Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Cretton shares fans’ first look at the film’s cast, including legendary Chinese actor, Tony Leung who is set to play the Mandarin. Marvel Studios returned to last year’s San Diego Comic-Con Hall H panel with their Phase 4 slate. MCU architect Kevin Feige revealed what the public could expect from the franchise after Infinity Saga, which includes the debut of their Asian-led project starring Simu Liu.
Production for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was supposed to be in full swing by now in Australia. Unfortunately, not long after it began principal photography, the film had to first slow down production following Cretton’s coronavirus scare. The filmmaker tested negative for the novel virus, but filming had to be shut down due to the pandemic anyway. Now, as the director and the rest of the world wait for the global health scare to be reigned in, he reminisced about that time they were gearing to dive into filming with a cast photo.
Taking it to his official Instagram account, Cretton shared an image with the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ primary cast of actors – Liu, Akwafina (in an unknown role), and Leung – who are all beaming in the snap. In the caption, the filmmaker revealed that it was taken during their last night hang-out before the threat of coronavirus became more apparent, causing production to be ultimately shut down. Check out the photo below:
Plot details are still kept tightly under wraps for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but Feige confirmed that it would finally debut MCU’s real Mandarin, played by Leung. The character has been previously teased in Iron Man 3. However, it was nothing but a red herring, and fans know the villain has been lurking in the franchise shadows since the beginning with the existence of his terrorist group, the Ten Rings. Aside from the actors featured in Cretton’s image, no other casting has been officially confirmed by Marvel Studios, which is odd considering that the film should already be in the middle of filming by now. Rosalind Chao and Ronny Chieng reportedly boarded the project, with Michelle Yeoh supposedly in talks to join. If she is cast, this will be her second MCU role after making a cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as Aleta Ogord, but no word yet from the studio if any of these are true.
At this point, nobody knows yet when production for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will resume. Hollywood is currently on stand-by with filming postponed and movies, and TV series delayed as the world grapples with this health crisis. In any case, Marvel Studios has already pushed their whole Phase 4 slate back with the said movie now landing a May 2021 release, rather than a February roll out as initially planned. Whether or not it will make its new debut date remains to be seen, but if there’s one thing to take away from this film, it seemed like the cast is thrilled to be with each other – that’s a good sign.
Source: Screenrant, by ANA DUMARAOG