwarted by MI-6, as well as his long-time nemesis, Sir Denis Nayland Smith.

Rohmer featured Fu Manchu as the titular villain of several novels, published between 1913 and 1959. Due to Fu Manchu's popularity, Rohmer's novels were eventually adapted to the big screen. In the early 1970s, Marvel Comics acquired the rights to Fu Manchu from the Rohmer estate and arranged for the character to be used as the main antagonist and father of a new kung fu hero, Shang-Chi. Shang-Chi's comic book series, The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, borrowed a sizable chunk of the supporting cast from the Rohmer novels, but also introduced a few new characters to join Shang-Chi in his quest to defeat Fu Manchu.

In Marvel Comics, Fu Manchu is an immortal criminal genius who is often described by Shang-Chi as the most evil man in the world. He trained Shang-Chi to be an unquestionably loyal instrument of death, but was disappointed when Shang-Chi turned against him. Shang-Chi teamed up with agents of MI-6 to take down Fu Manchu and his criminal empire. Fu Manchu and MI-6 clashed numerous times over the course of the series.

MARVEL DOESN'T HAVE THE RIGHTS TO FU MANCHU

https://static2.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Shang-Chi-Fu-Manchu-1.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=738&h=369&dpr=1.5

Marvel's The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kun Fu series had a successful run that lasted from 1974 to 1983. Around the time of the book's cancellation, Marvel's licensing rights to Fu Manchu expired. Since the series was cancelled, Marvel opted not to renew the rights. In the years that followed, Shang-Chi appeared in only a handful of comics as a guest star. Later on, Marvel took an interest in reviving Shang-Chi's story and his battles with Fu Manchu, but they no longer had the rights to use the villain. So the comic book writers avoided mentioning his name.

Using Fu Manchu was an issue even though Rohmer's novels are now in the public domain. According to CBR, the Rohmer estate trademarked the "Fu Manchu" name, which kept Marvel from using it in marketing. Eventually, this problem was solved when a Secret Avengers comic renamed him "Zheng Zu" and declared "Fu Manchu" to be an alias.

To this day, Marvel still doesn't have the rights to use Fu Manchu, and now that they have found a way around this problem, it's highly unlikely that this will change, despite the fact that it also keeps them from using other Rohmer creations as well. Sir Denis Nayland Smith, Dr. Petrie, and Fu Manchu's daughter, Fah Lo Suee, all appeared in Master of Kung Fu but have been ignored ever since the licensing rights expired.

MARVEL DOESN'T WANT HIM ANYWAY

https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Shang-Chi-Fu-Manchu.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=738&h=369&dpr=1.5

Marvel not owning the rights to a hero's greatest villain may look like an enormous obstacle when it comes to giving him a solo movie, but this isn't the case for Fu Manchu and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Fu Manchu isn't in the same category as Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four, or other big-name properties that Marvel fans have wanted to see in the MCU. In fact, Marvel Studios wouldn't use Fu Manchu in a Shang-Chi movie even if the character's rights weren't a problem.

When Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was confirmed at SDCC 2019, some Chinese fans reacted in anger over Shang-Chi's connection to Fu Manchu, a character who many feel is an insulting caricature of Chinese culture. It's been said that his appearance, personality, and plan to bring China back to its ancient glory are offensive to Chinese. Fu Manchu was a reflection of "Yellow Peril", and the idea that East Asia was a threat to the western world. This response to Fu Manchu is actually nothing new. The controversy surrounding Fu Manchu goes all the way back to 1932, when the Chinese embassy issued a complaint about MGM's The Mask of Fu Manchu, a movie which saw Fu Manchu on a mission to kill white men and take their women.

Shang-Chi creator Jim Starlin confirmed that he quit writing Shang-Chi's comics after being "horrified" by the Fu Manchu books. Starlin also hopes that Fu Manchu will be kept out of the movie, and this appears to be exactly what Marvel intends to do. Fu Manchu is problematic for Marvel Studios in more ways than one (considering how important China is to Disney's box office), and since Marvel has already found a perfect replacement in the Mandarin, this is one villain who may never appear in the MCU.

Those flesh tones in those old comics...:rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

‘Shang-Chi’ Director Destin Daniel Cretton on His Vision for the New Marvel Film (https://collider.com/how-destin-daniel-cretton-got-hired-to-direct-shang-chi-marvel-movie/)
BY MATT GOLDBERG OCTOBER 14, 2019

https://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/shang-chi-logo-slice.jpg

Marvel made another excellent hire when it brought on Short Term 12 director Destin Daniel Cretton to helm the upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Marvel hopes that the film will be able to take off with Asian-American audiences like Black Panther was able to with African-American audiences, and they definitely have a talented director for the job.

Christina Radish recently spoke to Cretton for his upcoming drama Just Mercy (click here for my review from TIFF) and asked what it was like pitching the movie to Marvel:


What’s the process like, when you go in to pitch for a movie like that? What is the experience of pitching to Marvel and Kevin Feige like? Is it terrifying?

CRETTON: Yeah, it’s terrifying. I didn’t think I was going to get it, so that helps you feel not as terrified. The process of pitching is like anything. You just go in and speak your heart, and speak what you feel is important, and what you would love to do. And if they respond to that, then that’s going to be a good relationship. If they don’t respond to it, you don’t get the job, and it’s probably good that you don’t get the job.

How did you then find out that you got the job?

CRETTON: They just called me back in and told me I got the job.

When they brought you in and actually told you in person, did you try to play it cool?

CRETTON: No. They’re all so warm there. It’s a really warm family. So, it was a lot of hugs, and then it’s just, “Let’s get to work.”


https://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/shang-chi-450x300.jpg
Image via Marvel Comics

Cretton noted that they plan to start filming early next year. He also talked about hiring The Matrix cinematographer Bill Pope for Shang-Chi and how his style will fit with what they’re going for on the film:


What made you choose Bill Pope as your cinematographer? Is there something that he brings to that kind of world that you were specifically looking for?

CRETTON: Yeah. He has a really beautiful style, that’s both naturalistic and grounded, but also heightened, in the best way. And anybody who can shoot The Matrix is probably gonna do great with this one.

Is that within the kind of tone that you’re looking to bring out with the story?

CRETTON: Yeah. I think particularly for our first Asian/Asian American step into the MCU, that tone feels right.

https://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/destin-daniel-cretton-the-glass-castle-2-450x300.jpg
Image via Lionsgate

Finally, Cretton talked about how exciting it is to give young Asians and Asian-Americans the chance to see themselves up on screen with a superhero who looks like them:


If you could go back and tell the child version of you d that you’d be making this movie, what would that have meant to him to know that?

CRETTON: It would have been amazing because I would have been able to have a superhero that looked like me, rather than choosing the superheroes that I could imagine looking like me, under the mask. I was really into Spider-Man, or even the Incredible Hulk, because they I could picture myself under the Spider-Man mask, or as The Hulk because, when he was The Hulk, he was not really specific to any ethnicity. So, it’ll be nice to give that kid somebody who he can at least say, “Oh, that one looks like me.”

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opens February 12, 2021. Look for more from our interview with Cretton closer to the release of Just Mercy, which opens Christmas Day.

Matrix eh?

[GeneChing]

Meet Simu Liu: the actor playing Marvel’s first Asian superhero Shang-chi is battling global stereotypes (https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3040745/meet-simu-liu-actor-playing-marvels-first-asian)
Cinema
The Chinese-Canadian plays a martial-arts master in 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which Marvel hopes will be an Asian Black Panther
Charley Lanyon
Published: 5:00am, 7 Dec, 2019

This hotel room in West Hollywood, dimly lit with the curtains drawn, shows no signs of film-star excess. No half-full bottles of flat champagne, no overflowing ashtrays. No powder-flecked mirrors on the countertops. No cracks in the plasma television. Just some fresh clothes folded neatly over a chair and, on the table in front of us, a Nintendo Switch and a big bag of sour candies.
And anyway, its occupant isn’t exactly a film star. At least not yet. Thirty-year-old Simu Liu clears off a spot on the couch and apologises for the mess. This room – what a TripAdvisor review might deem “perfectly adequate” – has been his home for the past few months. The only clues Liu has spent that time intensively training are empty Muscle Milk cartons strewn around the place. That and the muscles themselves, defined but not ostentatious under a form-fitting shirt.
As we talk, Liu is the consummate Canadian: welcoming, warm and unfailingly polite. He seems relaxed. Rested. There’s little to indicate this sweet, earnest Torontonian may soon count himself among the most famous actors in the world.
“Kids are going to dress up like me for Halloween,” he beams.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/12/07/8a6574be-0b68-11ea-afcd-7b308be3ba45_972x_081117.JPG
Shang-Chi is a fictional character, often called the Master of Kung Fu. Photo: Marvel

We’ll have to wait to confirm this, but the prediction is not outlandish. Liu has been tapped for the eponymous lead role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, due out in 2021: the Marvel cinematic universe is about to get its first Asian superhero.
Asian-Americans make up 6 per cent of the United States population but account for only 1 per cent of leading roles in Hollywood, according to a 2018 study by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, in Los Angeles.
The buzz is unanimous in hoping that Shang-Chi will do for Asians what Black Panther (2018) did for Africans: barnstorm sorely lacking mainstream representation; prove non-white stories can deliver at the box office; and, in this case, sell a few tickets to China’s coveted cinema-going millions.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/12/07/cec4fb72-1872-11ea-9462-4dd25a5b0420_972x_081117.JPG
Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu will play Marvel Cinematic Universe's first major Asian superhero Shang-Chi. Photo: AFP

While there has been progress – recent films Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Abominable (2019) and The Farewell (2019) cast Asian actors and focused on Asian experiences – the enormity of the exposure and sheer cultural clout of an Asian Marvel hero is unprecedented.
“When I found out Simu got the role, I literally screamed in my car,” says Philip Wang, an LA-based actor and a co-founder of Wong Fu Productions who has worked extensively with Liu. “This is a guy who truly deserves the mantle of being the first Marvel superhero Asian lead.”
Liu’s trip to San Diego Comic-Con, in July, where he met fans who will likely define his celebrity – and had lunch with Angelina Jolie – left him delighted but reeling.
“It’s terrifying,” he says. “When I got the call from Marvel, I was crying, just hysterical, and I remember thinking immediately after, ‘Why am I crying?’ I think it was because this is such a wonderful opportunity, and my life is going to change forever. But I am going to have to say goodbye to certain parts of my life. There’s a kind of grieving process that has to start as well.”

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/12/07/50ec81ba-0b67-11ea-afcd-7b308be3ba45_972x_081117.JPG
A young Liu. Photo: courtesy of Simu Liu

Liu never expected to be an actor. Just six years ago his career consisted of one on-screen appearance as an uncredited extra. But now he has only a year or so to go from being a Chinese-Canadian immigrant with zero martial arts experience to playing the greatest kung fu master in the universe.
There’s a phrase in Hollywood for what he is about to experience: “the Chris Pratt effect”, cannonballing from well-liked supporting sitcom actor to global superstar shouldering a profitable film franchise. He may be smiling – he’s always smiling – but inside, Liu is freaking out.
Even he describes himself as a “partial celebrity”. Liu is recognised in LA mainly by his visiting countrymen, thanks to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s runaway 2016 hit Kim’s Convenience, centred on a Korean immigrant family in Toronto. Liu played Jung Kim, a reformed bad boy, or as a friend recently squealed, “the super hot one”.
Always a critical darling – Ashley Westerman, at National Public Radio, in the US, described the show as “quippy and smartly written” and said it “found lasting success in being both funny and deep” – Kim’s became a bona fide global hit after premiering on Netflix last year.
Pivotal, no doubt, but to equate Liu’s story with Kim’s would be to fail him, and to do that thing Liu condemns so vocally: reduce a wrenching, triumphant and unique immigrant story into something bite-sized and saccharine for mass (read: white) audiences.
Simu Liu was born on April 19, 1989, in Harbin, the capital of China’s northernmost province, Heilongjiang, best known for its frigid winters, annual ice festival and namesake beer. He was raised by his grandparents after his parents moved to Canada to attend graduate school at the prestigious Queen’s Univer*sity in Kingston, Ontario, intending to send for him once they were established.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIBbB6giJ7c

Liu’s years in Harbin had their privations – even running water was intermittent – but his “gentle and patient” grand*parents doted on him and he was happy. When he turned five, everything changed. Liu’s father arrived in Harbin to collect his son – the earliest memory he has of his dad – and take him across the world to Mississauga, a bland western suburb of Toronto, Ontario, and a common landing point for middle-class Asian immigrants.
The adjustment was harsh, and not just because it was every bit as cold as Harbin. Liu went from being the coddled firstborn and only son in a traditional Chinese home to a much less forgiving situation: the firstborn and only son of young, first-generation immigrants who had sacrificed everything for his eventual, and very much expected, success.
Instead of his grandparents’ loving warmth, there was criticism, pressure and, as Liu wrote in an open letter to his parents in Canadian magazine Maclean’s, in 2017, levels of affection limited to “letting ‘put on a jacket, it’s cold outside’ stand in for ‘I love you’”.
Liu studied finance at the University of Western Ontario – like Queen’s, one of Canada’s Ivy League-level institutions – then bagged a parent-pleasing job at accounting power*house Deloitte, in downtown Toronto. There was just one problem: “I was a serial slacker,” Liu says, laughing. “I just wasn’t a motivated person.” He was soon fired for what he says were obvious reasons. “Make no mistake, I was doing a subpar job.”

I realised I had been living my life all wrong. The more times you get to redefine yourself, or get to change the course of your destiny, the more you want to do it
Simu Liu, actor
Adrift and feeling that he had nothing to lose, when he saw a casting call on Craigslist for extras to appear in Pacific Rim (2013) – a sci-fi film being shot by Guillermo del Toro in Toronto – he went for it. Try as you might, you won’t be able to pick him out of the crowds on-screen, but the experience was life-changing.
“I realised I had been living my life all wrong,” he says. “The more times you get to redefine yourself, or get to change the course of your destiny, the more you want to do it. The more you learn not to take the world as it is, the more you learn to see what things should be. For people who may not have had those catastrophic failures in their life, they might not have the ability to do that.”
The former slacker began hustling for roles, winning forgettable walk-on parts in films and a few lines in cheesy television action shows. And when he couldn’t land an acting gig, he worked as a stuntman.
Then, in 2015, he got his first break, in Blood and Water, a little-watched drama targeting Canada’s Chinese popula*tion, in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
“Although I was a pretty new actor, it was the first time I had been part of anything of that calibre,” Liu says. “And it was the first time I felt like I had a platform. True, it was a tiny Canadian show that nobody ever watched, but I was a series regular.”
His role as Paul Xie, the secretive son of a billionaire real-estate developer whose brother is murdered, helped him secure representation – he is still with the same managers – and brought him to the attention of the Kim’s Convenience casting agents. continued next post

[GeneChing]

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/12/07/4e48b2da-0b67-11ea-afcd-7b308be3ba45_972x_081117.jpeg
Liu in the cockpit of a plane as a child. Photo: courtesy of Simu Liu

Americans got their first taste of Liu in the short-lived TV action series Taken, which premiered on NBC in 2017 and was based on the eponymous film trilogy starring Liam Neeson. Liu played Faaron, a stereotypical tech guy who sat at a computer supporting spies in the field. “I said ‘enhance’ a lot,” Liu jokes.
He made a big impression on set. Actress Jennifer Marsala remembers him fondly: “He was fun to be silly with, backstage. We were supposed to be at this covert government agency and we’d all be singing and dancing, and Simu would be doing backflips. He has this incredible singing voice, and he’s also a really good dancer.”
Liu was apprehensive about leaving a show on a big US network for a quiet sitcom back home, but matters were taken out of his hands when virtually the entire cast of Taken was replaced before the second season.
“We knew Kim’s was important, but we didn’t know the show was going to hit the way it did,” Liu says.
Each episode attracted nearly a million viewers, coast to coast, in a country where the Stanley Cup, the biggest game in ice hockey, Canada’s national sport, drew audiences of four million this year.
Kim’s Convenience boosted Liu’s stature, but that exposure also politicised him. “[It] introduced me to issues that were greater than just being an actor getting a job. I’d been talking about issues of representation for a while and basically just not doing a good job at it,” he says.
He started to wrestle with what it meant to be a Chinese actor in North America and what responsibility he had to his viewers and community.
“I realised that representation is not just the ability to see yourself reflected on screen, but to see what you can be. So if I see Asians portrayed as losers and nerds, at least on a subconscious level, that’s all I believe I can be,” he says.

I realised that representation is not just the ability to see yourself reflected on screen, but to see what you can be
Simu Liu
Pushing that envelope, eight months before the Shang-Chi casting, Liu tweeted: “OK @Marvel, are we gonna talk or what #ShangChi”. Months later, after the role had been announced, he followed up his original tweet with a typically wry: “Well s***.”
He recalls the incident with a laugh. “I didn’t just send a tweet and then they called,” he says. “ a long process of phone conversations, callbacks and auditions that happened over a couple of months.”
Shang-Chi the character was conceived in 1972, as the son of super villain – and notoriously racist stereotype – Dr Fu Manchu. For a time, he joins the Avengers and in one storyline teaches Spider-Man to fight after he loses his “spidey sense”, helping Peter Parker develop his own martial art, “the way of the spider”. This bit of arcana was not lost on Liu, who has tweeted his support for Spider-Man staying in the Marvel cinematic universe amid rising tensions between Marvel and Sony, who share ownership of the character.
Having been so careful to avoid playing into Asian stereotypes, the irony of being cast as a “kung fu master” caught the attention of the actor.
“Starting out, I wanted to be an American leading man,” he says. “I wanted to be Tom Cruise. I wanted to be Matt Damon. And it’s funny, Tom Cruise has done plenty of action movies, Matt Damon has done Bourne, but they were never pigeonholed. I’ve done one family crime drama and then a family sitcom and now I’m doing an action film and I’m likely going to follow that up with something completely unrelated.”


Simu Liu
✔
@SimuLiu
OK @Marvel, are we gonna talk or what #ShangChi

43.9K
12:54 PM - Dec 3, 2018
Twitter Ads info and privacy
6,856 people are talking about this
Before being cast, Liu had said publicly he didn’t “want to be a kung fu star”. Not only are the optics problematic but, until recently, he had no fight training whatsoever.
Learning to play a master of all the world’s martial arts in a year of pre-production is no easy task.
“I am training very hard, believe me. I have our stunt coordinator, Brad Allan, a phenomenal martial artist who trained under Jackie Chan, and he’s assembled a wonderful team around me,” Liu says.
At least his parents finally seem convinced of his success. Not because he was cast in a big-budget film, but because he will appear opposite Hong Kong movie legend and Wong Kar-wai muse Tony Leung Chiu-wai, star of Chungking Express (1994) and In the Mood for Love (2000). Also cast is another of Liu’s favourite actors, Awkwafina, who has experienced her own rapid rise to film stardom, going from cult rapper to Crazy Rich Asians scene-stealer and the lead in The Farewell.
“I haven’t had the chance to talk to Leung yet,” Liu says, “but I met his visage and his body.”
His what?
“I was at my costume fitting yesterday. It was … weird. They take you to a place and they infrared-scan your body and 3D-print you, life-size, so they can fit clothes. There was a 3D-printed me, Awkwafina and Tony Leung. It’s crazy,” he explains.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/12/07/3c466cde-11b2-11ea-82cd-148dc44829b8_972x_081117.jpg
Shang-Chi (centre) is set to take his place in the Marvel cinematic universe. Photo: Handout

It is no coincidence that Shang-Chi is slated for release at a time when Hollywood is increasingly covetous of China’s massive cinema-going public, the second largest audience after the US. Co-productions between the two countries are now common, and more films are being produced to appeal to Chinese audiences, even as political and economic tensions between the two nations grow ever more fraught.
Still, American-made, Asian-centred hits have gained little traction in China. Crazy Rich Asians, for example, failed to resonate with audiences in China because, among other things, the American humour didn’t translate.
There is hope Shang-Chi will be an exception – like Abominable – and do equally well in both countries. But early reactions from Chinese cinephiles have not been entirely positive. In one YouTube video, people questioned on the streets of Beijing thought Liu was “too ugly” to helm a Hollywood blockbuster, a charge unimaginable to anyone who has spent a few minutes with him. For Liu, it was less about his appearance than the general atmosphere of distrust, which he puts down to the misinformed and racist depictions of Asians and Asian culture in American TV and film.
“They’ve certainly been burned before,” he says, throw*ing up his hands. “They’re just being rightfully defensive of who they are. They feel like there’s a potential for Hollywood to really eff this up, and maybe it would be easy for me to be like, ‘Well, eff them, what do they know?’” (Yes, he said “eff”; he’s a good Canadian boy.) “But then, I mean, when I look at the leading men in Asia, I agree with them. I don’t look like them. But that’s OK. I look forward to showing them something new, that leading men come in different shapes and sizes.”

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/12/07/4ec201a8-0b67-11ea-afcd-7b308be3ba45_972x_081117.jpg
Liu with his grandparents. Photo: courtesy of Simu Liu

People who have worked with Liu are convinced he’ll pull it off.
“From the beginning, Simu has been an active voice for our community, unapologetic of his Asian background and mission to help bring us forward,” says Wang. “I know he’ll represent us well and also use this opportunity to be a driving force and inspiration for all of us. He already has been.”
There are a lot of expectations riding on this film and its star is feeling the pressure.
“To take a quote from Stan Lee, the legend himself, ‘With great power there must also come great responsibility’. But I think the reason I have the platform I do is because I’ve leaned into my Asianness. If you are going to ask an entire population to support you, to rally behind you and give you a platform, I won’t shy away from that responsi*bility. I feel like we’ve been shying away from it as people for too long, especially the children of immigrants who are taught to keep their heads down. We have reached the limit of that philosophy.”
Heady topics perhaps for a superhero film?
“Well,” says Liu, as self-assured as a superhero should be, “I really think this movie could change the world.”

I need to check out [I]Kim’s Convenience.

[GeneChing]

https://i1.wp.com/www.murphysmultiverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/SHANG-CHI_AND_THE_LEGEND_OF_THE_TEN_RINGS_Logo_Cropped.j pg?w=1592&ssl=1

DECEMBER 24, 2019 BY CHARLES MURPHY
EXCLUSIVE: SHANG-CHI Casting For Ring Announcers; Could Support Longstanding Tournament “Leak” (https://www.murphysmultiverse.com/exclusive-shang-chi-casting-for-ring-announcers-could-support-longstanding-tournament-leak/)

Shang-Chi is preparing to begin filming after the new year and is currently casting a plethora of small, supporting roles. One such role, for a ringside fight announcer, might just support one a plot “leak” that appeared on Reddit just a short while ago. You can read a transcription of the now deleted leak below:


An alien spaceship landed in China hundreds of years ago. The ship was powered by the Ten Rings, magical relics that all serve a different purpose. The rings were looted by a secret society known as the Avatars, which is led by a wise martial artist simply called the Ancestor. The Ancestor wore the rings and used them to become an expert fighter.

The Mandarin grew up hearing about the ancestor’s story and was fascinated by it, despite everyone else believing it was just a myth. He began to idolize the Ancestor, and devoted his life to finding the rings. This inspired him to form his own mafia, which is the Ten Rings gang. Basically, the point of the gang is look for the rings all around the world. He adopted his niece, Fah Lo Suee (Awkwafina) and taught her martial arts.

After years of investigation, he discovers that the legend of the ten rings are real, and that the Ancestor is dying. There was a leak a little while back that Shang-Chi is a tournament film, and that’s actually true. When the Ancestor dies, the Avatars will run a secret tournament/kung-fu trial in which the winner will be granted the rings. The Mandarin is too old to compete, and he doesn’t want to risk Fah Lo Suee’s life. That’s where Shang-Chi is going to come in.

Shang is a street urchin who meets the Mandarin after he starts dating Fah. The Mandarin takes a liking in Shang and starts training him as his apprentice. His first task, as an act of gang initiation, is to kill Trevor for impersonating the Mandarin. People speculated that they would be related, but it will be more of a Walter White/Jesse Pinkman dynamic.

When the tournament begins, the Mandarin will send Shang to win and get the rings for him. That’ll be the basic gist of the film pretty much. I know that defeating Fin Fang Foom will be an obstacle. Leiko Wu and Clive Reston will be in the movie as SHIELD agents who are investigating the Ten Rings gang. Shang-Chi will obviously betray the Mandarin and become a hero over the course of the film. He will get the ability to create multiple duplicates of himself. It will be an ‘Orphan Black’ situation, where each clone of himself has their own personality. So the fights will obviously be insane to witness.

Marvel is casting Shang’s enemies in the tournament, and one of them will be a character named Chao.

While I certainly can’t speak to the authenticity of every one of the plot points included in that “leak”, the fact that the film is currently searching for ringside fight announcers, combined with the prior knowledge that they were casting for several of Shang-Chi’s comic book kung-fu opponents could very well lend a bit of credibility to this leak and we may see an MCU version of the 90’s classic martial arts film, Bloodsport. As shocking as having Fin Fang Foom and the ability to create duplicates might seem, there is enough other evidence out there to support a dragon living in certain locations and it’s possible that one of the rings could grant Shang-Chi the power to create dupes.

So is Awkwafina in training now?

[GeneChing]

'Shang-Chi' director hints a big change to the film's villain, the Mandarin (https://www.inverse.com/article/62076-shang-chi-legend-of-ten-rings-director-hints-change-to-mandarin-villain-marvel-movie)
"Family" isn't just for Fast & Furious. Director Destin Daniel Cretton hints that his Marvel film will explore the concept of family in a big way.

https://fsmedia.imgix.net/ae/0f/a8/7e/cd7b/4c0a/b6f6/ce390fcbf83b/cleanjpg.jpeg?rect=0%2C1401%2C2262%2C1131&auto=format%2Ccompress&w=650

By Eric Francisco on January 2, 2020
Filed Under Iron Man, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Movies, Marvel Universe, Movies & Superheroes

In 2021, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will meet its next big superhero in Shang-Chi, a kung fu secret agent in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. While Marvel previously announced that the Iron Man 3 nemesis the Mandarin (but this time, the real one) will play a big role in the film, director Destin Daniel Cretton dropped a subtle hint that the Mandarin is, in fact, Shang-Chi’s father.

In a December 24 episode of the podcast They Call Us Bruce (https://theycallusbruce.libsyn.com/episode-85-they-call-us-destin-daniel-cretton), hosted by Jeff Yang and Phil Yu, Destin Daniel Cretton appeared to promote his newest film Just Mercy. At the end of the episode, the hosts took a detour to the MCU, providing a small glimpse into 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Noting that Shang-Chi is “a very different type of movie than Just Mercy,” Cretton revealed both movies share similar themes and ideas on family.

“In the same vein, the emotional aspect and the ideas of camaraderie, family, and connection is something that will definitely be a part of this movie,” he said.

That “F” word — “family” — doesn’t just belong to Fast & Furious. While the plot for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is still under wraps, Cretton’s quotes suggest that Legend of the Ten Rings will follow Shang-Chi as he challenges his blood family, as well as cooperate with an adopted new one.

In Marvel’s Master of Kung Fu comics, which Shang-Chi starred in for over a hundred issues in the 1970s, Shang-Chi embarks on a journey to defeat his father, Fu Manchu, the same pulp villain invented by English author Sax Rohmer in 1913. Unable to work alone, Shang-Chi teams up with an array of British agents, including Sir Denis Nayland Smith (the protagonist of Rohmer’s novels); Clive Reston, a spy modeled after James Bond; Leiko Wu, a Chinese-British agent Shang-Chi falls for; and “Black Jack” Tarr, Smith’s aide-de-camp.

https://fsmedia.imgix.net/00/0a/b1/6d/95ff/484b/9e64/1a3e9b61e655/in-marvel-special-edition-15-shang-chis-first-solo-comic-shang-chi-confronts-his-father-the-v.jpeg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=650
In 'Marvel Special Edition' #15, Shang-Chi's first solo comic, Shang-Chi confronts his father, the villainous Fu Manchu from Sax Rohmer's pulp novels. In the 2021 film 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,' his father may be changed to the Mandarin, played by Tony Leung.

While Shang-Chi learns to work with strangers, it’s Shang-Chi’s family whom he fights. Besides his father, Shang-Chi’s sister Fah Lo Suee clashes with Shang-Chi, while other times Fah Lo Suee tries (and fails) to use Shang-Chi as a pawn in her own attempts to overthrow her father.

Shang-Chi also has two brothers; One is an adoptive brother, M’Nai, a refugee from Africa whom Fu Manchu raised to become the assassin called “Midnight.” The brothers clashed in an early issue of Shang-Chi’s comics (Marvel Special Premiere #16). The second is Moving Shadow, who was raised in secret from Shang-Chi and lives to fulfill his evil father’s wishes. Moving Shadow first appeared in the 2002 Marvel MAX series, Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu.

At the time of Shang-Chi’s creation in 1973, Marvel had a working agreement with Rohmer’s estate to incorporate characters from Rohmer’s stories into the Marvel Universe. When that agreement expired years later, Marvel kept Shang-Chi but downplayed Fu Manchu to avoid copyright infringement.

Aside from the legal issue, there was also a matter of changing cultural attitudes as Fu Manchu was (and is) a dated “Orientalist” stereotype of Asians in popular media. It was these attitudes that inspired Marvel to subvert its own Orientalist villain, the Mandarin, in the 2013 film Iron Man 3.

https://fsmedia.imgix.net/12/1a/d4/73/c3ef/42fe/917e/8d4d8b3c7b56/cover-of-marvel-special-edition-16-where-shang-chi-fights-his-adoptive-brother-midnight.jpeg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=650
Cover of 'Marvel Special Edition #16,' where Shang-Chi fights his adoptive brother, Midnight.

With Marvel obviously unwilling to incorporate Fu Manchu, Kevin Feige et al appear to be rewriting Shang-Chi’s canon. While Marvel has yet to explicitly say so, it appears Marvel is turning the Mandarin (played by Hong Kong acting legend Tony Leung) into Shang-Chi’s birth father in place of Fu Manchu. And because of Iron Man 3, there is already the groundwork for fans to accept a less offensive, modern interpretation of “yellow peril” villainy.

In a separate feature interview with BuzzFeed, Cretton revealed he took a meeting with Marvel with only the intent on enlightening the studio on how to avoid offensive portrayals inherit to the source material.

“I didn’t think I was going to end up getting the gig,” he said. “I honestly thought at best I could maybe, through the process of meeting with them, just explain some of the things that would be offensive to me, and maybe guide it in some way just by getting my voice in someone’s ear.”

It was during that meeting that Marvel decided Cretton was their choice for Shang-Chi.

On They Call Us Bruce, Cretton revealed his excitement for Shang-Chi, fueled by lament on the lack of Asian faces in superhero pop culture.

“It’s really exciting to just be a part of another movie that’s going to put some new faces up on the screen,” he said. “I didn’t even know why I loved Spider-Man until I was old enough to realize I couldn’t see his face, and I could imagine myself underneath that mask. There weren’t any Asian faces to identify with in the superhero word. So to be able to give a new generation an option is really cool.”

https://fsmedia.imgix.net/1e/d5/e1/10/a32c/4ea9/a8a4/b91e2f0c34b9/simu-liu-revealed-as-shang-chi-at-comic-con.jpeg?crop=faces&fit=crop&auto=format%2Ccompress&h=325&w=650
Simu Liu, revealed as Shang-Chi at Comic-Con.

Shang-Chi will star Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu in the title role, alongside Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) and Tony Leung as the Mandarin. In an October 23 visit to the New York Film Academy (uploaded to YouTube on December 28), Marvel’s Kevin Feige said Shang-Chi will have a “98 percent” Asian cast.

“We’ve wanted to make that movie for a long time. We want to make a movie with a 98% Asian cast,” he said. “Shang-Chi is gonna be so much more than a kung fu movie. But it has elements of that, which we’re excited about.”

Meanwhile, Just Mercy is a superhero story for the real world. In theaters now, the film stars Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, and Tim Blake Nelson, in the true story of Walter McMillian (Foxx), an African-American man sentenced to death for the 1986 murder of Ronda Morrison, a white woman, in Alabama. McMillian was convicted despite dozens of eyewitnesses confirming McMillian at a church fish fry during the murder.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will release in theaters on February 12, 2021. Anyone heard who's directing fight choreo yet?

[GeneChing]

As I've said before, I don't really know Simu Liu, but this has endeared him to me. :cool:


Marvel Star Simu Liu Asks Out Sharon Stone After She Posts About Dating App (https://comicbook.com/marvel/2020/01/04/marvel-star-simu-liu-asks-out-sharon-stone-dating-app-bumble/)
By JAMIE JIRAK - January 4, 2020 02:59 pm EST

Earlier this week, actor Sharon Stone went viral for having a mishap on the dating app, Bumble. The star known for films such as Basic Instinct and Casino was blocked from the app after fellow users reported her as a fake account. Stone took to Twitter to try to resolve the issue and it became a trending topic on Twitter. Another star, Simu Liu, the actor who will soon be playing the titular role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, decided to shoot his shot and try to score a date with Stone. Here’s the initial interaction between Stone and Bumble:


Sharon Stone
✔
@sharonstone
· Dec 29, 2019
I went on the @bumble dating sight and they closed my account. 👁👁
Some users reported that it couldn’t possibly be me!
Hey @bumble, is being me exclusionary ? 🤷🏼*♀️
Don’t shut me out of the hive 🐝


Bumble
✔
@bumble
There can only be one 👑 Stone. Looks like our users thought you were too good to be true. We’ve made sure that you won’t be blocked again. We hope that everyone in our community takes a sec to verify their profiles. (Catherine Tramell from Basic Instinct gets a pass today!)

3,011
4:23 AM - Dec 30, 2019
Twitter Ads info and privacy
223 people are talking about this
Here’s where Liu decided to join in on the conversation:


Sharon Stone
✔
@sharonstone
· Dec 29, 2019
I went on the @bumble dating sight and they closed my account. 👁👁
Some users reported that it couldn’t possibly be me!
Hey @bumble, is being me exclusionary ? 🤷🏼*♀️
Don’t shut me out of the hive 🐝


Simu Liu
✔
@SimuLiu
Hey, I don’t have bumble but uh... what are you doing like six months from now?

1,856
6:19 AM - Dec 30, 2019
Twitter Ads info and privacy
89 people are talking about this

Stone didn't reply to the actor's request, but maybe she'll change her mind after she sees him kicking butt on the big screen as a Marvel hero.

In the comics, Shang-Chi is raised to become a deadly assassin, and his life gets turned upside down when he discovers nefarious details about his father. Shang-Chi then sets out to right his father's wrongs, becoming Marvel's "Master of Kung Fu" and serves as a member of Heroes for Hire and the Avengers.

The film will be helmed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12, The Glass Castle) on a script by Wonder Woman 1984's David Callaham. Awkwafina and Tony Chiu-Wai Leung have also been confirmed for the film, with the latter playing The Mandarin.

Upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in Fall 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, WandaVision in 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, Spider-Man 3 on July 16, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022. Marvel Studios Disney+ series without release dates include Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk.

[GeneChing]

From 'Just Mercy' to 'Shang-Chi': Why Shifted Gears for Marvel's Superhero Film (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/amp/news/just-mercy-shang-chi-why-destin-daniel-cretton-shifted-gears-marvels-superhero-film-1265402)

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/1536x866/2019/12/destin_daniel_cretton_-_getty-_h_2019.jpg
George Pimentel/Getty Images
10:30 AM PST 1/5/2020 by Rebecca Ford

"I would love to give my son a superhero to look up to," says the director of helming Marvel's first Asian-led superhero film, which he leaped to following his social justice drama starring Michael B. Jordan as a lawyer who helps exonerate innocent prisoners.
When director Destin Daniel Cretton's latest project, the real-life social justice drama Just Mercy, finally hit theaters Dec. 25, he already was deep into his next project — a leap in a very different direction, helming Marvel's first Asian-led superhero film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. But the busy helmer took some time to talk to THR about working on Just Mercy, which stars Michael B. Jordan as Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer who has dedicated his career to helping exonerate innocent prisoners, many of whom were on death row.

How did you end up on this project?

Our producer Gil Netter sent the book to me. I was so moved by it. I was just so surprised with how much life was given into these characters. They just were so relatable to me. So I signed on with that, and the only person we could think of to be perfect for this was Michael B. [Jordan]. I was on the phone with Ryan Coogler talking about something else, and I was telling him about this book and how I thought this character would be perfect for Michael, and he just said, "Hold on," and called Michael B., who I believe was in Vegas. So just out of the blue I was pitching to Michael B.

How closely were you working with Bryan on the film?

He was involved from the very beginning. Before we even started writing, [co-writer] Andrew Lanham and I took a trip down to Montgomery and Bryan gave us a tour of The Legacy Museum and [The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which explores America's history of racial injustice from the slave trade]. He took me to Monroeville, Alabama, where all this took place, and walked me out into a cotton field. I'd never been in one before. He showed me how to pick cotton, showed me how t***** cotton bushes are. It was a very powerful experience.

What did you see as the biggest challenge of making this movie?

Everything. (Laughs.) I don't look up to many people more than I look up to Bryan Stevenson. And I wanted to show people who he really was, and that was a very intimidating thing to take on. That is why I stayed so close to him throughout the process. I'm so grateful that he is such a gracious person to collaborate with. He was great at guiding us and making sure that we were doing the legal stuff right, that we were capturing the characters in the right way. But he was also very understanding of our own process, and he was very gracious on that level. I've never grown so much on a movie, and I've never been so relieved when Bryan Stevenson watched it and gave me a big hug afterward.

Did he say anything to you or was it just the hug?

He said, "You captured my heart." And the heart of these people that he really cares about.

What do you see as the throughline with the films you've made?

There are two throughlines: One is a theme of family, whether a literal family or a family created through circumstance. Family is very important to me. And I personally have been really moved by movies that allow me to feel less alone in the world and allow me to see characters in a way that makes me say, "Oh, they're just like me." That, to me, is where society can actually change. Movies can allow us to get so close that we can see [others] as just like us. That's what I hope this movie can do for other people.

You seem to have a lot of empathy as a filmmaker.

I try. I spend so much time on a movie — especially if I'm writing and directing it — so I typically ask myself, "is this a world that I'm willing to swim three years through? And does it have the potential to make me a better person?" Because to me, of course I'm always trying to make the best movie I can, but the outcome of it isn't the grand prize, if it is I'm constantly going to be disappointed in some way or another. But if the experience itself can teach me something new about the world or show me something about myself that I didn't know and make me a better person, that's what I'm striving for. So any story that has the ability to do that is something that I feel good about signing on to.

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/2019/12/just_mercy_-_publicity_still_-_embed_-2019_.jpg
In Just Mercy, Michael B. Jordan (left) stars with Jamie Foxx, who plays a man on death row.
Jake Netter/Warner Bros.

Shang-Chi feels like a big step in a different direction. Why that next?

I grew up without a superhero to look up to. I gravitated to Spider-Man when I was a kid, primarily because he had a mask covering his face and I could imagine myself under that mask. I would love to give my son a superhero to look up to. I feel very privileged to be a part of telling that story.

Being from Hawaii and of Asian descent, did you ever feel like an outsider in this industry?

It was a huge culture shock going from Hawaii to the [U.S.] mainland. I moved to San Diego when I was 19 to go to school, and I was not prepared for the culture shock. You don't feel "other" in Hawaii. I didn't understand why I felt weird when I came here because I didn't know I had an accent. I didn't understand why it felt weird for someone to call me Bruce Lee. It was an adjustment. In Hawaii, things are laid-back. In L.A., there was too much fear-based competition and ways that you were supposed to be to make it in this industry that were complete opposites to my personality.

Such as?

I was a terrible networker. I would go to a party and stand in the corner … really awkward. My growing-up experience was just owning the fact that I am uncomfortable — owning my shyness. Owning just my personality and saying, "**** it, I'm going to be myself, and if they're not going to like that, then we're not supposed to work together." That's a daily thing I have to tell myself. As soon as I started doing that, I became much more happy doing this work. It didn't scare me anymore. I don't think anybody should be scared to do what they love. That was a big lesson for me to learn.

What do you think about the way Hollywood has been opening up with more inclusive stories and more opportunities for filmmakers from different backgrounds? Does it make you optimistic?

I'm always optimistic that it will go in the right direction. I think we're in a transition now. Even when we were trying to crew up for Just Mercy, there's a realization that there are not enough minorities just in the positions that you would want them to be to hire minorities. So on Just Mercy we were giving so many people their first opportunities to be the heads of a departments, which is so exciting. On this movie with Marvel, just in terms of casting — how many famous Asian actors are there? It's really exciting to be able to make some new famous faces for other films to choose from. It would be a failure if Shang-Chi was, like, the first and last. That would suck. But I hope it's the first of many more movies that represent the world that we live in.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

A version of this story first appeared in a January stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

I really need to familiarize myself with the work of Destin Daniel Cretton and Simu Liu. I got a year...:rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

Given the hot mess that was Iron Fist (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49086-Iron-Fist), I'll be satisfied if the MCU can deliver just a good Kung Fu movie. :rolleyes:


https://i0.wp.com/hnentertainment.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/KEVIN-FEIGE_SAYS_SHANG-CHI_SHOOTS_SOON_MCU_MARVEL-STUDIOS_.jpeg?zoom=1.25&fit=1300%2C716&ssl=1

Kevin Feige Says ‘Shang-Chi’ Is So Much More Than A Kung-Fu Movie – Will Awards Season & Wildfires Lead To A Delay? (https://hnentertainment.co/kevin-feige-says-shang-chi-goes-into-production-in-a-few-months-is-so-much-more-than-a-kung-fu-movie/)
By Christopher Marc -January 8, 20200

Back in October, Marvel Studios head and Marvel chief creative officer Kevin Feige sat down for Q&A session with the New York Film Academy.

While talking about the origin of the shawarma button scene in the original Avengers film, revealed that Shang-Chi hasn’t started filming and that filming begins in a few months (from October).

FEIGE: “I went to my then assistant Jonathan Schwartz, who is now in Australia producing Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings that goes into production in a few months.”

Kevin also recognizes that Shang-Chi is going to be seen as a kung-fu action film, but is much more than that.

FEIGE: “Shang-Chi is going to be so much more than a kung-fu movie, but it has elements of that which we’re excited about.”

I think there will be a James Bond/spy element to the character as he did have involvement with MI6 and the private outfit Freelance Restorations (expected to have characters from that group in the film).

However, there is a good chance that Shang-Chi might not begin shooting this month and may hold off a start until after the awards season/Oscars is over. Considering that Destin Daniel Cretton’s film Just Mercy is an awards contender and Shang-Chi lead actress Awkwafina is also likely in the running for a Best Actress nomination for The Farewell (recently won a Golden Globe).

There is also a heap of wildfires ongoing in New South Wales, Australia where Fox Studios Australia is located, the main sound stage facility that will be used on Shang-Chi and the fourth Thor installment (aiming for August start) from director Taika Waititi.

Marvel might want to give the authorities and local crew a little breathing room due to those events.

I wouldn’t be shocked if it doesn’t begin filming until February/March as the Oscars will take place on February 9th.

HN Entertainment exclusively first revealed that the working title of Shang-Chi during production will be Steamboat, a direct nod to Asian-American professional wrestler Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat.

Speaking of director Destin Daniel Cretton, he recently spoke with TheHollywoodReporter and revealed what interested him in the Marvel project, giving his son a superhero to look up to.

CRETTON: “I grew up without a superhero to look up to. I gravitated to Spider-Man when I was a kid, primarily because he had a mask covering his face and I could imagine myself under that mask. I would love to give my son a superhero to look up to. I feel very privileged to be a part of telling that story.”

Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings is set for an official release date of February 12th, 2021.

[GeneChing]

It's really impressive how she is parlaying her talents into a successful career.


Shang-Chi Star Awkwafina Arrives in Ahead of Marvel Filming (https://comicbook.com/marvel/2020/01/23/awkwafina-shang-chi-australia-filming-marvel/)
By NICOLE DRUM - January 23, 2020 12:15 am EST

As one of the most-anticipated of Marvel Studios' upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe films, there has been a lot of speculation about precisely when Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will commence filming. Earlier this month, Kevin Feige confirmed that the film would head into production soon with work taking place in Australia and now it appears that "soon" could be sooner than we think. A post from star Awkwafina on Tuesday revealed that the actress is in Sydney, Australia, potentially to begin work on Shang-Chi.

On Tuesday, Awkwafina posted brief clip on her Instagram Story in which she opened up curtains in what appeared to be a hotel room to take in the view of the Sydney Harbour. She captioned the short clip "Good morning Sydney!"

While the post doesn't directly indicate that she's there to work on Shang-Chi, as was noted previously, Feige has indicated that Australia is a location where production on the film will take place.

"I went to my then assistant Jonathan Schwartz, who is now in Australia producing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings that goes into production in a few months," Feige said during a talk with the New York Film Academy. "Shang-Chi is going to be so much more than a kung-fu movie, but it has elements of that which we're excited about."

Feige's not the only one who has talked about the potential of Shang-Chi, either. Simu Liu, who recently joked about the rumors of when the film would start filming himself, told the South China Morning Post that the film could "change the world."

“To take a quote from Stan Lee, the legend himself, ‘With great power there must also come great responsibility’,” he said. “But I think the reason I have the platform I do is because I’ve leaned into my Asianness. If you are going to ask an entire population to support you, to rally behind you and give you a platform, I won’t shy away from that responsi*bility. I feel like we’ve been shying away from it as people for too long, especially the children of immigrants who are taught to keep their heads down. We have reached the limit of that philosophy.”

Upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in the fall, The Eternals on November 6, WandaVision later this year, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, Spider-Man 3 on July 16, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022. Marvel Studios Disney+ series without release dates include Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk.

[GeneChing]

‘Asian-American actors are ugly & your films make us look backward’: Hollywood sets movies in China, locals don’t want to watch (https://www.rt.com/op-ed/478793-hollywood-china-farewell-failure/)
Michael McCaffrey
Michael McCaffrey lives in Los Angeles where he works as an acting coach, screenwriter and consultant. He is also a freelance film and cultural critic whose work can be read at RT, Counterpunch and at his website mpmacting.com.
21 Jan, 2020 14:04 / Updated 3 days ago

https://cdni.rt.com/files/2020.01/article/5e26f71f85f54055a4771648.jpg
The Farewell (2019) Dir: Lulu Wang © А24 studio

Hollywood thinks that by telling Chinese stories they will woo its massive market they so crave…they couldn’t be more wrong, as the failure of the Farewell amply illustrates.
The critically adored American film, which tells the story of a Chinese-American woman who returns to her ancestral homeland to visit her dying grandmother, opened in China at the weekend.

As The Farewell was written and directed by a Chinese American woman, Lulu Wang, and stars Chinese-American, Golden Globe winning actress Awkwafina, while the film’s dialogue is mostly spoken in Mandarin, Hollywood’s expectations were that the movie would be well received in China.

That did not work out.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RofpAjqwMa8

The Farewell has been largely ignored by Chinese audiences as evidenced by its embarrassingly dismal take at the Chinese box office of just $580,000, and scathing audience reviews from viewers who largely thought that the story was dull, patronizing, and had nothing to say to them.

The film’s failure is reminiscent of the poor showing in China by another Asian themed Hollywood movie, Crazy Rich Asians, which was a breakout smash hit in America in 2018, bringing in $174 million at the US box office. American audiences cheered Crazy Rich Asians largely due to its Asian cast, which was deemed a great success for representation and diversity for Hollywood. In contrast, China, which has plenty of its own movies with all-Asian casts, had no such love for the film as proven by its tepid box office receipts.

Crossing the cultural divide and tapping into the Chinese market has long been the Holy Grail of Hollywood, as every studio executive in town is constantly trying to crack the Chinese code in order to fill their coffers.

Of course, studio executives are not always the most ambitious creative thinkers, so the only plan they’ve been able to come up with thus far is to pander. Not surprisingly, Hollywood’s ham-handed attempts to cater to Chinese audiences have consistently backfired.

Disney thought Asian representation would attract Chinese audiences when they cast Asian-American actress Kelly Marie Tran in a major role in the most recent Star Wars trilogy. The problem was that Ms. Tran (who is of Vietnamese descent anyway, which is like appealing to the English by casting an Italian) did not conform to classical Chinese standards of beauty and thus Chinese audiences never warmed to her.

Chinese audiences have voiced similar complaints regarding Awkwafina, with some Chinese people on social media going so far as to call her “very ugly,” which may be one of the reasons why The Farewell is doing so poorly. And this is before we get to her Mandarin, which was widely considered laughable for a first-generation immigrant, even a one who left China early, according to the plot (the actress herself did not speak Chinese fluently before the film).

Another example of this cultural divide is Simu Liu, a Canadian-Chinese actor who was recently cast in the lead of the upcoming Marvel movie Shang-chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Liu is considered handsome by Western standards but some Chinese people say he is “not handsome by Chinese standards” – at least when compared to many of the local action stars – which means Shang-chi might face an uphill battle at the Chinese box office when it comes out.

https://cdni.rt.com/files/2020.01/original/5e26f78120302745a57f6423.jpg
Simu Liu of Marvel Studios' 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' © Getty Images for Disney / Alberto E. Rodriguez

continued next post

[GeneChing]

Hollywood has had significant success in China, the world’s second largest film market by revenue.

For instance, of the top 15 highest grossing films in Chinese box office history, four are Hollywood productions. They are Avengers: Endgame, The Fate of the Furious, Furious 7 and Avengers: Infinity War.

It seems Hollywood has not learned the lesson of their Chinese successes though because unlike Crazy Rich Asians, The Farewell and even to a certain extent the poorly received latest Star Wars trilogy, the Hollywood films that have found success in China are gigantic franchises telling American stories filled to the brim with spectacle and movie stars…and none of those stars are Chinese.

In 2020 Disney is once again making a major attempt to court the Chinese market by releasing Mulan, a live action adaptation of the 1998 animated film of the same name. While Mulan is based on the Chinese folk story ‘The Ballad of Mulan’ and will boast a very attractive cast of Asian actors, including star Liu Yifei, that is no guarantee of box office success. The 1998 animated Mulan financially flopped in China – though this was before its current cinema-building boom – and one wonders if the live action version is just another culturally tone deaf attempt by Hollywood to try to tell and sell a Chinese story back to the Chinese.

Hollywood’s belief that Chinese audiences want to see Hollywood make Chinese themed-movies with Chinese stars seems to be staggeringly obtuse and based on its own identity politics than how people around the world actually consume entertainment.

China has a thriving film industry all of its own and Chinese audiences don’t clamor to see Chinese stories told from Hollywood’s perspective (even if they’re made by Chinese-American artists) any more than Americans yearn to see American stories told by foreign artists, however, flattering it might be that someone is interested enough in your culture (and pockets) to do that.

Chinese audiences want to see American movies from America and can get over the fact that none of their countrymen look like Chris Hemsworth.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEUXfv87Wpk

At its best, the art form of cinema is a universal language that speaks eloquently across cultural boundaries. For example, American audiences this year have embraced the South Korean film Parasite.

Parasite didn’t try to tell an American story with American actors in an attempt to cash in with US audiences; instead it tells a dramatic and artistically profound Korean story about family and class that connects to people of all cultures and looks fresh to foreign audiences.

Hollywood would be wise to emulate that approach, particularly since it already knows how to dominate the global box office.

And if it does want to make what it thinks are “Asian” stories, it should be culturally humble enough to know that it’s making them primarily for the art house cinemas in Brooklyn, rather than the multiplexes in Beijing.

THREADS
The Farewell (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71409-The-Farewell)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings)
Mulan (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68640-Mulan-Live-Action-Disney-project)
Parasite (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71321-Parasite)

[Jimbo]

I guess that Simu Liu doesn't look "sissy boy" enough for PRC tastes, LOL.

[GeneChing]

Interesting. I have no idea who these characters are. I'm sure Design Sifu (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/member.php?7641-Design-Sifu) can edumacate me. Or maybe one of you...


https://i1.wp.com/www.murphysmultiverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/SHANG-CHI_AND_THE_LEGEND_OF_THE_TEN_RINGS_Logo_Cropped.j pg?w=1592&ssl=1

POSTED ON JANUARY 31, 2020 BY CHARLES MURPHY
EXCLUSIVE: ‘SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS’ Confirmed to Introduce MI-6 Characters Leiko Wu, Clive Reston and Black Jack Tarr (https://www.murphysmultiverse.com/exclusive-shang-chi-and-the-legend-of-the-ten-rings-confirmed-to-introduce-mi-6-characters-leiko-wu-clive-reston-and-black-jack-tarr/)

Production on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is set to get underway shortly in Australia and some casting information has begun to leak including some very exciting, if not expected, news: the film will introduce MI-6 agents Leiko Wu, Clive Reston and Black Jack Tarr.

https://i2.wp.com/www.murphysmultiverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/mi6.jpg?resize=768%2C253&ssl=1

MI-6 or Military Intelligence, Section 6 is the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service and has played a major role in the Master of Kung Fu comics on which Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is based. After coming to understand the true nature of his father, international terrorist and crime lord Fu Manchu, Shang-Chi worked alongside and then with MI-6, most frequently teaming up with agents Clive Reston, Black Jack Tarr and Leiko Wu, with whom he also had a romantic relationship.

https://i1.wp.com/www.murphysmultiverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/shang-chi-2-700x500604688858972205082-1.jpg?w=700&ssl=1

The film will apparently introduce the idea that Shang-Chi worked for MI-6 at one time, but has since made his “departure from the world.” Reston (whose now confirmed presence in the film was first rumored by HNE) is described as Shang-Chi’s old partner and friend who is now married to Leiko Wu, an elite MI-6 operative who once had “strong feelings” for the Master of Kung Fu. Fellow MI-6 agentBlack Jack Tarr, always up for a fight in the comics, is described as an “elite martial artist who enjoys the thrill of the battle.”

The studio was searching for a Caucasian male, 45-50 for Reston; a Chinese female, 26-39 for Wu; a Caucasian male 30-49 for Tarr. It is believed that these roles have been filled at this time though I was unable to get responses from representatives of several actors.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will hit theaters February 12, 2021.

[GeneChing]

Simu has a pretty good handle on social media. That'll serve him well.



Marvel's Shang-Chi Star Praises Birds of Prey but Blames Suicide Squad for Creating a Nightmare for Him (https://comicbook.com/2020/02/11/marvel-shang-chi-sim-liu-suicide-squad-birds-of-prey/)
By MEGAN PETERS - February 11, 2020 03:22 pm EST

Simu Liu has had a busy six months. Last summer, the world learned the actor was cast to bring Shang-Chi to life at San Diego Comic-Con, and he has been riding a high ever since. However, that doesn't mean Liu has to forget about superheroes outside of Marvel. In fact, it turns out the star has a thing for Birds of Prey, but he isn't so generous towards Suicide Squad.

Recently, Liu took to Twitter to share his thoughts on Birds of Prey. The DC Film went live over the weekend, and it earned rave reviews from fans. And as you maybe guessed, Liu is a big fan of the movie.

"Watch Birds of Prey - it's a great film w/ strong comedy, great action and incredible performances - PLUS features kick-ass female heroes," the actor shared.


Simu Liu
✔
@SimuLiu
Watch #BirdsOfPrey - it's a great film w/ strong comedy, great action and incredible performances - PLUS features kick-ass female heroes!!

Also unlike Suicide Squad they DIDN'T block off my condo entrance to film for a week, making my commute a living nightmare... #StillSalty

8,648
1:39 AM - Feb 11, 2020
Twitter Ads info and privacy
1,346 people are talking about this
Before logging off, Liu did have to make mention of another DC film. A few years back, Warner Bros. was all about Suicide Squad, but it turns out the film had a personal hardship on Liu despite him not being involved with the much-debated movie.

"Also unlike Suicide Squad they DIDN'T block off my condo entrance to film for a week, making my commute a living nightmare...," the actor wrote before adding a salty hashtag.

Clearly, there are still some hard feelings between Liu and Suicide Squad. While the film was a financial success, it was greeted with criticism from fans. These days, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn is giving his spin on the franchise with a film. He is currently working on The Suicide Squad which has been described as a reboot sequel to the original film, so here's to hoping Liu has better luck with this film than the first!

THREADS
Shang -Chi (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings)
Suicide Squad 2 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71225-Suicide-Squad-2)
Birds of Prey (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70784-Harley-Quinn-Birds-of-Prey)

[Jimbo]

Interesting. I have no idea who these characters are. I'm sure Design Sifu (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/member.php?7641-Design-Sifu) can edumacate me. Or maybe one of you...

I remember these characters from the comic. IIRC, Leiko Wu even became Shang Chi’s GF(?). Black Jack Tarr started out against Shang Chi, and is the big mustachioed guy on the comic book cover art that Shang Chi is simultaneously punching and flying side kicking that you posted a few posts back. I vaguely remember. Clive Reston, but I haven’t read the comic since the ‘70s.

I don’t see this as succeeding in the Chinese market at all. Hollywood would do well to make films starring Asians and featuring Asian (or Asian-American) characters without trying to pander to China. I do believe that Marvel needs to nix the Fu Manchu and Nayland Smith characters.

[Jimbo]

...Actually, the very name ‘Shang Chi’ is nonsensical. The definition of his name that Marvel gave on the front pages of the comic back in the ‘70s was “the rising and advancing of a spirit.” In reality, it translates roughly to “above chi” or “upper chi.” Meaningless.

[GeneChing]

Oh so original... :rolleyes:


Shang-Chi Plot Details Rumored to Include Massive Martial Arts Tournament (https://comicbook.com/marvel/2020/03/07/shang-chi-spoilers-martial-arts-tournament-leak-confirmed/)
By ADAM BARNHARDT - March 7, 2020 12:38 am EST

As with any Marvel movie this day in age, the secrecy surrounding the productions suffocates most advanced leaks or spoilers before they surface. Most times, leaks are nothing but fan fiction; but some times, there might be one that proves accurate, such as the ones found on the mysterious Roger Wardell Twitter profile. For the past few months, another such leak was been circulating about Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and a massive underground Fight Club-style tournament the movie is purportedly set to host.

Ace scooper Charles Murphy has unearthed another casting call that could potentially prove that leak has some substance. According to the scooper, the production is actively casting a character named Kane, who films and live streams a fight involving the movie's main characters on a bus. As Murphy suggests, perhaps this fight is on the way to a super-secret underground tournament — or maybe it's on the way to school and this movie will just be Shang-Chi's Day Off. Maybe it lends a little credence to the leak, maybe not.

No matter what happens, Shang-Chi co-creator Jim Starlin previously told us he hopes the movie serves as a solid origin for the Master of Kung-Fu.

"I can’t imagine them starting off with anything but an origin story because you got to begin somewhere," Starlin told Comicbook.com at Comic-Con. "I think it will be loosely based on what we did over the first few issues…I only did three issues of the book. I imagine there will be some eliminations like Fu Manchu, thank God."

"With Shang-Chi, I'm really curious because the trick is with that is to get a hook on it that will take it away from the millions of other kung fu movies that have been produced beforehand," the legendary comic writer added. "You know, we don't want just another Bruce Lee movie, we want something different, something really entertaining. I'd be curious and can't wait to see what kind of hook that they get to take him in that direction a little bit different than where he's been before."

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hits theaters February 12, 2021.

Other upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier this fall, The Eternals on November 6, WandaVision in spring 2021, Loki in spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, What If? In summer 2021, Hawkeye in fall 2021, Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 in May 2022.

[@PLUGO]

Set photos and leaked video from the Australian set (https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelstudios/comments/fhgsid/shangchi_filming_set_video/) of Shang-Chi reveal a sequence involving a helicopter in the Marvel Studios film.


https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelstudios/comments/fhgsid/shangchi_filming_set_video/

10825

10826

[GeneChing]

NEWS MARCH 12, 2020 9:48PM PT
Marvel’s ‘Shang-Chi’ Suspends Production as Director Self-Isolates (https://variety.com/2020/film/news/marvel-halts-shang-chi-director-self-isolating-1203531975/)
By JUSTIN KROLL
Film Reporter
@https://twitter.com/krolljvar

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/destin-daniel-cretton.jpg?w=1000&h=563&crop=1
CREDIT: INVISION/AP/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

Following a number of release dates moving and premieres being cancelled, Marvel and Disney have decided to temporarily shutter production on “Shang-Chi.”

The delay comes due to director Destin Daniel Cretton being asked by a doctor to self-isolate. Cretton was not feeling symptoms of COVID-19, but chose to be tested as a precaution since he is a new father. He is self-isolating as he awaits his test results.

The movie had been shooting in Australia since February. The second unit will continue production at this time.

Marvel’s note to the crew read:

“As many of you know, Destin, our director, has a new born baby. He wanted to exercise additional caution given the current environment and decided to get tested for Covid-19 today. He is currently self-isolating under the recommendation of his doctor. While he waits for the results of the test, we are suspending 1st unit production in an abundance of caution until he gets the results this coming week. Second unit and off production will continue as normal. We will reach out to everyone by Tuesday for the latest update.

This is an unprecedented time. We appreciate everyone’s understanding as we work through this.”

It is unknown when the shoot was going to end and if it will impact the February 2021 release date at this time.

The film stars Simu Lu, Awkwafina and Tony Leung with Cretton directing.

The original Marvel Comics “Shang-Chi” follows Shang, a half-Chinese, half-American superhero created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin. In the comics, Shang-Chi is a master of numerous unarmed and weaponry-based wushu styles, including the use of the gun, nunchaku, and jian. Shang-Chi first appeared in Special Marvel Edition #15 in 1973.

Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige is producing the film. Marvel’s Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Jonathan Schwartz are executive producers on the project.
THREADS
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings)
covid-19 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71666-Coronavirus-(COVID-19)-Wuhan-Pneumonia)

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BJQlwrizzk

[GeneChing]

https://cdn1-www.comingsoon.net/assets/uploads/2020/09/blackwidow.jpg
BY KYLIE HEMMERT ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

Black Widow Release Date Pushed Along With Eternals, Shang-Chi & More! (https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1149688-black-widow-release-date-pushed-along-with-eternals-shang-chi-more)


Walt Disney Studios has announced new release schedules for a number of movies, including Black Widow, previously dated for November 6, 2020, and now moving to May 7, 2021, and Eternals, previously dated on February 12, 2021, and now scheduled to release on November 5, 2021.

Death on the Nile has shifted to December 18, 2020, moving back from its October 23, 2020 release. The Empty Man has moved up to the October 23, 2020 release from its December 4, 2020 slot, and Shang Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings will now release on July 9, 2021, from its original release date of May 7, 2021. An Untitled Disney Event Film that was previously dated for July 9, 2021 has been removed from the schedule.

Additionally, Deep Water will now release on August 13, 2021, moving back from its November 13, 2020 release date, with West Side Story moving back to December 10, 2021, from its previous release date of December 18, 2020. The King’s Man will now premiere on February 12, 2021, moving up from its February 26, 2021 release date. An Untitled 20th Century film previously dated on August 13, 2021 has been removed from the schedule.

Eternals will now open against Paramount Pictures’ Clifford the Big Red Dog, Warner Bros.’ Elvis, and Sony’s untitled Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel. Death on the Nile will open against Paramount’s Coming 2 America and Warner Bros. Dune, while Shang Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings will now open against Universal’s The Forever Purge. The King’s Man will open against Universal’s Marry Me and Paramount PIctures The United States vs. Billie Holiday.

Scarlett Johansson returns as Natasha Romanoff, a spy and assassin who grew up being trained by the KGB before breaking from their grasp and becoming an agent of SHIELD and an Avenger. The film is expected to be set after the events of Captain America: Civil War, but before Avengers: Infinity War.

Black Widow will also feature a star-studded cast including Golden Globe nominee David Harbour (Stranger Things, Hellboy) as Alexei aka The Red Guardian, Florence Pugh (Fighting with My Family) as Yelena Belova, Academy Award-winning actress Rachel Weisz (The Favourite) as Melina and O-T ***benle (The Handmaid’s Tale) as Mason. The movie was directed by Cate Shortland (Lore) from a script written by Jac Schaeffer (The Hustle).

threads
Black-Widow (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70643-Black-Widow)
The-King's-Man (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71218-The-King%92s-Man)
Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings)
The-Eternals (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71418-The-Eternals)

[GeneChing]

Mar 23, 2021 11:30am PT
‘Black Widow,’ ‘Cruella’ to Debut on Disney Plus and in Theaters as Disney Shifts Dates for Seven Films (https://variety.com/2021/film/news/disney-postpones-black-widow-shang-chi-1234935874/)

By Rebecca Rubin

Black Widow Trailer
Courtesy of Marvel
As moviegoing slowly begins to rebound in the U.S., it appears Hollywood studios aren’t yet ready to release their biggest blockbuster hopefuls on the big screen.

All that is to say Disney has massively overhauled its upcoming slate and amended release plans for “Black Widow,” Emma Stone’s “Cruella,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” Pixar’s “Luca” and several others.

Notably, “Black Widow” and “Cruella” will now premiere on Disney Plus at the same time they open in theaters. “Cruella” is arriving as scheduled on May 28, while “Black Widow” has been pushed back two months and will debut on July 9 instead of May 7. Both titles will be offered on Premier Access, which comes with a $30 rental fee.

“Black Widow’s” move means that Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” which was previously set for early July, was bumped back to Sept. 3. It’s expected to have a traditional theatrical release.

Meanwhile, Pixar’s animated coming-of-age adventure “Luca” won’t play in theaters and instead is launching exclusively on Disney Plus, at no extra cost, on June 18.

Despite the massive refocus on streaming, Disney doesn’t plan to entirely ditch theaters. Numerous smaller titles, mostly those inherited from 20th Century, have been postponed but will bow solely on the big screen, including “Free Guy” (Aug. 13), “The King’s Man”(Dec. 22), “Deep Water” (Jan. 14, 2022) and “Death on the Nile” (Feb. 11, 2022).

Kareem Daniel, the chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment distribution, says the announcement “reflects our focus on providing consumer choice and serving the evolving preferences of audiences.”

“By leveraging a flexible distribution strategy in a dynamic marketplace that is beginning to recover from the global pandemic, we will continue to employ the best options to deliver The Walt Disney Company’s unparalleled storytelling to fans and families around the world,” he said.

Earlier in the pandemic, Disney’s “Mulan” remake skipped theaters and launched on Disney Plus for a premium fee. Disney hasn’t released viewership numbers on any streaming offerings, but the company’s CEO Bob Chapek has hinted that the studio will continue to experiment with release plans as the global theatrical market remains impaired. The announcement comes days after Disney touted record (though entirely vague) viewership for the Marvel Studios TV series “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” on Disney Plus.

Among film exhibitors and some studio executives, optimism has been mounting in recent weeks as movie theaters in Los Angeles and New York City have started to reopen. However, capacity is being capped 25% (or 100 people per auditorium in L.A. and 50 per auditorium in NYC). That’s notably restricted ticket sales, making it virtually impossible for big-budgeted films to turn a profit in theaters alone. Marvel films, for one, regularly cost over $200 million to produce.

Disney has postponed much of its slate, including several Marvel titles, numerous times amid the pandemic. The studio has been able to witness firsthand how the U.S. market is recovering, as it recently released “Raya and the Last Dragon,” an animated adventure geared toward family audiences, in theaters and on Disney Plus for a premium fee. The film has made $23.4 million in the U.S. and $71 million globally, which is modest by pandemic standards. But it would be financially detrimental for “Black Widow,” “Shang-Chi” or any other tentpoles to replicated those results.

Still, Hollywood studios aren’t betting against the summer movie season entirely. Disney and rivals are hoping the general public will feel more comfortable returning to recreational activities, like going to the movies, as more and more people get the COVID-19 vaccine. To that end, Paramount has moved up the release of “A Quiet Place Part II” from September to May 28, while Universal marginally bumped “F9” from May to June 25.

“Black Widow” stars Scarlett Johansson and takes place after the events of 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War.” It was originally slated for May 2020 but was delayed three times amid the pandemic. As Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanoff, finds herself alone, she is forced to confront a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her former life as a spy, long before she became an Avenger. Cate Shortland directed the film, the 24th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Florence Pugh and David Harbour round out the cast.

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” puts the spotlight on Simu Liu as the eponymous superhero, who grapples with his past after he is drawn into the Ten Rings organization. The movie, which has also been bounced back a few times in the past year, features Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Ronny Chieng and Michelle Yeoh.

In the last 12 months, studios have made some bold moves to compensate for the near closure of indoor movie theaters. Perhaps the most notable has been the sledgehammer that was taken to the theatrical window, which is the industry term for the amount of time that new movies play exclusively in theaters. It was traditionally about 90 days, and cinema chains had long resisted studio’s attempts to shorten that timeframe.

But the pandemic has accelerated those changes, with Warner Bros. releasing its entire 2021 theatrical slate on HBO Max on the same day the films launch in theaters. Starting next year, the studio will keep its movies in theaters for 45 days ahead of putting them on home entertainment. Paramount similarly plans to keep its new releases on the big screen for 45 days before moving them to the newly relaunched Paramount Plus streaming service. Meanwhile, Universal has forged its own model that enables the studio to offer its films on premium video-on-demand platforms after 17 days in theaters. In return, theater chains are getting a cut of the digital profits.




threads
Black-Widow (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70643-Black-Widow)
Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings)

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giWIr7U1deA

[GeneChing]

May 13, 2021 1:53pm PT
‘Shang-Chi,’ ‘Free Guy’ Will Play in Theaters for 45 Days Before Home Viewing (https://variety.com/2021/film/news/disney-shang-chi-free-guy-45-day-window-1234972782/)

By Adam B. Vary


Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and 20th Century’s “Free Guy” will open in movie theaters exclusively, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced during a Q2 earnings call on Thursday. But both films will only play in theaters for 45 days before transitioning to home viewing on VOD and streaming.

The decision is the final nail in the coffin for the traditional 90-day exclusive theatrical window that had been the industry standard for decades before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Shang-Chi” (which opens on Sept. 3) and “Free Guy” (Aug. 13) are Disney’s first pure theatrical releases since the 20th Century film “The New Mutants” opened on Aug. 28. Otherwise, the company has either sent its features straight to streaming on Disney Plus (as with Pixar’s “Soul” in December and “Luca” this June 17), or debuted them simultaneously in theaters and via “Premium Access” for an additional $30 on Disney Plus (as with “Mulan” in September, “Cruella” on May 28, “Black Widow” on July 9, and “Jungle Cruise” on July 30).

Chapek said the decision to release “Shang-Chi” and “Free Guy” exclusively into theaters was based on “recent signs of increased confidence in moviegoing.” But he also indicated that Disney will continue to pursue its new hybrid release framework as movie theaters in the U.S. and the rest of the world attempt to return to a new normal.

“Flexibility is a key component of our distribution strategy,” Chapek said. He specifically cited high merchandising revenue for the Disney Plus series “The Mandalorian” as an example of how the company is seeing ancillary financial benefits without the boost of a theatrical debut.

Disney’s decision to halve the 90-day window aligns the studio with Paramount’s announcement in February that its upcoming theatrical releases — including “Mission: Impossible 7” and “A Quiet Place Part II” — will play for 45 days before premiering on its rebooted streaming service Paramount Plus.

It’s unclear if the shorter windows will outlast the pandemic. Chapek described them as a concession to “the relatively fluid nature of the recovery.” He noted that theaters are open all across the U.S., but revenues are still down.

“We’re trying to monitor are consumers ready to go back to theaters,” he said.

Other studios have used the pandemic to experiment with different distribution strategies. Warner Bros. sent shockwaves last December with the decision to release its entire 2021 theatrical slate simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max, but for 2022, the studio is also beginning to shift to a shortened theatrical model. In March, Warner Bros. signed a deal with Cineworld, which owns Regal Cinemas, that will allow for a 45-day theatrical window in its theaters; in the U.K., the window will be 31 days, with an option to push to 45 days if the film hits certain box office benchmarks.

Universal was the first major studio to shatter the theatrical window when it announced last July that it had forged a revenue-sharing deal with AMC Theaters that would allow some Universal features to play for as little as 17 days in theaters before moving to premium VOD. Universal struck a similar deal with Cinemark Theaters in November.

The only remaining major, Sony Pictures, hasn’t yet announced its long-term plans for theatrical exclusivity, but industry observers expect the studio will adopt a similar shortened window.

CORRECTION: Disney has not announced specific post-theatrical plans for “Shang-Chi” or “Free Guy”; a previous version of this story stated that they were going straight to Disney Plus.

threads
Free-Guy (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72066-Free-Guy)
Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings)

[GeneChing]

May 20, 2021 7:27am PT
Kevin Feige Admits Marvel Shouldn’t Have Whitewashed Tilda Swinton’s ‘Doctor Strange’ Character (https://variety.com/2021/film/news/doctor-strange-whitewash-tilda-swinton-kevin-feige-1234977525/)

By Jordan Moreau

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tilda-swinton-doctor-strange.jpg
Courtesy of Marvel
Marvel film “Doctor Strange” courted some controversy when it cast actor Tilda Swinton, a white woman, in the role of The Ancient One, who is typically portrayed in the comics as an Asian man. Marvel Studios defended the casting leading up to the release, but now president Kevin Feige has addressed the controversy and admitted the company could have handled it differently.

In 2016, Marvel Studios released a statement about Swinton’s casting, saying “Marvel has a very strong record of diversity in its casting of films and regularly departs from stereotypes and source material to bring its MCU to life. The Ancient One is a title that is not exclusively held by any one character, but rather a moniker passed down through time, and in this particular film the embodiment is Celtic. We are very proud to have the enormously talented Tilda Swinton portray this unique and complex character alongside our richly diverse cast.”

On Wednesday, Feige spoke to Men’s Health for a cover story on the upcoming Asian-led Marvel film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” saying that “Doctor Strange” could have cast an Asian actor.

“We thought we were being so smart, and so cutting-edge,” he said. “We’re not going to do the cliché of the wizened, old, wise Asian man. But it was a wake-up call to say, ‘Well, wait a minute, is there any other way to figure it out? Is there any other way to both not fall into the cliché and cast an Asian actor?’ And the answer to that, of course, is yes.”

At the time, “Doctor Strange” director Scott Derrickson and co-star Benedict Wong defended Swinton’s casting, while other Asian actors and visibility groups criticized it.

In a major push for diversity, “Shang-Chi” will be the first Marvel film to feature a predominantly Asian cast, with the lead role being played by Simu Liu. The film hits theaters September 3.

threads
yellow-face-white-washing (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?66153-yellow-face-white-washing)
Doctor-Strange (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69097-Doctor-Strange)
hShang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings)

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YjFbMbfXaQ

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COGg-Vjauwo

[GeneChing]

I'm under NDA for a little bit but watch this space for my coverage.

I can say this - I loved it.

[GeneChing]

Hollywood’s China Box Office Hopes Dim As Fewer Tentpoles Get Releases (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/china-box-office-release-dates-1234998835/)
Only 13 revenue-sharing U.S. studio titles have been released in the country so far in 2021, down from the 22 titles that were released by the end of July in 2019.


BY PATRICK BRZESKI

AUGUST 17, 2021 6:07PM
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234610520-H-2021.jpg?crop=0px%2C5px%2C1296px%2C725px&resize=681%2C383
Spectators attend movie screening of Disney's 'Free Guy' at a movie theater in Hong Kong. BUDRUL CHUKRUT/SOPA IMAGES/LIGHTROCKET VIA GETTY IMAGES
Chinese films have reaped record earnings at their country’s theatrical box office in 2021, but Hollywood ticket revenue in the Middle Kingdom remains mostly in the doldrums. Now, an outbreak of the delta variant, rampant piracy and unpredictable political challenges are clouding the picture for the U.S. film industry’s hopes for an end-of-year comeback in China, which has emerged from the pandemic as the world’s largest theatrical marketplace by far.

Chinese-language films not only have recovered from the darkest days of the pandemic, when taken in aggregate, they are performing better than ever before. Local titles, led by huge hits like Beijing Culture’s Hi, Mom ($822.1 million) and Bona Film Group’s Chinese Doctors ($197 million), collectively earned $3.9 billion at China’s box office from Jan. 1-July 31, considerably better than the pre-pandemic benchmark years of 2018 and 2019, when sales for the same period totaled $3.8 billion and $2.9 billion, respectively, according to data collected by consultancy Artisan Gateway.


Related Stories
Bruce Campbell
MOVIE NEWS
Bruce Campbell Torches British Film Classification Board Over Story on 'Evil Dead' Rating History
Taliban check points on the streets of Jalalabad city, Afghanistan
MOVIE NEWS
Afghan Directors Discuss Future of Filmmaking in Country: "There's No Hope for Culture"
Hollywood imports have achieved little of the same recovery in China, however. In 2021, imported U.S. studio films had earned just $700 million as of July 31, down 66 percent compared to sales over the same stretch in 2019 ($2.1 billion), and falling 61 percent from 2018 ($1.8 billion).

Overall, China’s annual box office was down 15 percent during the first seven months of 2021, from $5.5 billion in 2019 to $4.7 billion this year, with a decline in total sales for Hollywood product comprising nearly all of the shortfall.

The biggest problem, analysts say, is simply a dearth of product. Release delays related to the pandemic resulted in a scant few U.S. movies hitting Chinese screens during the first half of the year. And Beijing film regulators’ usual blackout on foreign film releases during the peak summer moviegoing period has been stricter and longer than usual in deference to this year’s politically high-profile 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. Altogether, only 13 revenue-sharing U.S. studio titles have been released in China so far in 2021, down from the 22 titles that were released by the end of July in 2019, and 26 in the same stretch of 2018.

The last U.S. movie to open in China was Sony’s Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway on June 11 (it earned $30.7 million), and the only Hollywood movie granted a release date since is Disney/Pixar’s Luca, scheduled for Aug. 20. The backlog of tentpoles awaiting release dates as China’s summer blackout on Hollywood winds down include: Disney’s Black Widow, Jungle Cruise and Free Guy; and Warner Bros’ Space Jam: A New Legacy and The Suicide Squad. Disney and Marvel’s rapidly approaching Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, set to open in the U.S. and most major global markets on Sept. 3, also remains unscheduled in China.


The rare U.S. tentpoles that have opened in China this year have demonstrated that the Chinese audience, irregardless of growing nationalist sentiment in the country, remains ready to embrace effects-heavy Hollywood spectacle. Warner Bros. and Legendary’s Godzilla vs. Kong earned a healthy $135.4 million in China in March, followed by Universal’s F9: The Fast Saga, which debuted on May 21 and pulled in $203.8 million.

But the recent spread of the highly infectious Delta variant in China has many in the local industry on edge. Beijing’s aggressive “zero COVID” policy means that the broad swaths of the country’s services sector, including cinemas, are at risk of total shutdown the moment a nearby local infection is discovered. Thus far, Chinese authorities’ drastic measures, including the testing of entire cities and shutdowns in inter-province travel, have failed to fully stamp out the Delta variant. As of Aug. 13, locally transmitted COVID-19 cases had been discovered in half of China’s 26 provinces and reached 878 total infections, more than double the 390 cases recorded for the entire month of July, data reported daily by China’s National Health Commission shows.

“The impact of the ongoing pandemic cannot be understated,” says Rance Pow, president of Artisan Gateway, who notes that nearly 3,500 cinemas have been recently closed in China as a precautionary measure related to Delta variant spread. “We’ll be closely watching local handling of the current outbreak, as well as the developing release calendar, for signs of a late year turnaround,” he adds.

But even assuming the emergence of a favorable release schedule and total local elimination of the Delta variant — both big ifs — all of the currently unreleased Hollywood product faces another obstacle that could prove just as pernicious: Piracy.

Thanks to Disney and WarnerMedia’s controversial strategy of releasing recent tentpoles simultaneously in cinemas and over their in-house streaming services, Disney+ and HBO Max, high-definition copies of Black Widow, Space Jam, The Suicide Squad and Jungle Cruise have been available on easy-to-access Chinese piracy networks for weeks.

Further darkening the overall earnings outlook, Disney, consistently the most successful U.S. studio in China, must contend with murky political challenges surrounding its remaining two Marvel superhero tentpoles for 2021 — the franchise that has consistently been the company’s most bankable product in the China by far (Avengers: Endgame remains the highest grossing U.S. movie ever with $629 million).

Marvel’s Eternals, due to begin its worldwide release in October, is directed by China-born filmmaker Chloe Zhao, who came under attack from nationalistic social media accounts earlier this year after an old comment she made in an interview criticizing China as a “place where lies are everywhere” was resurfaced and went viral. The ensuing outrage resulted in the near total local censorship of Zhao’s historic best director Oscar win for Nomadland.

Shang-Chi, meanwhile, heralds the debut of Marvel’s first Asian superhero, played by China-born actor Simu Liu, with supporting performances from Chinese screen icons Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Michelle Yeoh. Much like Eternals, the local connections that might have seemed a boon instead have proved only a burden. Users of China’s social media services have lobbed criticism at the project for months because of the painful legacy surrounding the character of Fu Manchu, the villain who turns out to be Shang-Chi’s father in the original Marvel comics. Fu Manchu has been criticized for decades as a racist embodiment of the “yellow peril” stereotype. For the forthcoming film, Disney is known to have rewritten the character as Wenwu, aka “the Mandarin,” but some Chinese internet users have argued that the film should be boycotted on principle no matter how tenuous the historical connection.

“It’s become very easy to offend nationalist sentiments in China in general,” says Stan Rosen, a professor at USC who specializes in the Chinese film industry, “but whenever Hollywood makes a film involving Chinese culture, it really becomes a mine field.”

He adds: “Of course, no one has seen [Shang-Chi] yet, but the Chinese audience already feels that Hollywood is telling them, ‘We know how to make a superhero movie about Chinese culture better than you do’ — and so the knives are out.”

Threads
Chollywood-rising (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57225-Chollywood-rising)
http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-RingsShang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings)

[GeneChing]

I've seen the screener. Fu Manchu isn't even in this. And Tony Leung is fantastic as always - one of the most complex MCU villains so far.


Aug 18, 2021 11:46am PT
Marvel President Kevin Feige Addresses China’s Biggest ‘Shang-Chi’ Concerns (https://variety.com/2021/film/global/marvel-kevin-feige-shang-chi-1235043910/)

By Rebecca Davis
https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/SBT-25882_R.jpg?resize=681,383
Jasin Boland / Courtesy of Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige addressed Chinese fans’ most pressing concerns about the upcoming “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” in a recent interview.

Feige held an exclusive 14-minute-long interview in English with the well-regarded veteran Chinese film critic Raymond Zhou on the day of the film’s U.S. red carpet premiere (it’s out widely on Sept. 3), which shone a spotlight on China’s biggest gripes so far about the film.

“Shang-Chi” doesn’t yet have a China release date, and it’s unclear whether it has formally passed censorship. Past franchise successes prove that crossing that hurdle into the world’s largest film market will of course be key to the title’s global gross.

One of the last major overseas trips Feige took before COVID-19 shutdowns was to Shanghai in 2019 for an “Avengers: Endgame” promotional event, he told Zhou, calling it “one of the biggest MCU fan events I’ve ever been [to].” The film opened in China two days before the U.S., and grossed $629 million there to become the country’s highest grossing foreign film of all time, and its sixth largest earner overall.

Marvel is clearly hoping that the franchise’s first Asian superhero will have the same box office appeal, despite some strong local concerns that have been brewing since the project was first announced.

Many Chinese viewers insist that any film based on comics featuring the archetypically stereotyped character Fu Manchu — who is Shang-Chi’s father and nemesis in the original comics — will turn out to be a racist depiction. Feige, however, explained that the character is “just one of the truths about the early comic books” but is not in the movie “in any way, shape or form” and is not a Marvel character.

He emphasized and reiterated the point a number of times.

“[Fu Manchu] is not a character we own or would ever want to own. It was changed in the comics many, many, many years ago. We never had any intention of [having him] in this movie,” he said. Later: “Definitively, Fu Manchu is not in this movie, is not Shang-Chi’s father, and again, is not even a Marvel character, and hasn’t been for decades.”

A second concern in China is that in the comics, Shang-Chi is at times portrayed as abandoning his Chinese roots to embrace the West, and in one plot line even goes so far as to kill his father.

“That’s certainly one of the elements we’ve changed,” Feige reassured. “All of our comics go back 60, 70, 80 years. Almost everything has happened in almost every comic, and we chose the elements that we like to turn into an MCU feature. So that story is not what this is about.”

The film actually tells the opposite story, he explained, depicting how Shang-Chi returns to engage with his father’s legacy after running away from it in his youth. He stressed: “That sense of running away…is presented as one of his flaws. It is a flaw to run away to the West and to hide from his legacy and his family — that’s how the movie is presented. And how he will face that and overcome that is part of what the story’s about.”

The framing is well-aimed. Chinese audiences in recent years have been particularly drawn to emotional stories about family without black-and-white battles of good against evil, attributes that helped shoot films like local animation “Ne Zha” and sci-fi spectacle “The Wandering Earth” to unexpected box office heights.

“Shang-Chi” ticks all those boxes, Feige said, describing the film’s story as one centred on the love, conflict and misunderstandings between a father and son, and unique in that there is no true villain.

Feige said Tony Leung, who plays the film’s ambiguous, flawed bad guy, is “the heart of the movie,” calling the Hong Kong icon “one of the greatest actors in the world.”

At one point, Zhou posed a question about the uncomfortable but widespread criticism in China that Simu Liu is not attractive or charismatic enough by local standards to carry the role, making the casting choice racist. As Zhou delicately put it, the decision has “caused a lot of misunderstandings among Chinese fans.”

Feige explained that many of the MCU’s origin stories for new characters featured lesser known or unknown actors who were right for the part and went on to stardom, citing Tom Hiddleston, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Holland, Chris Evans and even Robert Downey, Jr., whose casting sparked initial blowback.

The executive urged viewers to see the movie before making judgements.

“Let all the hard work that the performer does be the proof, and not just the announcement or the Google search when somebody learns their name,” he said.

The interview was seen locally as part successful charm offensive and part last-minute damage control. One film blogger deemed Feige “quite sincere,” with answers that had “basically no ambiguity or deliberate side-stepping.”

In a comment like over 3,000 times, a Weibo user wrote: “I was previously thinking about not seeing it, but this has finally dispelled my doubts; I feel like I can watch the film with ease.”

Others bristled that Feige only addressed the widespread Chinese concerns about “Shang-Chi” at the last minute, when its box office there appeared to potentially be in jeopardy.

As one Weibo user cynically commented: “To sum up: ‘We don’t want to lose the mainland China market.’”


Threads
Chollywood-rising (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57225-Chollywood-rising)
Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-RingsShang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings)

[GeneChing]

I may have to get me some of this. I'd just want a single can of Wenwu tho...



https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0017/8362/7845/products/Simu-Sanzo-Can_540x.png?v=1628841056
LIMITED EDITION (https://drinksanzo.com/products/marvel-studios-lychee)

LYCHEE (BERRY)
$39.99
In Celebration Of Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

Special Edition Lychee 12-Pack Featuring:

Simu Liu as Shang-Chi (3 cans)
Awkwafina as Katy (3 cans)
Meng’er Zhang as Xialing (3 cans)
Tony Leung as Xu Wenwu (3 cans)
Made For Legends.

5% Of All Sales Will Be Donated To CAPE, An Organization Dedicated To Advancing Asian American And Pacific Islander Representation In The Entertainment Industry.

[GeneChing]

Marvel's 'Shang-Chi' Smashes Labor Day Box Office Records With $71.4 Million Debut (https://www.npr.org/2021/09/06/1034594239/marvels-shang-chi-smashes-labor-day-box-office-records-with-71-4-million-debut?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&fbclid=IwAR0NtuHD3b3fmBqV_0avStR67YuCj8KLl0GTVKNaq 8UprjgEEN5pcig-b6k)
September 6, 2021 12:26 PM ET
SHANNON BOND
Twitter
https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/09/06/gettyimages-1337726255_custom-678cf5caf462ad9c62dabd7d06ca2d8bda974c6b-s800-c85.webp
Simu Liu, star of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," attends the film's Toronto premiere on Sept. 1.
Ryan Emberley/Getty Images for Disney
Hollywood's newest superhero is saving the day on-screen — and off.

The Marvel epic Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings rang up an estimated $71.4 million at U.S. theaters between Friday and Sunday, according to tracking website Box Office Mojo.

Disney, the film's distributor, expects Shang-Chi to sell another $12.1 million in tickets on Monday. But the film has already more than doubled the previous $30.6 million record for the full Labor Day weekend, including Monday, set by the horror flick Halloween in 2007.

Labor Day weekend is usually slow for movie theaters, industry analysts say, with most blockbusters released earlier in the summer — and attention shifting to the new school year and the start of college football season. The pandemic has made it even tougher to sell movie tickets, especially with the rise of the delta variant keeping some viewers home and forcing several movie openings to be delayed.

The weekend haul gives Shang-Chi the second-highest box office opening for any film released during the pandemic, behind another Marvel Cinematic Universe installment, Black Widow, which topped $80 million on its opening weekend in July.

Shang-Chi's theatrical success is "the ultimate confidence-builder" for the industry, Paul Dergarabedian, a senior analyst at Comscore, told the AP.

The film is Marvel's first epic to star an Asian hero. It tells the story of the eponymous kung fu master who's hiding from his warlord father by living undercover as a normal guy named Shaun in San Francisco.

Unlike Black Widow, which was released simultaneously in theaters and on the Disney+ streaming service, Shang-Chi can only be watched on the big screen until October, when it's expected to make its Disney+ debut.

Wonder how it's doing in PRC...

[Jimbo]

Wonder how it's doing in PRC...


I heard that people in the PRC have been saying that Simu Liu is ugly, and is a poor representation of Chinese people. Similar to the way many in the PRC reacted to the cast in The Farewell. Which, if true, is a pathetic mindset on the part of anyone who’s basing the movie on that. I haven’t seen Shang Chi yet, but people need to review it on whether it’s actually a good movie or not, and not on whether you think the star is “handsome” or not. The thing is, I’d really like to see the people who go online and criticize other people’s physical appearances. I’ll bet dollars to donuts that the self-appointed “appearance police” themselves are either average or well below average in looks.

[GeneChing]

I heard that people in the PRC have been saying that Simu Liu is ugly, and is a poor representation of Chinese people.

I saw that too. Mostly those seemed to be netizen articles - fluff features basing their data off subjective observations on PRC social media. I find those sorts of pieces to be bad journalism. Srsly. If people took what people said on the web seriously, they'd be taking vet deworming pills for covid, right? :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

Sep 25, 2021 8:32am PT
Box Office: ‘Shang-Chi’ Surpasses ‘Black Widow’ as Highest-Grossing Film of 2021 (https://variety.com/2021/film/box-office/shang-chi-box-office-black-widow-highest-grossing-film-2021-1235074112/)
New release 'Dear Evan Hansen' is expected to take the No. 2 spot with $7.3 million.

By Ellise Shafer
https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/SFT1990_cmp_wta_v0162.1048-3.jpg
Courtesy of Marvel Studios
It’s official: “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” has surpassed fellow Marvel film “Black Widow” as the highest-grossing film of 2021 — and the pandemic — at the domestic box office.

On Friday, the superhero adventure starring Simu Liu captured $3.59 million from 3,952 theaters, which was enough to push it past “Black Widow” with a total gross of $186.7 million. “Black Widow,” which premiered in July, has earned roughly $183.5 million in theaters since its release. It has earned at least $125 million more on Disney Plus.

“Shang-Chi” breaking this record is a significant landmark for the movie theater business, as it was released solely in theaters with 45 days of exclusivity — as opposed to “Black Widow” and many other new releases, which have opted for a hybrid model.

This weekend, “Shang-Chi” is poised to top the domestic box office charts for the fourth weekend straight, adding an expected $12 million to $14 million to its haul. The film should end the weekend just shy of the $200 million mark.

New release “Dear Evan Hansen” is expected to come in second place with a subdued $7.3 million from 3,364 theaters. The Universal Pictures movie musical, starring Ben Platt as an isolated teenage boy who struggles to belong in the age of social media, took in $3.2 million on Friday.

Ryan Reynolds’ box office hit “Free Guy” is set to move down a spot to No. 3, but is still holding on with a three-day estimate of $4 million from 3,175 theaters. Meanwhile, slasher film “Candyman” and Clint Eastwood’s newest movie “Cry Macho” are poised to round out the box office chart in fourth and fifth place, respectively. “Candyman” should earn another $2.4 million this weekend for a cume of $56.79 million, and “Cry Macho” is expected to add $2 million for a total gross of $8.2 million.

threads
Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings)
Black-Widow (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70643-Black-Widow)

[GeneChing]

Marvel's 'Shang-Chi' was made with China in mind. Here's why Beijing doesn't like it. (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/china/marvel-s-shang-chi-was-made-china-mind-here-s-n1280571)
"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" is the latest movie to run into trouble in the country as nationalism and U.S.-China tensions rise.
https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-2000w,f_auto,q_auto:best/newscms/2021_38/3506828/210919-simu-liu-shang-chi-jm-1016.jpg
Simu Liu in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings."Marvel Studios
Oct. 3, 2021, 1:30 AM PDT
By Rhea Mogul
HONG KONG — David Tse recalls being overcome with pride as he walked out of a British movie theater after having watched "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," Marvel's latest superhero film.

"Our community has finally arrived in the West," Tse, a British Chinese actor and writer, said by telephone from Birmingham, England. "Every Chinese person around the world should be immensely proud of Shang-Chi."

The film, Marvel's first with a predominantly Asian cast, has been a hit with global audiences, having earned more at U.S. theaters than any other movie during the coronavirus pandemic and grossed more than $366 million worldwide since it was released early last month.

But despite its box office success and the overwhelmingly positive reaction of Asian communities worldwide, it isn't playing on a single screen in mainland China, which last year overtook North America as the world's biggest movie market. It's the latest film to run into trouble in the country as nationalism and U.S.-Chinese tensions rise.

From the beginning, "Shang-Chi" was made with China in mind. Much of the film's dialogue is in Mandarin, and the cast includes some of Asian cinema's biggest names, including Michelle Yeoh and the Hong Kong superstar Tony Leung, making his Hollywood film debut.

https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-360w,f_auto,q_auto:best/newscms/2021_34/3501369/210824-simu-liu-marvel-movie-ac-1030p.jpg
Marvel's first movie with a predominantly Asian cast has been a hit with global audiences. Courtesy of Marvel
Simu Liu, a Chinese-born Canadian actor who also starred in the Netflix sitcom "Kim's Convenience," plays Shang-Chi, a reluctant martial arts warrior forced to confront his father. The film has been widely praised as a major step forward as Hollywood tries to improve representation of Asians and Asian Americans.

"Finally we see a strong character that isn't stereotyped the way we have been for generations," Tse said. "Our young people are desperate for more of them."

"Shang-Chi" hasn't gotten the same welcome in China, where movies are strictly censored and the number of foreign releases each year is limited. That hasn't stopped Marvel in the past — in 2019, "Avengers: Endgame" earned $629 million from mainland Chinese audiences, more than any other foreign film in history.

Officials haven't said why "Shang-Chi" has no release date, and the propaganda department of China's ruling Communist Party, which regulates the country's film and TV industry, didn't respond to a request for comment.

Experts point to the deterioration of U.S.-China relations, rising Chinese nationalism and the character's racist comic book past.

Rife with stereotypes

Marvel debuted the Shang-Chi character in 1973 amid growing American interest in martial arts movies. The early Shang-Chi comics were rife with stereotypes about Asians — the characters were portrayed in unnatural yellow tones. Shang-Chi's father, a power-hungry villain named Fu Manchu, has been criticized as a symbol of "yellow peril," a xenophobic ideology originating in the 19th century in which Asians, especially Chinese, were viewed as a threat to Western existence.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has emphasized that Fu Manchu is no longer a character in Marvel comics and that Shang-Chi's father in the film, played by Leung, is a completely different character named Xu Wenwu. But for some the connection persists.

"Chinese audiences cannot accept a prejudiced character from 100 years ago is still appearing in a new Marvel film," the Beijing-based film critic Shi Wenxue told the Global Times, a state-backed nationalist tabloid.

Liu, 32, who emigrated to Canada with his parents in the 1990s, has also drawn public ire over past comments critical of his country of birth.

In a 2016 Twitter post, he described Chinese government censorship as "really immature and out of touch."

The next year, in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. that has since been taken down, Liu described China as a "third world" country where people were "dying of starvation" when he and his parents left. A screenshot of his comments has circulated on Weibo, a popular social networking platform in China, with one user commenting: "Then why does he play a Chinese character?"

Michael Berry, director of the UCLA Center for Chinese Studies, said Liu's comments had been "taken out of context and politicized."

"Once a cyberattack is waged against a film or individual in China, there are usually a series of talking points that are manufactured and then leveraged to take advantage of rising nationalist sentiment," he said.

'Reclaiming our culture'

The anger over Liu's comments echoes that of an earlier episode involving Chloé Zhao, the Beijing-born director of "Nomadland," who made history this year when she became the first woman of color to win the Academy Award for best director.

"Nomadland" had been scheduled for a limited mainland release, but then a 2013 interview with Filmmaker magazine resurfaced in which Zhao described China as "a place where there are lies everywhere." She was targeted by online commenters who accused her of smearing the nation, and the film was never shown.

"Eternals," a coming Marvel film directed by Zhao, could also be denied a release date in mainland China.

Berry said the treatment of Liu and Zhao was a "great tragedy," describing them as China's "best hope for better cross-cultural understanding between China and the West."

Many moviegoers elsewhere in the region have celebrated "Shang-Chi" for promoting that understanding.

https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best/newscms/2021_34/3501361/210824-simu-liu-marvel-movie-ac-931p.jpg
Officials have not said why "Shang-Chi" has no release date, and the propaganda department of China's ruling Communist Party, which regulates the country's film and TV industry, did not respond to a request for comment. Courtesy of Marvel
Adrian Hong, 22, a student who has seen the movie twice in Hong Kong, which has its own film regulator, said it spoke volumes about the "beauty and grace of Chinese culture."

"The beauty of martial art, the concept of yin and yang, the incredible mythical creatures all add to the film," he said.

Some commenters on Weibo have also questioned the mainland government's apparent decision not to show the film.

"Why do some people say 'Shang-Chi' offends China?" one user asked. "The movie doesn't offend China, but promotes traditional Chinese culture instead."

For Tse, the actor and writer, "Shang-Chi" is all the more important because of the rampant anti-Asian racism, discrimination and violence unleashed by the pandemic.

"This is a pushback for all the Asian hate crimes against us. It's an answer to all the bigots who have been against us for decades," he said. "'Shang-Chi' is us reclaiming our culture. It says globally, culturally, this is a new tide of history."


Threads
Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings/ (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings/)
Chollywood-rising (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57225-Chollywood-rising)

[GeneChing]

The Chinese film beating Bond at the box office (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-chinese-film-beating-bond-at-the-box-office/ar-AAPC5jE)
1 day ago

The biggest movie in the world right now is not the latest Bond film No Time To Die or even Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAPC5jw.img?h=450&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f
© Getty Images The Battle at Lake Changjin made over $633m at the box office in just two weeks
It's a Chinese propaganda film about the 1950s Korean War, centred on a story of Chinese soldiers defeating American troops despite great odds.


In just two weeks since its release, The Battle at Lake Changjin has made over $633m (£463m) at the box office. This puts it far ahead of Shang-Chi's global earnings of $402m, and in just half the time.

It is set to become China's highest-grossing film ever.

Its success is good news for China's pandemic-affected film sector as Covid forced cinemas to shut and reopen multiple times.

It is even better news for the state, which experts say appears to have nailed a formula of making propaganda appeal to the masses.

But for Hollywood looking in from the outside, the immense popularity of a local film like this could mean even more challenges ahead as it struggles to gain ground in China - the biggest film market in the world.

'Patriotic duty to watch the film'
Commissioned by the Chinese government, The Battle At Lake Changjin is just one of several nationalist films which have become big commercial hits in China in recent years.

In 2017, Wolf Warrior 2, about a Chinese soldier saving hundreds of people from baddies in an African warzone, raked in a record 1.6bn yuan ($238m; £181m) in just one week.

Lake Changjin depicts a brutal battle in freezing weather which the Chinese claim was a turning point in the Korean War - formally known in China as the "War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea".

Thousands of young Chinese soldiers died at the titular lake to secure a crucial win against American forces.

"I'm so moved by the soldiers' sacrifice. The weather was so extreme, but they managed to win. I feel so proud," an audience member wrote on reviews site Douban.

It is no coincidence that the film's popularity comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing.

"It is definitely related to the ongoing tensions with the US, and has been promoted that way - sometimes indirectly, but still very clearly," said Dr Stanley Rosen, a political science professor from the University of Southern California.

Another reason behind its success is the co-ordinated push between film studios and the authorities, which tightly control the number and types of films that can be distributed at any one time.

At the moment, Battle At Lake Changjin has little competition in theatres. Major Hollywood blockbusters No Time To Die and Dune will only open in China at the end of October, despite already showing elsewhere.

This film was also particularly well-timed - not only did it open during China's National Day holidays starting 1 October, it comes as the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

"It's almost a patriotic duty to go see this film," said Dr Rosen.

https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAPC5jx.img?h=450&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f
© Getty Images "It's almost a patriotic duty to go see this film," a film expert said of The Battle at Lake Changjin
Such propaganda films are often mandatory viewing for CCP cadres, said Dr Florian Schneider, director of the Netherlands' Leiden Asia Centre.

"Work units frequently organise collective viewings, and with over 95 million card-holding members, that promises a significant box office boost," he told the BBC.

So far, online reviews of the film are overwhelmingly positive, though some observers pointed out that they may not be entirely true.

After all, criticism could land one in jail.

Last week, former journalist Luo Changping was detained for making "insulting comments" on social media about the Chinese soldiers portrayed in the movie.

Police in Sanya said that he was being held on the charge of "infringing the reputation and honour of national martyrs", and that the case was being investigated.

"Youngsters [in China] with strong nationalist feelings have a disproportionate voice online," Dr Jonathan Hassid, a political science expert at Iowa State University, told the BBC in an earlier interview.

"In part, this voice is amplified because legitimate criticism of the state is increasingly unacceptable."

Blockbuster propaganda
Still, fans of the film say that they enjoy its blockbuster elements that put it on par with other major mainstream flicks.

"With a reported $200 million budget, the production values and special effects are very good. The three directors are all good storytellers and well known in China," said Dr Rosen.

The film's directors Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark, and Dante Lam are all celebrated film-makers.

https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAPC1bw.img?h=450&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=494&y=153
© Getty Images Directors Dante Lam, Tsui Hark and Chen Kaige are all celebrated film-makers in China
Tsui is known for special effects and martial arts films, while Lam is famous for his action spectacles involving giant explosives. Chen is celebrated for sensitive portrayals of Chinese life.

"We all know this is meant to be a patriotic film but I really cried when I watched it. It felt very authentic," one person wrote on microblogging platform Weibo.

Big headache for Hollywood
But China's domestic film success is potentially adding to a list of problems that foreign players like Hollywood already face, in their attempt to win over the lucrative Chinese market.

China has a quota for foreign films, officially allowing only 34 to be shown each year.

There are some workarounds - if Hollywood co-produces a film with Chinese companies, it will not count towards the quota.

According to a report last year, Hollywood bosses have also been censoring films to placate the Chinese market, with casting, content, dialogue and plotlines increasingly being tailored to appease censors in Beijing.

https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAPC5jA.img?h=450&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=447&y=199
© Getty Images Hollywood and other foreign players want in on the lucrative Chinese film market - but it has not been easy
But even then, this is no guarantee of box office success, with even some co-productions bombing badly.

Fantasy-action movie The Great Wall (2016), directed by celebrated Chinese director Zhang Yimou and starring Matt Damon, was criticised both in the US and China for its "white saviour narrative".

Despite these challenges, experts told the BBC that foreign film-makers will not be giving up anytime soon.

Ultimately, China and Hollywood need each other, they say.

"China wants to remain the No. 1 film market after Covid, and it still needs Hollywood blockbusters - especially those that play on Imax screens or are in 3D since ticket prices are higher - to help it maintain that edge over the North American market," Dr Rosen said.

"As the production values of Chinese films continue to improve, Hollywood may become less relevant, but Hollywood tells universal stories that China can't or won't tell."

threads
The-Battle-at-Lake-Changjin (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72154-The-Battle-at-Lake-Changjin)
No-Time-to-Die (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71114-No-Time-to-Die)
Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings)

[GeneChing]

Catching up with cinema. READ The 2021 Martial Movie Trilogy: SHANG-CHI, SNAKE EYES and MORTAL KOMBAT (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1614) by Gene Ching

http://www.kungfumagazine.com//admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/images/ezine/2281_Martial-Movie-Trilogy_Lead.jpg

Threads
Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71437-Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot)
Snake-Eyes (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70780-Snake-Eyes)
Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings)

[ShaolinDiva]

Why isn't there talk about super Marvel Shang Chi? It was a great movie to say the least. What about the kung fu moves? Although no Shaolin but yet it was spectacular!

[GeneChing]

...it's been a while. Hope you fared well during the pandemic.

I took the liberty of merging your post with our Shang-Chi thread here. ;)

http://www.kungfumagazine.com//admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/images/ezine/5142_KFM-Cover_Shang-Chi.jpg (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1614)

[@PLUGO]

Why isn't there talk about super Marvel Shang Chi? It was a great movie to say the least. What about the kung fu moves? Although no Shaolin but yet it was spectacular!

Here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k617VUY4p9o

[@PLUGO]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg4IwV5Ognc

[GeneChing]

Destin Daniel Cretton Inks Overall Deal With Marvel Studios & Hulu’s Onyx Collective; Set For Disney+ MCU Series & ‘Shang-Chi’ Sequel (https://deadline.com/2021/12/destin-daniel-cretton-marvel-hulu-onyx-collective-deal-shang-chi-sequel-1234885502/)
By Anthony D'Alessandro, Nellie Andreeva, Justin Kroll
December 6, 2021 10:00am
https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Destin-Daniel-Cretton-Onyx-Collective-Marvel-Studios.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1

Disney
EXCLUSIVE: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton has entered into an exclusive multi-year overall deal with Disney companies Marvel Studios and Hulu’s Onyx Collective. The filmmaker is already in development with Marvel Studios on a new MCU series for Disney+.

https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/shang-chi-3.jpg?w=296&h=166&crop=1
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
Disney
At the same time, Disney has made it official that Cretton is returning to write and direct the previously rumored sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Under the big new overall deal, Cretton will develop TV projects for both Marvel Studios for Disney+ and Onyx Collective across all platforms, including Hulu. Maui-born Cretton will produce through a new production company he is launching with partner Asher Goldstein, named Family Owned. Together they will focus on building a slate of projects in film and TV that highlight the experiences of communities that have traditionally been overlooked by pop culture.

“Destin is a powerhouse storyteller with impeccable taste in material. As we continue to expand our roster, Destin’s unique voice will help usher in an exciting slate of content for our global audience,” said Tara Duncan, President, Freeform & Onyx Collective.

Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, starring Simu Liu, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina, and Tony Leung, represents the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie that is led by an Asian actor, and mostly Asian cast. The film, which opened over Labor Day weekend, is the highest grossing domestic release to date this year with $224.5M. The movie’s Labor Day opening box office record of $94.6M repped a rebound for the pandemic box office, and encouraged rival studios to keep their event releases scheduled throughout the remainder of the year in cinemas during the pandemic as moviegoers made a point to return. Worldwide, Shang-Chi has grossed close to $432M.

“Destin is an amazing collaborator who brought a unique perspective and skill to Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. We had a fantastic time working together on the film and he has so many intriguing ideas for stories to bring to life on Disney+, so we’re thrilled to expand our relationship with him and can’t wait to get started,” said Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer, Marvel.

There are no details about the Marvel series Cretton is working on for Disney+. At the Disney streamer, Cretton also has American Born Chinese, an action-comedy based on the 2006 graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang, which recently received a straight-to-series order and comes from Disney Branded Television/20th Television.

“Working on Shang-Chi with Kevin and the Marvel Studios team was one of the highlights of my life, and I couldn’t be more excited about Tara’s vision for Onyx Collective. I can’t wait to explore new stories and build new worlds with this community,” said Cretton.

Cretton’s feature film debut, I Am Not a Hipster, premiered at Sundance in 2012, and was followed by Short Term 12, which won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival in 2013, featuring early performances by Brie Larson, Lakeith Stanfield, Rami Malek, Kaitlyn Dever, and John Gallagher Jr. His third movie, an adaptation of the New York Times best-selling memoir, The Glass Castle, starred Larson, Woody Harrelson, and Naomi Watts and was released in 2016 by Lionsgate. Following this, Cretton directed Just Mercy for Warner Bros, the adaptation of the New York Times best-selling memoir by civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson. The film starred Michael B. Jordan, Larson and Jamie Foxx with the latter receiving a SAG nomination for Best Supporting Male Actor.

Onyx Collective focuses on curating premium content by artists of color and underrepresented voices. Cretton joins the brand’s already-announced roster of prolific creators, including writer and comedian Natasha Rothwell (Insecure, SNL), Prentice Penny (Insecure), and all non-Marvel titles produced by Ryan Coogler’s Proximity (Judas and the Black Messiah, Black Panther).

threads
Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings/ (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings/)
Shang-Chi 2 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72206-Shang-Chi-2)

[GeneChing]

I'm reviewing this thread for some research I'm doing and stumbled across my comment from 2019.


What this needs is Awkwafina or Ali Wong... :p

If only I could predict something useful, like lottery numbers or the stock market...

[GeneChing]

Read my latest article for UNESCO ICM: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the Impact of Cinema on Martial Arts in the East and West (http://unescoicm.org/eng/notice/qna.php?ptype=view&idx=8168&page=1&code=qna_eng). This article is also available in Korean – 샹치와 텐 링즈의 전설’을 통해 본 무예 영화가 동서양 무예에 미치는 영향 (http://unescoicm.org/notice/qna.php?ptype=view&idx=8169&page=1&code=qna).

https://geneching.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/m2203210326362_1.png

threads
UNESCO-International-Centre-of-Martial-Arts-for-Youth-Development-and-Engagement (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72011-UNESCO-International-Centre-of-Martial-Arts-for-Youth-Development-and-Engagement)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings)

[GeneChing]

Shang-Chi's Simu Liu Refuses to Sign Master of Kung Fu Comics (https://www.cbr.com/shang-chi-simu-liu-master-of-kung-fu-comics-refusal/)
While attending Awesome Con 2022, Shang-Chi actor Simu Liu will not be signing any Master of Kung Fu comics, the character's original comic title.

BY JULIE RIVER
PUBLISHED 1 DAY AGO

https://static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Simu-Liu-in-Shang-Chi.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=960&h=500&dpr=1.5
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings actor Simu Liu will not be signing any copies of the Masters of Kung Fu comics or any other offensive works at fan conventions.

A stipulation was added to his upcoming appearance at Awesome Con that he will not sign Master of Kung Fu comics or "other comics deemed offensive". The character of Shang-Chi was introduced in Special Marvel Edition #15 in December 1973. When the character was brought back for the two following issues, the title of Special Marvel Edition was changed to The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu. Despite being the original comic book run for Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu title has many outdated and offensive cultural stereotypes.

Liu has proven himself as a champion of Asian rights and culture in the past. Speaking at an awards ceremony while receiving the Breakout in Film honor, the actor referred to himself as "unapologetically Asian." "There are so many people here tonight fighting the good fight," Liu said in his speech, "Showing me what it means to be unapologetically Asian... The more I think about it, the more it feels like a super power."

Shang-Chi co-star Awkwafina has been battling accusations that she is culturally insensitive herself. In February, the actor addressed complaints on Twitter about her use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) before leaving the platform. Many were dissatisfied with her comments on the issue, with some pointing out that her statements offered an explanation but no apology. Awkwafina had originally tweeted, "As a non-black POC, I stand by the fact that I will always listen and work tirelessly to understand the history and context of AAVE, what is deemed appropriate or backwards towards the progress of ANY and EVERY marginalized group," before stressing that she never intended to mock anyone.

Iron Man 3 managed to sidestep any accusations of cultural insensitivity with its depiction of The Mandarin, which wound up being a fakeout and turned the villain into nothing more than a British actor, Trevor Slattery (Sir Ben Kingsley). Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduced the real Mandarin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though his backstory and character were changed significantly from his comic book counterpart. Shang-Chi also brought back Kingsley for the role of Slatterly, following up on his apparent disappearance in the MCU one-shot, All Hail the King.

Simu Liu will be in attendance at Awesome Con on June 4, 2022, alongside Shang-Chi actors Meng’er Zhang and Florian Munteanu. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now streaming on Disney+.

threads
SHANG-CHI-quot-MASTER-of-KUNG-FU-quot (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?40472-SHANG-CHI-quot-MASTER-of-KUNG-FU-quot)
Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings)