Thor 4 and Shang-Chi will shoot back-to-back in Sydney, Australia

July 26th 2019, 12:49pm

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Marvel Studios is about to spend a lot of time down under, as it’s been announced they will be shooting both THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER and SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS in Australia. The movies are expected to shoot back-to-back at the Fox Studios lot (now owned by Disney) in Sydney with SHANG-CHI set to kick things off before THOR 4, the latter of which is expected to inject as much as $124 million (A$178 million) into the local economy and create thousands of jobs in the process.

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The news was announced by New South Wales minister for the arts Don Harwin (via Variety), revealing THOR 4 will be receiving about $16.7 million (A$24.1 million) in subsidies from the Australian government. The movies will also be taking advantage of the Australian federal government’s Location Incentive program, with the Location Offset rate increasing from 16.5% to 30% for certain large-budget productions as Marvel brings.

“Shooting ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ and ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ back to back will provide local crews with sustained, continuous employment opportunities. We will be working with local educational institutions in creating internship opportunities,” said Marvel’s vice president David Grant.

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This is not the first time a Thor movie has been shot in Australia (star Chris Hemsworth's homeland), with THOR: RAGNAROK shooting in Gold Coast, Queensland. Pre-production is expected to begin on the movie in March 2020, with filming set to start a few months later in August 2020. The movie will be directed by RAGNAROK’s Taika Waititi and starring series vets Hemsworth as Thor, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, who will take over the mantle from Hemsworth as Mighty Thor.

But before THOR 4 gets underway SHANG-CHI will film at the studio, aiming for a February 12, 2021 release date. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced that actor Simu Liu was cast as Shang-Chi, with Tony Leung joining as the villain, The Mandarin, while THE FAREWELL’s Awkwafina has also joined the cast. Destin Daniel Cretton (SHORT TERMS 12) will be directing with a script from Dave Callaham (WONDER WOMAN 1984, ZOMBIELAND 2).