Before Coronavirus delayed production and pushed back the release date of Marvels upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, director Destin Daniel Cretton and stars Simu Liu and Awkafina were filming in Australia.
Video uploaded to twitter this week reveals the first on-set images of the newest Marvel stars who stand before scaffolding, looking upwards. The set includes motorbikes, a palm tree, and what appears to be taboo scaffolding with a construction sign written in simplified Mandarin Chinese. Wherever they are in the fictional Shang-Chi universe, its definitely not Australia.
Principle photography for the film began in March and was quickly shut down. The first photos of the marvel production features a helicopter in front of blue screen. So far, we know almost nothing about the plot of the film, just the way Marvel producers like it. Here's what we do know about the film.
The Shang-Chi release date is moving back
Earlier this month, it was announced that Marvels Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings would pushed back from February 12, 2021 to May 7, 2021. Releasing on February 12 instead: Eternals , which itself was bumped back to make room for Black Widow , which was bumped back because Corona.
@GraceRandolph Set footage from Shang Chi filming in Syd Australia, before Corona Virus. Seem to have Simu and Akwafina characters arriving at what seemed to be a night club/hidden corporation facility in China. #shangchi #bts #marvel #mcu pic.twitter.com/yReOiQAR8Z chuckbass (@charlesbassf)
Shang-Chis director knows a few Marvel stars.
Destin Daniel Cretton is officially attached to direct Shang-Chi, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Cretton has previously worked with Captain Marvel star Brie Larson, directing her in the 2013 indie flick Short Term 12 and again in the 2017 drama The Glass Castle. Hes currently filming a third movie with Larson, Just Mercy, which also stars Black Panther villain Michael B. Jordan.
Shang-Chi will be the first East Asian lead in a Marvel Studios movie.
While the title of first Asian Marvel movie superhero technically goes to Lewis Tan for his performance as Shatterstar in Deadpool 2, that movie was part of 20 th Century Foxs stable of movies and not the official MCU. On the small screen weve also had Colleen Wing, played by Jessica Henwick in Netflix shows Iron Fist, Luke Cage and The Defenders. But Shang-Chi will mark the first time in Marvel history that an Asian character is the on-screen lead.
BREAKING: The first photos from the set of #ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings have been revealed! (via @7NewsAustralia ) pic.twitter.com/BxjUkVKtU4 MCU Direct (@MCU_Direct)
The character is a master of kung fu.
Shang-Chi was originally created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin in 1972 as Marvels answer to the Kung Fu television show. They were unable to buy the rights to that series, so instead they acquired the character of pulp villain Fu Manchu, and introduced Shang-Chi as his son. Trained from birth as a master of martial arts, Shang-Chi has teamed up in the comics with some of Marvels greatest heroes, including Captain America and Iron Man.
The films writer is a comic book movie expert.
The movie will be penned by Chinese-American screenwriter Dave Callahm, who has excellent superhero credentials. He also wrote the screenplay for the upcoming DC sequel Wonder Woman 1984 and has reportedly been hired to work on a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Shang-Chi will be a part of Marvels diverse next phase.
No release date is set yet, but we should have more information about this movie once the current Marvel phase comes to an end in the highly anticipated Avengers: Endgame, which comes out on April 26. Following the recent successes of Black Panther and Captain Marvel, we can expect a more diverse line-up of heroes in Marvels next cycle of movies; in addition to Shang-Chi, Marvel Studios are reportedly casting an openly gay actor in The Eternals.