Marvel halts shooting on Shang-Chi as director awaits coronavirus results

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

The coronavirus pandemic has caused many upcoming films to postpone their releases indefinitely but it's also taking a toll on projects currently production. Per "The Hollywood Reporter", Marvel has halted shooting on SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS as director Destin Daniel Cretton self-isolates awaiting results from his coronavirus test.

The film  is currently shooting in Australia, and while Cretton hasn’t shown any symptoms, he decided to get tested for COVID-19 because he has a newborn baby. Rather than continue working with the first-unit on the shoot. while he awaits the result, his doctor recommended self-isolating and it's a move Marvel agreed with. Marvel Studios sent the following note to cast & crew about matter:

"As many of you know, Destin, our director, has a new born baby. He wanted to exercise additional caution given the current environment and decided to get tested for Covid-19 today. He is currently self-isolating under the recommendation of his doctor. While he waits for the results of the test, we are suspending 1st unit production in an abundance of caution until he gets the results this coming week. Second unit and off production will continue as normal. We will reach out to everyone by Tuesday for the latest update. This is an unprecedented time. We appreciate everyone’s understanding as we work through this."

The film isn't shutting down per se since second-unit will continue to work as planned. Despite the temporary break on first-unit, the film should remain on schedule. SHANG-CHI isn't the only film shooting in Australia to be affected by the coronavirus. Warner Bros. halted production on its untitled Elvis Presley biopic after star Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.

For those unfamiliar with Destin Daniel Cretton, he previously directed the indie film SHORT TERM 12 before re-teaming with Brie Larson on a pair of studio films that include THE GLASS CASTLE and JUST MERCY. SHANG-CHI will be his biggest endeavor year. The Marvel film stars Simu Liu as the titular martial arts master, and is scheduled for release on February 12, 2021. 

Better safe than sorry on this one, especially with a newborn baby. Hopefully the results are negative and he can resume work on the project as soon as possible. Do YOU think he made the right decision?