Simu Liu on Saturday responded to a comment made by Disney CEO Bob Chapek when said the upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was an “experiment” for the company.
Chapek made the remark during an earnings call on Thursday while discussing the conglomerate’s future plans for theatrical releases, calling Shang-Chi “an interesting experiment for us” as the film only has a 45-day theatrical window. Shang-Chi along with Free Guy (released Friday), will not be made available on Disney+ Premier Access, despite the ongoing pandemic.
Liu, who plays Marvel hero Shang-Chi, was not pleased by the comment and responded via social media.
“We are not an experiment,” he began. “We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise. I’m fired the f**k up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US.”
Shang-Chi will arrive on Disney+ 45 days after its Sept. 3 release. “The prospect of being able to take a Marvel title to the service after going theatrical for 45 days will be yet another data point to inform our actions going forward on our titles,” Chapek said during the call.
Shang-Chi marks Disney’s second live-action tentpole featuring Asian American leads released amid the pandemic. The first was Mulan, which was released on Sept. 4, 2020. That film was available on Disney+ Premier Access the same day.
We are not an experiment.
We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year.
We are the surprise.
I’m fired the f**k up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US. pic.twitter.com/IcyFzh0KIb
— Simu Liu (刘思慕) (@SimuLiu) August 14, 2021