Shang - Chi

[Webfoot Hero]

I was just thinking of Shang-Chi after hearing the Russo Bros say that the MCU is about to get diverse really fast at a Q&A for IW with Collider. His backstory could easily be made so that his stereotypical Asian origins would be a better fit with today's world. He's been an Avenger recently in the comics so people can't say he's unworthy of being classed with them in the MCU.

 

[Raiden]

If they're looking for a director, why don't they just hire Yuen Woo-ping (fight choreographer of The Matrix and CTHD)?

Btw, I wish they would go the same route as BP and give us an all-Asian cast (or nearly all).

 

[Frankeh]

The power of CRAZY RICH ASIANS. And I remember people saying it wasn't gonna be a game changer.

I'm not well versed in Shang Chi but I'll be looking forward to this.

 

[m2k]

Would love for Steven Chow to helm this. His tone already fits the Mcu to a tee. Although I've the slightest clue about Shang-Chi's stories, I'd be down for something like Kung-fu Hustle minus the looney tunes element.

 

[CaptainWagner]

I REALLY hope they keep the magic involved. That will really help set it apart from just "Marvel does a Kung Fu movie" and help tie it in to the bigger world. The magical side of the MCU could really stand to be more fleshed out. There's also a lot of different stories and characters that could be tied in through this corner of the world. White Tiger and Black Tarantula... Even Marvel's vampires have a heavy presence in their universes Asian culture and martial arts scenes. Love to see them thrown in the mix.

 

[Yowza]

I'd love to see the Black Tarantuala! Absolutely awesome villain...

 

[Yowza]

I think 2020 will maybe still have 2 movies and something from Fox that may/may not come out. 2021 likely 4 movies. From there things could go into overdrive. Different budgeted films for narrower demographics could be possibility at some point perhaps as that's a lot of money per film otherwise.

 

[chamber-music]

Ludi Lin from power rangers and aquaman might make a good Shang chi. Lin is proficient in multiple martial arts. Lin is 31 but looks younger than he is.

 

[chamber-music]

So who are we looking at for Shang-Chi support cast?

They could swap out mi6 with the cia and have evertt ross take the place of nayland smith.

Leiko Wu is a Shang chi's love interest.

Black tar jack is a ally of Shang chi. Ex soldier turned spy for mi6.

Sons of The Tiger would make good supporting cast members as well. The Sons Of Tiger are sort of like a martial arts the warriors three to Iron Fist and Shang Chi in the comics.

 

[Silvermoth]

Yay I love Shang Chi! I even know the perfect lead. George Zhao



1. Comes from the same talent pool that made crazy rich asians a success
2. Australian, could be the new Hemsworth
3. Named one of the casting guild of Australia’s rising stars of 2018
4. Charming as heck but also incredibly talented and charismatic. Could appeal to men and women

 

[Silver Surfer]

I think Shang-Chi can be freaking amazing. Just make sure fight choreography is game-changing.

 

[jolldan]

Can't say I have ever heard much about this dude but another interesting project on the horizon for Marvel. Hopefully the fight scenes are sick.

Seems a little odd that they are just looking at Asian & Asian-American directors. (and that's not a knock against it just thinking seen a hell of a lot of films with great fight scenes lately, its no longer really confined to just purely martial arts movies having great fights anymore)

Not going to throw out a fan cast since I really don't know much about the guy but seems to be a lot of people who want the dude from the walking dead.

 

[chamber-music]

I imagine like Black Panther and Thor they will cut down the number of Shang Chi's siblings. Both those franchises streamlined the heroes family tree.

Shang's half sister Fah Lo Suee now known as Zheng Bao Yu (Cursed Lotus) in the comics and Shang's adopted brother/childhood best friend M'Nai (Midnight Sun) are the only siblings that really matter.

I'm not Chinese, but Fu Manchu sounds like a caricature Chinese name. Don't think a villain with a name like that will fly well in China though (I mean, if Disney still wants the Chinese government to allow the movie to be released in China and all that).

Marvel retconned that Fu Manchu was just an alias in the comics about a decade ago. His real name is Zheng Zu which is what he has been called in the comics ever since. Marvel don't own the rights to Fu Manchu anymore so couldn't use that name even if they wanted to.

 

[Web-Head]

I'd be down with Ludi Lin. I wouldn't be surprised if he landed a role, even if it isn't the lead.

 

[Random490]

I was never really that excited for Shang-Chi because he never really had powers and I know very little of the character but apparently now he has the ability to make clones of himself. Normally that wouldn't get me excited but with Marvel Studios at the helm that would turn out visually amazing if they kept it in.

Even if they didn't get him those powers, Marvel could announce a Howard the Duck movie and I'd be 100% on board. So a martial Art focus film from them should be fantastic.

 

[Dark Raven]

If we get a Shang Chi movie, then they need to drop the Fu Manchu backstory that he originally had. I think they've phased that out in the comics anyway.

Also, they need to have a really cracking soundtrack similar to Enter the Dragon. None of these generic comic book themes that are instantly forgettable.

I have no idea who they could get for the role. But someone who could have potentially played Bruce Lee in a biopic.

This is also the chance to bring in other big martial arts names into the MCU like Jackie Chan and Jet Li. They need that sort of gravitas for a film like this.

And it better not be mostly wire work. I want 70-style Kung Fu with actual acrobatic skill and fighting prowess, not Crouching Tiger type fight choreography which is nowhere near as impressive.

Get some of the cast from Crazy Rich Asians too. And don't have some white or black sidekick or point of view character to make it more palatable to Western audiences. That would just be an insult to Asians.

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

And it better not be mostly wire work. I want 70-style Kung Fu with actual acrobatic skill and fighting prowess, not Crouching Tiger type fight choreography which is nowhere near as impressive.

That would be refreshing. The Crouching Tiger/Matrix wire fighting is getting tired. If anything they should really use the stunt/fight coordinating team from Daredevil to do this. It would really shine.

 

[BoredGuy]

Panther had Ross and Klaue, you know there will be at least one or two non-asian actors in the film

Saw another site suggest Lewis Tan, which could be pretty solid, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were looking at Henry Golding
Personally, I'd have loved an "Only the Strong" era Marc Dacascos
lol

And for the choreography, they should just get Jackie Chan's team or the guys behind Ip Man
Daredevil had great fights, but they were hard hitting and gritty... I'd like to see something with more speed and pizzazz to keep it fresh

 

[Dark Raven]

Panther had Ross and Klaue, you know there will be at least one or two non-asian actors in the film

Saw another site suggest Lewis Tan, which could be pretty solid, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were looking at Henry Golding
Personally, I'd have loved an "Only the Strong" era Marc Dacascos
lol

And for the choreography, they should just get Jackie Chan's team or the guys behind Ip Man
Daredevil had great fights, but they were hard hitting and gritty... I'd like to see something with more speed and pizzazz to keep it fresh

I'm sure there will be some non Asians, because they're still going to want to connect it to the wider MCU, and the rest of the MCU are non Asian.

But what I'm saying is that Shang Chi doesn't need some kind of white or black side kick (like with Shanghi Noon or Rush Hour) who provides most of the acting/ comedy etc while Shang Chi only does the fighting. I don't want it to look like an Asian actor can't carry a movie on his own but needs back up from a Caucasian or black actor to make it more palatable to Western audiences.

Are they going to want to call this movie "Shang Chi" though? It's a bit like calling a film "John Carter".

Wouldn't they prefer "Master of Kung Fu" or "Deadly Hands of Kung Fu" or even "Shang Chi: Master of Kung Fu." They can't just have "Shang Chi".

 

[BoredGuy]

Ahh true

 

[jolldan]

I imagine like Black Panther and Thor they will cut down the number of Shang Chi's siblings. Both those franchises streamlined the heroes family tree.

Shang's half sister Fah Lo Suee now known as Zheng Bao Yu (Cursed Lotus) in the comics and Shang's adopted brother/childhood best friend M'Nai (Midnight Sun) are the only siblings that really matter.



Marvel retconned that Fu Manchu was just an alias in the comics about a decade ago. His real name is Zheng Zu which is what he has been called in the comics ever since. Marvel don't own the rights to Fu Manchu anymore so couldn't use that name even if they wanted to.

I always thought that was a type of moustache lol

 

[Dark Raven]

I wouldn't be surprised if they did get someone like Henry Golding.

Double Toasted called him the Asian Cary Grant. They even said to forget the likes of Idris Elba for Bond, because Golding seems far more like Bond.

He would have the acting chops and the mass international appeal. He would also be able to bring the Crazy Rich Asians crowd with him. And that's what Marvel will be after. CRA was considered the cultural phenomenon for Asians that Black Panther was for blacks. Well, if Marvel are after another cultural phenomenon, then they're going to want to tap into that CRA audience and use its pulling power to boost Shang Chi's box office.

Golding would just need to learn how to fight and start training hard. He could get some acrobatic tips from Tom Holland, because I want him doing these back flips for real and not defying gravity like Crouching Tiger, Wicked Dragon.

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

I think Marvel's Deadly Hands of Kung Fu has a nice ring to it.

Doesn't have that family appeal though.

 

[Dark Raven]

I think Marvel's Deadly Hands of Kung Fu has a nice ring to it.

Doesn't have that family appeal though.

I think "Master of Kung Fu" will have a better ring to it and family appeal. It also sounds more like a superhero or character name than Deadly Hands. Kids can easily act out his character when playing and say "I'm the Master of Kung Fu." They can't really do that with "Deadly Hands".

Also, none of the other MCU films have ever gone with a concept rather than a character name. And for the first film, they need a subtitle to introduce who and what he is, like Captain America: The First Avenger. They didn't go with "Captain America: Civil War" first or "Captain America: Serpent Society."

So I think "Shang Chi: Master of Kung Fu" would work best. For a sequel they can go with "Deadly Hands."

 

[chamber-music]

I was never really that excited for Shang-Chi because he never really had powers and I know very little of the character but apparently now he has the ability to make clones of himself. Normally that wouldn't get me excited but with Marvel Studios at the helm that would turn out visually amazing if they kept it in.

Shang Chi technically always did have powers thanks to his mastery of Chi which made him essentially superhuman. He can break steel with his bare hands, dodge bullets, dull his pain receptors, has superhuman awareness (can hear opponents heart beats & breathing with pinpoint accuracy which means it is hard to sneak attack him), he has been shown to also be as quick and agile as Spider-Man.

It's like Captain America. Technically Steve Rogers has no powers but the super-soldier serum really makes him capable of what most people would consider superhuman feats so Roger is superhuman.