Marvel’s first Asian focused film Shang Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings (real title) has just completed shooting right up the road from us here in Sydney's Chinatown.
Starring Simu Liu, best known for his role in the Canadian sitcom ‘Kim’s Convenience’ as the titular Shang Chi, master of Kung Fu, the movie is said to be bringing in Marvel’s most famous Asian supervillain the Mandarin, teased all they back in 2008 in Iron Man 1 and infamously falsely played by English actor Ben Kingsley in Iron Man 3, the role will now be played by Chinese A-lister Tony Chui-Wai Lueng.
While it won’t be the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film to have an Asian lead with that honour going to Jemma Chan’s Sersi [pronounced like the game of thrones character] in next year’s Eternals, it will be the first superhero film lead by a majority Asian cast boasting the likes of Awkafina, Michelle Yeoh and Australia’s own Ronnie Chieng as well as the first Asian director of a marvel film in Destin Daniel Cretton.
The Production of this movie has kind of been an urban legend of sorts with hundreds of Asian extras being scouted from all across Sydney, many of which are friends or friends of friends of us here at Captain Bagrat. Not to mention the various sightings of cast members all around the area but especially here in Chinatown.
Shang Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings comes out on the 29th of July 2021, covid permitting.
Credit @simuliu
Bio: Ed Bennett is an audio producer and writer located out of Sydney. His interests are in pop culture and music. He is a published writer and producer at 2ser. His a contributor for CBMP for news and scripting for the podcast.
Twitter @heathenmcqueen