Marvel Studios has officially announced Cretton first attached to direct the project months ago and filming reportedly set to start in the fall.
Shang-Chi will be the first MCU movie to star an Asian-American lead actor, with previous rumored contenders for the role including Donnie Yen and Ludin Lin. However, Marvel was reportedly committed to casting an actor of Chinese descent and not another Asian ancestry, which is real sign of progress when it comes to casting non-White actors in major movie roles. It's promising, too, that the diversity extends behind the camera as well with Cretton's confirmation as director. And now, thanks to the announcement from Comic-Con, we know more about who will be involved with Marvel's Shang-Chi.
During Marvel Studios' in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, it was announced that Simu Liu is playing Shang-Chi. The movie will also star The Eternals as part of the MCU's Phase 4.
As mentioned above, Marvel was looking to cast an actor of Chinese ancestry in the lead for Shang-Chi, and Liu fits the bill. Liu was born in Harbin, China before immigrating to Canada with his family when he was just five years old. He has appeared on The Expanse, but is probably best known for his role as Jung Kim on Kim's Convenience. During the , Liu revealed he had only tested for the role of Shang-Chi on Sunday and was cast the Tuesday prior to the announcement at Marvel's Comic-Con .
Along with the reveal that Liu is playing the lead in Shang-Chi, the other big surprise is Leung being cast as The Mandarin. As MCU fans will recall, Ben Kingsley played a version of the Mandarin in subtitle for the film, Legend of the Ten Rings, is a direct reference to the Mandarin's terror organization. Awkafina's role in the film is still a mystery, but it's clear just from these early announcements along that Marvel is committed to making Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings another hit for the MCU.
Source: Marvel Studios
