Which actors would do justice to Shang Chi in a movie?

This is tough because no actor is up to the Shang Chi role. But I can imagine stuff:


Shaw Brothers Version:
I'd give a strong thought to using a mustacheless Ti Lung or "Tan Ming" from "Ten Tigers of Kwantung" in the Shang Chi role with the Venoms playing any combination of Si-Fan or resurrected Dacoit warriors. I'd put either Wong Lung Wei or a whitehaired Lo Lieh (e.g. Fists of the White Lotus) into the Fu Manchu role and make Fu Manchu a supreme kung fu fighter. Give me Chen Kwan Tai for Cat.


American version:
Anthony De Longis for Zaran, Robert Carradine (David's father) as Fu Manchu, David Chow for for handless Li Chun, Angelique Jolie with dyed black hair as Leiko Wu, and Jason Scott Lee for Shang Chi.


Bruce Lee version:
Lee as Chi, Bob Wall as Black Jack Tarr, the girlfriend from Chinese Connection as Leiko Wu, Dan Inosanto and Chuck Norris as Si-Fan, Bruce Li as Shang's evil twin brother, Jim Kelly as Shang's training equal "Midnight".


Comedy version:
Jackie Chan as Shang Chi, Sammo Hung as Li Chun, white-haired Huang Cheng Li as Fu Manchu.

Donny Yen as Chi...

James Hong as Fu Man Chu...

This is tricky, as when I used to read the Shang-Chi comics the artwork of Paul Galacy made him look like Bruce Lee but his mannerisms in stories was like Kwai Chang Caine. For an American version I would picture a long-haired Jason Scott Lee (but he lacks adequate martial arts skills). Also Robin Shou from an appearance standpoint might work. Skill-wise I think Donnie Yen would be the answer...he just has to grow his hair long and wear a headband! Michelle Yeoh as Leiko Wu. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to play Black Jack Tarr ( :) ).

Old-school Shaw Brothers version:
Chi Kuan-Chun as Shang-Chi. Ku Feng or Lo Lieh as Fu Manchu. Get a young Lee Van Clief as Black Jack Tarr. (only problem is, Chi Kuan-Chun was not an agile Bruce Lee-type kicker like Shang-Chi was).

Jim

I'd also consider Alexander Lo for Shang Chi.

Brandon Lee would've been a pretty good Shang Chi. Actually, that would've reflected Shang's half-Chinese half-Caucasian ancestry perfectly.

I think it's "Bruce Le", but one of those Hong Kong Bruce Lee imitators looks EXACTLY like Shang Chi when he has long hair.


MAD Magazine version:

Mike Myers as "Shang Cheese", Jim Carrey as Fu Manchu", Chris Farley as Li Chun, Chris Tucker as "Midnight", Kareem Abdul Jabbar ("Airplane" version with Lakers uniform) as the black giant, bald Leslie Nielsen as Sir Denis, Mr. Bean as Reston, and and Dennis Rodman as Leiko Wu.

Almost forgot about Alexander Lo Rei. He was a kung-fu brother of one of my Mantis sifu's in Taiwan (they had both studied some Hung Gar under Zhang Ke-Jih). Although he moves extremely well, some of his movies are good (Shaolin Vs. Lama), and some not so good (Shaolin Vs. Ninja, and most of his movies with 'Ninja' in the title).

Jim

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" & Which actors would do justice to Shang Chi in a movie?

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DECEMBER 03, 2018 10:04am PT by Mia Galuppo , Graeme McMillan
Marvel Developing Shang-Chi Movie with 'Wonder Woman 1984' Writer

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/f...996-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.

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At this point, the only proper and logical candidate I can think of is Philip Ng.

This might anger some with mixed-blood, but IMO they should rewrite Shang Chi's history so he doesn't have to be half-white. It was originally a way to make an Asian character acceptable to Western readers, just like Kwai Chang Caine's character on TV.

Also back in the '70s, American distributors made up a bogus history for Sonny Chiba about being the son of an American serviceman and a Japanese mother after WW2, which again, was to make an Asian hero palatable to white audiences. It was a lie, as Chiba was only Japanese, and was born prior to the US involvement in WW2. Chiba himself had no part in (and probably zero awareness of) this false biography.

In American TV and movies, they still almost always make the important Asian or Asian-American characters half or part-white. Imagine if the Black Panther character had to be half-white to be accepted as a superhero of color.