On Christmas Eve I reported that Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings was searching for an actor to play a ringside fight announcer and speculated on how that casting could potentially tie into a fan-favorite leak that paints the Destin Daniel Cretton helmed film as a sort of Enter the Dragon/Bloodsport-esque flick that will see Shang-Chi take on all kinds of deadly fighters while fighting to secure the legendary Ten Rings for the Mandarin. Now an additional casting call has surfaced and could lend additional support to this potential leak.
A casting call for professional wrestles and actors with martial arts and fighting experience went out to male citizens of Australia and New Zealand, ages 20-55, meaning the production was looking to stock up on fighters and what better reason than to fill slots in a martial arts tournament! You may recall that back in October it was revealed that casting was underway for Shang-Chi villains Razor Fist, Ghostmaker, Steel Claw and Shadow. This new casting call could be related to that or it could just be an all call to bring in a high volume of fighters that will be seen in the background. Either way, the evidence is starting to mount that we just might be seeing something special in the MCU with Cretton putting his own spin on the martial arts tournament film.
While production is scheduled to begin on Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings this month, the terrible wildfires in Australia might push the start of filming back meaning we may not find out much over the coming days. Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings is due in theaters February 12, 2021.
