There won’t be much by way of Marvel this year with Deadpool & Wolverine being their only significant release. Additionally, the company is seeking to rebound from a year of poorly received works like The Marvels and Secret Invasion, plus their shocking overhaul of Daredevil: Born Again, as well as their rising star Jonathan Majors getting released from his role as Kang amid his legal controversy. While Kevin Feige was able to showcase some “f*cking amazing” footage of Deadpool & Wolverine at CinemaCon this year, Marvel’s only other big bit of news in recent months came in the shape of The Fantastic Four.
This past phase for Marvel Studios attempted to set up the new roster of heroes, which would be standing in the way of Kang for the new Avengers movies. The new generation included Shang-Chi from the 2021 movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. However, with the upcoming titles to be named in MCU’s slate, a sequel to Shang-Chi was not one that was yet thrown around. ScreenRant reveals that a user on Threads would post, “I feel like Marvel has abandoned the Shang-Chi fan base. There has been no effort by the studio to get the sequel filming or even include the character in other Marvel films. Frustrating as hell.” Shang-Chi star Simu Liu would respond, “I proooomiss it’s happening.”
In the meantime, Liu is set to star in an untitled espionage techno-thriller series for the Peacock streaming service and producer James Wan. Said to be set “five minutes in the future”, the series begins with “first-generation American intelligence analyst Alexander Hale (Liu) realizing his brain has been hacked, giving the perpetrators access to everything he sees and hears. Caught between his shadowy agency and the unknown hackers, he must maintain a performance 24/7 to flush out who’s responsible and prove where his allegiance lies.”
Also, Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton was recently announced to be directing and writing a Naruto film for Lionsgate. Adam Fogelson, chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, made the announcement. Cretton stated, “It was a true honor to meet Kishimoto-san in Tokyo and hear his expansive vision for his creation. We are very excited to collaborate and bring NARUTO to the big screen.”