Simu Liu Wasn’t Surprised By Shang-Chi 2 News

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu wasn’t all that surprised to hear Marvel had greenlit Shang-Chi 2. The Canadian actor became the first of Asian descent to headline a Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise when the film released in September, and it proved a resounding success with both critics and audiences. Despite premiering over Labor Day Weekend, a notoriously deadly time for movie openings, Shang-Chi was a financial hit, more than tripling the holiday’s previous box-office record.

This came after some controversial statements on Disney’s part that made it seem like they were dismissive of the project, using it as an “experiment” for how to handle pandemic-era theatrical releases. The results were undeniable, however, and the House of Mouse soon switched up its release strategy for the remainder of the year, giving all its major blockbusters a period of theatrical exclusivity before making them available on Disney+. Earlier this month, director Destin Daniel Cretton signed a major deal with the studio that included Shang-Chi 2, serving as the Marvel sequel’s official greenlight.

In an interview with the Phase Zero podcast, however, Liu says he wasn’t all that surprised when he got the good news. He references the film’s success as virtually having decided the issue beforehand, though he does express relief at Cretton’s return, eager to continue their collaboration. Most of all, he’s looking forward to providing fans with more of the first film’s epic fight scenes. Check out Liu’s full quote below:

I guess I wasn’t the most surprised given everything that had happened, but I’m so relieved to hear that [Destin Daniel Cretton] was confirmed to come back. Again, not a surprise, but it’s just so good to feel the engine turning and to be like, great, great, we get to tell more story and delve deeper into the characters and hopefully provide more of those badass fight sequences.

Of course, there are reasons beyond the original’s financial success for Liu to have been nonplussed by the sequel’s confirmation. Marvel Studios is not really in the business of planning on a film-by-film basis, and Shang-Chi very clearly positioned the titular hero as a key player in MCU Phase 4 and beyond. And while it’s now common within the franchise for directors to continue through at least a full trilogy, that’s not always the case, so Cretton’s return should indeed excite viewers who loved the first film.

While virtually nothing is known about Shang-Chi 2 at this point, with the film almost certainly years away, fans can turn their attention to guessing where Liu will next pop up in the MCU. The Shang-Chi end-credits scene featured the martial arts master in the Sanctum Santorum, suggesting he could potentially appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Both Bruce Banner and Captain Marvel also feature in the scene, however, pointing to appearances in the film or TV series connecting back to either character. At this point, Shang-Chi is guaranteed to show up somewhere, but with no Avengers film yet on the schedule, that project is anyone’s guess.

Source: Phase Zero

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