Simu Liu "promises" Shang-Chi Sequel is still happening
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu recently cleared the air about a potential sequel to his superhero movie. Although there's been almost no major update on a sequel in the three years since its theatrical debut, Liu said the film is "happening."
In the certain bleakness that took over the superhero world following the end of the long-drawn Thanos saga in Avengers: Endgame, few superhero movies have managed to achieve what Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings achieved: conviction. The new-gen MCU movie was arguably the best one in recent years.
However, there has still been a dead silence about the future of the character. Not only is Simu Liu's Asian superhero not a massive part of other Marvel projects, but Disney and Marvel have also been quite silent about the second film in the line. But Liu, who recently appeared as one of the major Ken(s) in Greta Gerwig's stylish Barbie, clarified in a recent online comment that the sequel is very much happening, and fans need not worry.
This came after a fan posted on Threads expressing their frustration over this, saying:
"I feel like Marvel has abandoned the Shang-Chi fan base. There has been no effort by the studio to get the sequel filming or even include the character in other Marvel films. Frustrating as hell."
Simu Liu replied to this, "I proooomiss it’s happening," thereby confirming that though it is not public yet, things are happening inside the studio, and fans will hopefully soon hear a piece of good news or two about Shang-Chi 2, which definitely is not the official title.
Shang-Chi's sequel still has the potential to lead Marvel forward
Sitting at a staggering 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and also having earned over $432.2 million, which is nearly thrice its budget, there is no doubt that Shang-Chi is perhaps the most successful movie in the MCU after the events of Endgame, and only box office figures are not enough to justify it.
While other MCU projects have made much more money, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is arguably the only movie that did not seem to suffer from the overdone superhero tropes. Rather, it felt like the only film where the lead character did not suffer from superhero fatigue or comparisons with a glorious past.
Many factors play into this, including a completely different setting and style of storytelling. Interestingly, given Marvel Comics' long line of stories, there could be enough to sustain many films and add many arcs to the character in the MCU, effectively making him lead the way for other superheroes.
Sadly, none of the other films or new heroes have the appeal of Simu Liu's highly convincing superhero depiction. The second part of the film, with all its mythical resources at its disposal, might as well finally break the curse of superhero movies in recent times.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was also the first Marvel movie to be directed by an Asian director (Destin Daniel Cretton), featuring a predominantly Asian cast. Apart from Liu, the film also stars Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Yuen Wah, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung, among others.
It also managed to add in some Marvel elements, linking it to other films and shows in the universe, effectively making it a complete package.
So far, we have no other update about the seemingly confirmed second Shang-Chi movie, but we expect to hear soon from Marvel.