Shang-Chi sequel in the works

Simu Liu starred in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings."

So there will be a sequel to “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” the first Marvel product to feature an Asian American as its lead super-hero, according to Deadline, which first reported the news.

For those fans who watched the first Shang-Chi movie all the way to the end, the news of a follow-up film is no surprise. In one of two teasers at the end of the credits, the message, "The Ten Rings will return," was superimposed over the image.

Destin Daniel Cretton, the Japanese American director who helmed the first Shang-Chi movie, will return to direct the sequel.

“Working on ‘Shang-Chi’ with ... the Marvel Studios team was one of the highlights of my life," said Cretton. 

Cretton has signed an exclusive multi-year overall deal with Marvel Studios and Hulu’s Onyx Collective., reports Variety. The new deal will allow Cretton to develop TV projects for both Marvel Studios on Disney Plus and the Onyx Collective for Hulu and other platforms.

The original movie relased this summer not only out-performed box office expectations but also broke pandemic records as well, earning $422 million globally, thus reassuring Shang-Chi's return.

“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 Plus, so we’re thrilled to expand our relationship with him and can’t wait to get started,” said Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige in a statement.

Not only was the hero Asian American, played by Simu Liu, he was supported by a cast who were mostly Asian and Asian American, including Awkwafina, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Michelle Yeoh, Meng'er Zhang, Ben Kingsley, Benedict Wong, Ronny Chieng and Fala Chen. 

Although its box office performance merited a sequel, online critics criticized the first film in comparison to other Marvel movies. That criticism gave star Simu Liu a chance to hit back at the critics on Twitter.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

'Shang-Chi' shattering box office expectations

The Asian and Asian American cast of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings."

Disney is happy. Marvel is happy! Theater owners are happy. Simu Liu, the star of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is happy, (and perhaps prescient) as the first Marvel film with an Asian American superhero as it's lead is breaking box office records this Labor Day weekend.

By the time the Labor Day weekend is over, Shang-Chi is predicted to haul in a record-shattering $90 million. Add on global receipts and the total could reach $140 million.

Most of all, it appears, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are happy. AAPI moviegoers flocked to the theaters to watch the latest movie from the Marvel Comic Universe (MCU) because it's hero and good percentage of it's cast look like the AAPI film fans. 

COVID-19 health restrictions such as mask-wearing and limiting audiences failed to deter movie audiences. Asian American markets such as San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, and Honolulu overperformed as expected, reports Deadline. Eight of the top ten theaters for Shang-Chi came out of New York and Los Angeles with the largest AAPI audiences. The AMC San Francisco Metreon and Disney Orlando rounded out the top ten.

Furthermore, Hollywood should be paying attention to who is actually leaving the comfort of their living room couches and going to theaters to enjoy that feeling of being with kindred souls. According to Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak:

Eighteen percent of the movie's audience were AAPI. Together with Latino (22%) and Black (18%) audiences, people of color made up  58% of the audience. Whites comprised only 36% of the movie's audience.

For a long time, AAPI community advocates have been clamoring for greater and more wide-ranging Asian representation. These numbers indicate an Asian-led film has appeal beyond the AAPI audience. Shang-Chi has a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, a movie review website.

Before its general release Thursday, star Simu Liu wrote a letter thanking all of those involved in the making of film and about the importance of their project as "a sharing of culture." He posted a picture of a young boy and girl looking up at the screen featuring the hero Shang-Chi fighting off the villains.

"This film will change the world," he posted on social media. "A smile where there wasn’t one before. Pride where there was shame. Compassion where there was ignorance. If we reach out and touch even one person, then aren’t all of our lives better for it?"

Whether a 2-hour, 12-minute movie can change the world is a tall order and that's a lot to put on a single film. But what Hollywood has to conclude from the huge weekend draw is that the moviegoing  audience reflects the changes that is reshaping America. 

The US Census says that the AAPI population is the fastest growing ethnic group in the country and more people are moving to urban areas where Democrats and progressive influences are strong.

The release of the film and its financial and artistic achievements come at a time when Asian Americans are under attack, racial bigotry is on the rise and the role of AAPI in U.S. history is being debated in academic and cultural circles.

As 2018's Crazy Rich Asians was groundbreaking in opening the door to a series of features such as The Farewell, Minari, Yellow Rose and the upcoming Blue Bayou; Shang-Chi will hopefully swing the door a little bit wider by expanding the treasure trove of storylines, including AAPI stories, using AAPI talent to produce, write, direct and act in those projects.

What the weekend proves is that the audience is way ahead of studio decision makers, whose biases, personal preferences and life experiences still dictate which films get greenlighted.

Asian American superhero: Marvel Studios’ 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings at theaters today

Simi Liu stars as Shang-Chi, a Marvel superhero.

The excitement surrounding the motion picture Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings  is palpable, especially among AAPI moviegoers.

Shang-Chi, one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year, hits theaters today (Friday, Aug. 3). Featuring a host of Asian American and Asian actors, the buzz surrounding the film has been compared to Crazy Rich Asians, even though the action-packed Marvel product is as different from the romantic comedy as a movie can be.

The two movies representing different genres,  are similar in one important way: the lead characters and the supporting cast are all of Asian descent.

Before Shang-Chi's debut, Marvel Studios released a featurette titled "Ready To Rise," interviewing the cast alongside director Asian American director Destin Daniel Cretton and Asian American screenwriter Dave Callaham and Simu Liu in the titular role and cast members Awkwafina and Michelle Yeoh exploring the importance of the movie's Asian representation.

"The story of Shang-Chi was actually very personal.," said Cretton, who is Japanese American. "I wanted to look at what a superhero could be. What it would mean to me. To be able to add not only one character, Shang-Chi, but to add a whole cornucopia of Asian faces that are representing something I've never really seen before."

The experience of writing for an Asian American character struck a chord with screenwriter Callahan, whose 20-year career includes writing credits for Godzilla and Wonder Woman.

I’ve never had an experience like this," said the Chinese American writer. "The moment I realized that was day three or four of writing the script ... I got very emotional and I couldn’t figure out why," he told Nerds of Color. 

"I sat back from my chair and I really checked in with myself and I audited what was happening. I realized, holy shit. I’ve never in my 19 years of writing actually been asked to write anything even resembling my experience.”

That sentiment was echoed by the movie's star Liu. "For many of us who grew up in the west, whose parents immigrated, we never really saw ourselves on screen meaningfully," says Chinese Canadian Liu, who starred in the Asian Canadian sitcoms,  Netflix's Kim's Convenience, which finished the production of its fifth and final season this year.

To help the film impress Disney and other Hollywood studios, the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans in Entertainment (CAPE) and Gold House are encouraging Asian Americans to host viewing events by buying out a theater to increase the box office draw of the movie.

The Marvel's movies staring their Pantheon of comic book superheroes  is the biggest film franchise on the planet right now, according to Gold House president Bing Chen, who said there's a lot on the line this weekend for members of the AAPI community who want to see more Hollywood films and TV shows starring Asian Americans.

"If we can show that we can actually hold our own ground opening weekend through the biggest film franchise in the world, that is going to unlock other opportunities in other major franchises, as well as independent films, for AAPIs to lead," Chen told CNN Business. "We're two-thirds of the world and there are still people who don't believe we can open films ... A single movie does not change the world forever, but it does start to stoke it."

'Mulan' movie's general release planned for this summer

The world premiere of Mulan was held in Hollywood on March 9 with much of its international cast in attendance.

Disney Studios announced that the much-anticipated general release of Mulan will be July 24. The original release date was supposed to be March 27, but then -- coronavirus happened and the world changed.

With much of China in quarantine last March, to play safe, the studio postponed the original March opening because it wants to have maximum US and international exposure and attendance for this big-budget feature starring a bevy of Chinese and Asian American stars. Disney hopes people will be allowed to attend the movies again by mid-summer.

“To avoid catastrophic losses to the studios, these titles must have the fullest possible theatrical release around the world,” an earlier statement from the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) reads.

The delayed opening of Mulan has a domino-like effect on a bunch of other Disney-Marvel productions pushing their releases. back.

With the Mulan release moving to the summer, that bumped the Scarlett Johansson Marvel flick, Black Widow to November 6, which was supposed to be the opening of The Eternals, featuring new Marvel superheroes Gemma Chan and the buffed up Kumail Nanjiani.

The new opening date for The Eternals will be Feb. 12, 2021, which was supposed be our first look at Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, starring Simu Liu.

The first Marvel flick with an Asian hero in the lead role played by Chinese Canadian Liu, the Shang-Chi flick now is scheduled to open on May 7, 2021.

Before the self-isolate mandate went into full effect to combat the spread of the coronavirus, on March 9 Mulan had its red-carpet premiere in Hollywood to generally rave reviews from those in attendance. These glittery affairs are usually invitation only for audiences who have something at stake in the film's success.

Marvel surprises at ComicCon; Canadian actor will play Shang-Chi in first film with an AsAm superhero

Chinese Canadian Simi Liu will play the role of Shang-Chi.

Marvel made a series of huge announcements at 2019 San Diego ComicCon laying out the future of Marvel films after the Avengers: Endgame completed one chapter of the comic book franchises' universe.

One of the biggest reveals was the actor who will play Shang-Chi.who will become the first Asian superhero with a film of his own. Marvel picked Canadian actor Simu Liu, best known for his role in the Canadian sitcom Kim's Convenience.

Also joining the movie will be Crazy Rich Asians and The Farewell star Awkwafina and veteran actor Tony Leung.

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige said the movie's full title would be Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and would be hitting theaters in Feb. 12, 2021.

Marvel conducted "a really in-depth search to find someone that will capture all the dimensions that he deserves," noted director Destin Daniel Cretton just before announcing and bringing Liu onto the stage.

"I was cast on Tuesday," Liu said the lightning fast process that brought him to Hall H. "I screen-tested on Sunday in New York. This is the the craziest, craziest dream." He also said that his parents came to Canada 25 years ago with almost nothing but a hope to build a life for their family and "all I've ever wanted was to make them proud."

Hopefully, having an Asian American director will help correct some of the stereotypes that the comic book depended on for Shang-Chi. 

Created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin in 1973, the writers depended on all the mystical stereotypes in vogue at time, the midst of the cheaply made chop-socky movies and the TV series Kung Fu for all the lore and backstory for Shang-Chi. 

The martial arts master was supposedly trained by his father ... uh, ... Fu Manchu, the ultimate in stereotypes.

The upcoming movie, expected to premiere on  Feb. 12, 2021, offers the opportunity for Marvel and Cretton to bring the character up to date. To hell with the fanboys who cling to the stereotypes of the original pulp hero.

Feige also laid what the ComicCon attendees can expect in the next few years from Marvel, one of the richest source materials and box office treasure chest for Hollywood.

• Black Widow, starring Scarlett Johanssen, will be released May 1, 2020.

• Mahershala Ali would be joining the MCU as Blade, the vampire hunter that was played by Wesley Snipes in three movies previously.

• The Eternals will follow on Nov. 6, 2020. The audience roared is approval as the cast came on stage including Angelina Jolie as Thena, Richard Madden as Ikarus, as well as Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek as Ajax, Lia McHugh and Don Lee as Gilgamesh. Asian American Chloé Zhao is directing the film.

• Natalie Portman will portray a female Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder, and will debut Nov. 5, 2021 helmed by Maori filmmaker Taika Waititi.

• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will hit theaters May 7, 2022.

• In addition, Disney+, the studio's new streaming channel, will debut later this year and will feature several series starring Marvel's seemingly endless rollcall of superheroes, aliens and gods.

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Marvel reportedly fast tracks Asian super hero

MARVEL COMICS

Marvel hero Shang-Chi reportedly will get ihi own movie.

MARVEL HOPES to duplicate the Black Panther phenomenon with Asian superhero Shang-Chi.

The first Marvel superhero movie featuring an Asian superhero is being fast-tracked by the studio, reports Deadline.

With a screenplay by Chinese American screenwriter Dave Callaham, who helped write The Expendables and the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984, Marvel is reportedly looking for an Asian or Asian American director. Like the successful Black Panther, which featured an almost all-black cast, the Shang-Chi project would use a predominantly Asian and Asian IIAsian martial arts.

Shang-Chi was created in the 1970s, about the same time as Iron Fist, both of which hoped to hop on the martial arts bandwagon spurred in large part by Bruce Lee. Created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin, Shang-Chi doesn't have the ability to draw upon his chi for a superpower like Iron Fist. Shang-Chi is just simply the world's best martial artist.

Callaham's task is to update the character and remove some of the racist stereotypes that was employed with the earlier comics.

According to Deadline, Marvel Studios, under Disney Studios, has deliberately worked to diversify its projects by employing talented filmmakers from diverse backgrounds including Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, directing next year’s Captain Marvel; 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 favorite Black Widow._______________________________________________________________________________

TGIF FEATURE: Unprecedented gathering of AAPI comic book superheroes

The cover for Totally Awesome Hulk #15 is by Storehouse.

PARDON MY NERDINESS, but the upcoming edition of Totally Awesome Hulk #15 is generating lots of excitement. For the first time, a gathering of AAPI superheroes will assemble to fight an as yet unidentified foe.

The AAPI superheroes -- Hulk, Silk, Shang Chi and Ms Marvel -- will appear together in the upcoming issue of Totally Awesome Hulk, the alter ego of Korean/American Amadeus Cho, that will hit the comic book stands Jan. 25.

EDITOR'S NOTE: You can order a copy here.

There’s big trouble going down in the Big Apple, and the Asian heroes of the Marvel Universe will be called upon to save the day. Totally Awesome Hulkwriter Greg Pak revealed on Twitter a new crossover that will pair Amadeus Cho, the new Hulk, with various Asian-American heroes from Marvel, including the triumphant return of Jimmy Woo, according to Inverse.

Beginning with Totally Awesome Hulk #15 and running until issue #18, the story arc “Big Apple Showdown” will have Amadeus learn to be a team player with Silk (Cindy Moon), Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), and Shang-Chi against an as-of-yet unnamed threat. The cover of issue #17, illustrated by South Korean artist Stonehouse, features Hulk with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Jake Oh and Jimmy Woo, the latter one of the earliest non-stereotypical Asian comic book characters. Woo’s last starring Marvel series was 2009’s Agents of Atlas written by Jeff Parker.

RELATED: Superheroes of color

Writer Greg Pak first teased the upcoming historic event on his Twitter account.
As he was hanging out with some friends, "I found myself thinking of all of the dinners and karaoke sessions I’ve had with fellow Asian American colleagues at various film festivals and conventions, and I thought, hey, Asian American superheroes would probably hang out like that every once in a while,” Pak says. “What would they talk about? How would they bond — or what kinds of conflicts would they discover? And how would that carry over into a big superhero adventure? And now we’re all gonna find out! ”

Marvel has as of late introduced an influx of Asian and Asian-American heroes like Amadeus, Silk, Ms. Marvel, and Blindspot (the undocumented protege of Daredevil, who does not appear involved in the crossover). 

Pak noted that there would be a fun collision of generations with some of Marvel’s older school heroes like Shang-Chi and Jimmy Woo. “I realized there could be a fun, multigenerational group to play with here,” he said.

Do you think they'll sing Karaoke and sip boba drinks?

Can a movie featuring one or all of these AAPI superheroes be far off? I'd pay good money to see that!

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