Much like every other film out there, production on SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS was halted earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Director Destin Daniel Cretton (JUST MERCY) had only been shooting the Marvel film for several weeks, but after many months, it appears as though production is finally looking to resume.
According to Deadline, a source in Sydney, Australia has said that Marvel is taking "careful steps" with restarting production on SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS which is looking to get underway later this month at Fox Studios. Should SHANG-CHI go back into production, it will be the second Disney film to resume shooting as production on James Cameron's AVATAR sequels got underway in New Zealand last month. SHANG-CHI stars Simu Liu (Kim's Convenience) as the title hero, and Destin Daniel Cretton has previously explained why he wanted to tackle a Marvel superhero.
I grew up without a superhero to look up to. I gravitated to Spider-Man when I was a kid, primarily because he had a mask covering his face and I could imagine myself under that mask. I would love to give my son a superhero to look up to. I feel very privileged to be a part of telling that story.
Destin Daniel Cretton has also previously said that he hopes SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS will break down a few negative ethnic stereotypes. "We need more movies and more stories that continue to show characters of every ethnicity in ways that we have not seen them before. We are trying to create something [with “Shang-Chi”] that reflects the Asian American and Asian experience today," Cretton said. "There are a lot of stereotypes that I hope our movie helps to break." In addition to Simu Liu, SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS will also star Awkwafina (THE FAREWELL), as well as Tony Leung (RED CLIFF) as the real Mandarin, who will likely be setting the record straight after the imposter version played by Ben Kingsley in IRON MAN 3 was unmasked.
SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS is slated for a May 7, 2021 release.