Slowly, but surely shows and films are heading back into production amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. One of Marvel‘s upcoming movies, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which is filming in Australia, is back on. This means that hopefully, you won’t have to wait too much longer to see it on the big screen.
What we already knew about the project
Multiple versions of a Shang-Chi project were in development for about twenty years. However, none of them ever made it to the big screen. Due to the massive success of Black Panther, which showed the power of Marvel films led by people of color, Shang-Cih & The Legend of the Ten Rings was announced on a fast track in December 2018. The film is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Dave Callaham.
Simu Liu is portraying the titular hero, Shang-Chi. Tony Leung is portraying the supervillain, The Mandarin, and Awkwafina has a major role but details about her character are unknown. There isn’t a lot known about the project, only that it will involve the Ten Rings organization. This group has been referenced in several MCU films, especially those dealing with Iron Man. Last year, the Marvel fansite MCU Cosmic, four villains could be in the film: Steel Claw, Moving Shadow, Razor-Fist, and Ghostmaker. Rumored cast members for the film that haven’t been confirmed yet include Michelle Yeoh and Florian Munteanu.
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Production is said to be back on for the film
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was initially set to hit theaters on Feb. 12, 2021. Due to the pandemic, it was moved to May 7, 2021. There is still a chance that it could be pushed back once more due to the ever-changing nature of the industry while the pandemic is still going on.
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An Australian news station first reported that the show had resumed production. ComicBook.com later reported on production returning, publishing a note that that cast and crew members received.
“As many of you know, Destin, our director, has a newborn baby,” read the note. “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 next soonest Marvel film coming out, The Eternals, wrapped production last February. It will be released in February 2021, ahead of Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings.