Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings tells the story of Shang-Chi, who was raised by his father to be an assassin. Shang-Chi’s father is an immortal magician. Trained by his father to become an assassin, Shang-Chi also develops fighting techniques with alchemy and superhuman powers. Learning that his father has destructive powers, Shang-Chi will use his powers to destroy his empire. The hero, who is friendly with his father’s enemy, will travel the world and cross paths with many superheroes.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Shang-Chi. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is intended to be the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton from a screenplay he wrote with David Callaham and Andrew Lanham, and stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi alongside Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu, and Ronny Chieng. In the film, Shang-Chi is forced to confront his past after he is drawn into the Ten Rings organization.
A film based on Shang-Chi entered development in 2001, but work did not begin in earnest until December 2018 when Callaham was hired. Cretton joined in March 2019, with the project fast-tracked as Marvel’s first film with an Asian lead. The film’s title and primary cast were announced that July, revealing the film’s connection to the Mandarin (Leung) and his Ten Rings organization that appears throughout the MCU. Filming began in February 2020 but was put on hold in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed in August before completing in October. Shooting occurred in Sydney and San Francisco.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will premiere in Los Angeles on August 16, 2021, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on September 3, as part of Phase Four of the MCU.
About the Filming
Principal photography began in February 2020, shooting at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney and on location throughout the state of New South Wales, under the working title Steamboat. Bill Pope served as cinematographer for the film. Cretton chose Pope because he felt the cinematographer’s style could be both naturalistic and heightened, and because of Pope’s work on The Matrix (1999), which Cretton believed had the right tone for an MCU film focused on Asian and Asian-American characters.
On March 12, after studios had started halting production on films due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cretton decided to have himself tested for coronavirus after working closely with people who had potentially been exposed to it. This was a precaution due to Cretton having a newborn baby, and he self-isolated while awaiting these results; the test later came back negative.
While Cretton was self-isolating, Marvel suspended first unit production for the film but intended for other aspects such as second unit to continue as normal. On March 13, the rest of the film’s production was paused as Disney halted filming on most of its projects. Before the shut down, Ronny Chieng joined the cast in an undisclosed role. In early April, Disney shifted much of their Phase Four slate of films due to the pandemic, moving Shang-Chi’s release date to May 7, 2021.
Work building sets for the film resumed at the end of July 2020, and by August 2, all cast and crew members had arrived to begin shooting “in the coming days”. Any cast and crew members returning to Australia from outside the country had to be quarantined for two weeks upon arrival before returning to work, according to Australia’s guidelines.
Later in August, Yeoh was confirmed to appear in the film. The next month, the film’s release date was pushed back to July 9, 2021, after Black Widow (2021) was shifted to the May 2021 date. In October, filming took place in San Francisco, also under the working title Steamboat. Shooting locations included the Russian Hill, Noe Valley, and Nob Hill neighborhoods, as well as Fisherman’s Wharf. Filming wrapped on October 24, 2020. Filming was also expected to take place in Los Angeles.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu, Ronny Chieng, Benedict Wong, Shaun Robert Foley
Screenplay by: David Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Lanham
Production Design by: Sue Chan, Clint Wallace
Cinematography by: Bill Pope
Film Editing by: Nat Sanders, Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir, Harry Yoon
Costume Design by: Kym Barrett
Set Decoration by: Rebecca Cohen, David A Cook, Leigh Welsh
Art Direction by: Jan Edwards, Laurie Fae, Michael E. Goldman, Richard Hobbs, Jacinta Leong
Sebastian Schroeder
Music by: Joel P. West
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and language.
Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures
Release Date: August 16, 2021 (Los Angeles), September 3, 2021 (United States)
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