Marvel's Shang-Chi Film in Development

[TurtleTitan97]

EXCLUSIVE: Marvel Studios is fast-tracking Shang-Chi to be its first superhero movie tentpole franchise with an Asian protagonist. The studio has set Chinese-American scribe Dave Callaham to write the screenplay, and Deadline hears Marvel is already looking at a number of Asian and Asian-American directors who want to do something as potentially monumental as was accomplished in Marvel’s first viable Best Picture candidate, Black Panther. That film tied into African and African American cultures and the sensibilities of its nearly all-black cast, with a black director in Ryan Coogler and writer in Joe Robert Cole. The goal here is to do a similar thing: introduce a new hero who blends Asian and Asian American themes, crafted by Asian and Asian American filmmakers.


After Marvel Studios’ unparalleled decade of success following Iron Man, many have wondered how Kevin Feige’s next iterations of superhero franchises will distinguish themselves. Clearly an important theme will be ethnic diversity and inclusion, in front of and behind the camera.

Callaham has strong credentials in the superhero and franchise-building realms and his own experiences as a Chinese-American will inform the Shang-Chi movie mythology, sources said. His recent work includes co-writing with Patty Jenkins and Geoff Johns the upcoming DC Warner Bros sequel Wonder Woman 1984, and he is writing Sony’s animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2. He also wrote initial drafts of Zombieland 2, which begins production in January, and created and produced Amazon’s recent action comedy series Jean-Claude Van Johnson, starring Jean- Claude Van Damme. Callaham also created the Expendables franchise as well as the story for the Legendary’s Godzilla reboot.
He’s got two comedies at Netflix: Callaham wrote the Black List-ed dark comedy caper script Jackpot, which Will Gluck will direct; and he wrote and is producing with Channing Tatum, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, and Archer’s Adam Reid and Matt Thompson, the animated comedy America: The Motion Picture. Thompson is directing.
Shang-Chi first appeared in Special Marvel Edition #15 in December 1973, hatched by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin. The script will modernize the hero to avoid stereotypes that many comic characters of that era were saddled with. The comic launched around the time that Enter the Dragon became a global sensation and martial arts films raged. In the comics, Shang-Chi is the son of China-based globalist who raised and educated his progeny in his reclusive China compound, closed off to the outside world. The son trained in the martial arts and developed unsurpassed skills. He is eventually introduced to the outside world to do his father’s bidding, and then has to come to grips with the fact his revered father might not be the humanitarian he has claimed to be and is closer to what others call him: The Devil’s Doctor. He also might be centuries old. The deceit makes them bitter enemies.
Marvel Studios has worked with a stable of talented filmmakers from diverse backgrounds including Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, directing next year’s Captain Marvel with Brie Larson; Coogler, directing the Black Panther sequel; Taika Waititi, who directed Thor: Ragnarok; Chloé Zhao, who will direct The Eternals; and Cate Shortland, who will direct a stand-alone film for Marvel staple Black Widow starring Scarlett Johansson.




Callaham is represented by UTA, Kaplan Perrone Entertainment, and Gretchen Rush & Dan Fox at Hanson, Jacobson.

https://deadline.com/2018/12/shang-c...er-1202512660/

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by TurtleTitan97

Spoiler:

https://deadline.com/2018/12/shang-c...er-1202512660/

Never heard of him.

[Andrew NDB]

Sounds like a very "important" movie.

[Autbot_Benz]

[neatoman]

... Uh yeah, Shang-Chi...

To be fair, he did have an ongoing series that ran for 125 issues over 30 years ago. I've never read it or the 14 total issues he had since and i doubt I ever will, but at least he has something?

It does feel really weird that they're picking this character. I knew they were kind of reaching the middle of the character barrel when they started making movies about Doctor Strange and Ant-Man, but that's no excuse to shove the hand straight to the bottom.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by neatoman

... Uh yeah, Shang-Chi...

To be fair, he did have an ongoing series that ran for 125 issues over 30 years ago. I've never read it or the 14 total issues he had since and i doubt I ever will, but at least he has something?

It does feel really weird that they're picking this character. I knew they were kind of reaching the middle of the character barrel when they started making movies about Doctor Strange and Ant-Man, but that's no excuse to shove the hand straight to the bottom.

I seriously doubt this is anyone's passion project. This is Disney scratching off the "We have an Asian-led MCU movie" box so they can't get flak for not having one later. The major and recent (domestic) success of "Crazy Rich Asians" is probably no coincidence either.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Sounds like a very "important" movie.

Yeah, no kidding. Is he tied to Iron Fist? I thought I saw him mentioned in an Iron Fist discussion somewhere, back during the "OMG Netflix is canceling everything Marvel!" stuff.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

Never heard of him.

Same here.

[AquaParade]

I want it to be more "kung-fu" than Dr. Strange was psychedelic.

Everyone talked about how trippy Dr. Strange was, but to me, it just had the trappings of a psychedelic movie. Nothing was really mind-bending about it.

I want to see Marvel surprise us with practical fights that blow our mind.

[TurtleTitan97]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

I want it to be more "kung-fu" than Dr. Strange was psychedelic.

Everyone talked about how trippy Dr. Strange was, but to me, it just had the trappings of a psychedelic movie. Nothing was really mind-bending about it.

I want to see Marvel surprise us with practical fights that blow our mind.

You and me both.

[ZariusTwo]

Another MCU movie is in the can. Shang Chi wraps filming

https://www.comicbookmovie.com/shang...9514#gs.j061a0

[Autbot_Benz]

https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/bl...ters-may-june/

Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings has also been delayed to September 3.

[Autbot_Benz]

[AquaParade]

Tom will be around for a bit. They're still ramping up his conflict with Venom. I do think we'll see a live action Miles sooner than later though.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

Tom will be around for a bit. They're still ramping up his conflict with Venom. I do think we'll see a live action Miles sooner than later though.

Yeah, I'd be shocked if we didn't meet Miles in No Way Home. Because again, assuming a new deal between Sony and Disney/Marvel is not reached, that would be the last opportunity for Sony to have Miles rub elbows with MCU characters before that might no longer be a possibility. Because then when/if Sony retreats into their Sony Spiderverse, audiences would still attribute Miles as being a part of the MCU.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Yeah, I'd be shocked if we didn't meet Miles in No Way Home. Because again, assuming a new deal between Sony and Disney/Marvel is not reached, that would be the last opportunity for Sony to have Miles rub elbows with MCU characters before that might no longer be a possibility. Because then when/if Sony retreats into their Sony Spiderverse, audiences would still attribute Miles as being a part of the MCU.

I don't really see where there's room for him, especially if we get all 3 OG Spider-Men.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

I don't really see where there's room for him, especially if we get all 3 OG Spider-Men.

For all we know we don't get the main two OG Spider-Men until the third act of a movie we already know is 2 1/2 hours. Plenty of room for a couple of poignant scenes, at least.