Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Shang-Chi

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘SHANG-CHI’s Meng’er Zhang Shares She Accidentally Punched Simu Liu in the Face

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘SHANG-CHI’s Meng’er Zhang Shares She Accidentally Punched Simu Liu in the Face

    Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings will be Marvel Studios’ first foray into a martial arts-based film. It’ll follow the story of our titular hero as he has to face his past, as his father Wenwu, the leader of the mysterious organization the Ten Rings, calls upon his return. At one point during his journey, he’ll also meet his estranged sister, Xialing. Our very own Anthony Canton III got a chance to sit down and talk with the actress Meng’er Zhang, who took on the role to play opposite of Simu Liu. She offered some insight into what it was like acting opposite of Liu and revealed she accidentally punched him during the shoot.

    My favorite on-set memory is: I punched Simu in the face. I mean that was the first fight scene between us and it was really nervous, because eventhough we trained a thousand times those movements, but it was the very first time for me, so I was really scared to really throw a punch to him. But he was really encouraging it: ‘Yeah, just go for it. It’s okay, you cannot hurt me!’ So I just got into my character and went for it. And I didn’t mean to punch him, but I did. But I have to say, it felt good.

    Meng’er Zhang
    Shot by Shot with the 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' Trailer - Geeky Craze

    She also highlights how she sees Simu Liu as a real brother, and how natural their chemistry was on- and off-screen. It also was interesting to play alongside Tony Leung as the father figure, whose performance truly brought the character of Wenwu to life. The film will focus primarily on this dynamic and it’s promising to hear how much fun they had bringing these characters to life. Here’s hoping we have a long future ahead of Meng’er Zhang and Simu Liu. Just for Liu’s sake, he hopefully won’t have to endure a new accidental punch in each production.

  • Marvel Studios Confirms Ben Kingsley Return in ‘SHANG-CHI’

    Marvel Studios Confirms Ben Kingsley Return in ‘SHANG-CHI’

    It’s been a long wait but the premiere for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has finally arrived. While we still have to wait a few more weeks, it’s a sign that we don’t have to fear the film facing some kind of delay. Venom: Let There Be Carnage left its late September release and it did add some uncertainty but everyone took to the red carpet to enjoy the event. It seems that the event had some curious surprises, as actor Ben Kingsley was sighted during the event. Luckily, Comic Book’s Brandon Davis was attending the event, where Marvel Studios confirmed he is part of the film’s cast to all those that are attending

    The actor hasn’t appeared since his initial appearance in Iron Man 3 as a fake version of the Mandarin. It turned out he was an actor known as Trevor Slattery that ended up in prison before he met with a follower of the Ten Rings in the All Hail The King one-shot. Of course, his appearance would hint at them continuing the storyline in some way. It’s uncertain if he’ll have a bigger role in the story, or it might turn out to be a simple cameo.

    Still, it’s incredible how Marvel Studios still pulls upon storylines left open. The Marvel Cinematic Universe first introduced the organization in 2008. There have been some hints of their continued reign throughout the series even after Iron Man 3. It’ll be interesting to see how Kingsley‘s character will play into this story and what it might mean for his future with the franchise.

    Source: Twitter (Ben Kingsley) Twitter

  • The First Reactions to ‘SHANG-CHI’ Are Here

    The First Reactions to ‘SHANG-CHI’ Are Here

    After years of waiting, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is finally around the corner. The film just had its big LA premiere and with that screening comes the first reactions from the press. Check it out below!

    https://twitter.com/johncampea/status/1427497528539312129
  • Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige Talks Fu Manchu and Their Approach to ‘SHANG-CHI’s Wenwu

    Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige Talks Fu Manchu and Their Approach to ‘SHANG-CHI’s Wenwu

    There’s a lot of controversies surrounding Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in China. Local audiences aren’t comfortable with the introduction of the titular character’s father. We know it’ll be an original character known as Wenwu, who is portrayed by famous Chinese actor Tony Leung, but there are still some heavy ties to the racist caricature of Fu Manchu. In an interview, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige discussed their approach to this character and also confirmed that Marvel does not own the rights to the racist caricature.

    That is one of the truths about the early comic books that Fu Man Chu was a part of that story in the early comics. Fu Manchu is not a Marvel character. Fu Manchu is not a character we own or ever want to own. And that changed in the comics many years ago. We never had any intention of doing that in this movie. Fu Manchu is not in this movie in any shape or form.

    Kevin Feige

    He also goes on to highlight that it is an offensive figure. He makes a point of highlighting their strategy is to welcome people into this universe, especially with their approach to defining their heroes. They also took a very specific approach with their villain, as Kevin Feige highlights that Wenwu isn’t the kind of villain you think the leader of the Ten Rings might be.

    This is a very unique character that you can almost not even call a villain. This is a story about the love between a father and son, but misunderstanding and conflict and that’s what we’re anxious for people to see in this movie between these two amazing actors.

    Kevin Feige

    The interviewer goes on to point out Shang-Chi’s dark decision on taking his father’s life. While not giving away any details, Feige does point out that they’ve changed many elements in their adaptation. He does go on to tease the change of perspective on his father’s past might inform his character in the film while avoiding giving away any real spoilers. Leung‘s past performances will also play a major role in how this character is shaped and, hopefully, we get a lot more of him in the future.

    Source: Weibo via YouTube

  • ‘SHANG-CHI’s Destin Daniel Cretton Teases Martial Arts Action and Buster Keaton Storytelling

    ‘SHANG-CHI’s Destin Daniel Cretton Teases Martial Arts Action and Buster Keaton Storytelling

    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘ upcoming release will mark an important milestone for Marvel Studios. It’ll be their first Asian-American-led project with Simu Liu taking on the role of the titular hero. It’s also their first attempt at a Kung fu-inspired film that honors the film of Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and many more. In the interview, he revealed that Marvel Studios took the challenge quite seriously as they changed their approach to action to emphasize the choreography.

    This movie is the first time that I think Marvel has put a lot of their emphasis in the action design and, specifically, the choreography. And it’s their first time really tackling a more purely martial arts movie, which is super exciting to be a part of. They obviously didn’t hire me because I’m amazing at martial arts movies, so there’s also a very strong emotional, dramatic and comedic element to these characters.

    Destin Daniel Cretton

    He even goes on to highlight how they took a Buster Keaton storytelling approach with some of the action sequences. The first clip released for the film highlighted this approach, as you can see physical comedy with various payoffs. Cretton calls it just a small taste of what the film has to offer.

    The first glimpse at action seems promising, as it doesn’t rely on over-editing that some MCU films shave done in the past. The approach of adapting Keaton-style storytelling is also a perfect tribute to the way that Jackie Chan also molded his martial arts films. He famously paid tribute to the famous clock hanging sequence from Safety Last! in his film Project A back in 1983. We can’t wait to see what action awaits us, especially when Shang-Chi faces off against his father Wenwu.

    Source: Fandango, YouTube

  • ‘SHANG-CHI’ Takes Place Post-Snap in the MCU Timeline

    ‘SHANG-CHI’ Takes Place Post-Snap in the MCU Timeline

    There have been many questions surrounding the upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings film. The biggest was when exactly it takes place during the Sacred Timeline. Marvel Studios could explore his story during the five-year gap after Thanos snapped half of all existence from the universe. They might even explore his story before the snap, as he confronts his father on the evil that he sees within the Ten Ring organization. Well, it looks like we finally got confirmation as director Destin Daniel Cretton discussed the film in an interview with Fandango. In it, he made the following statement on when it takes place:

    Shang-Chi is set in the present day in the MCU timeline.

    Destin Daniel Cretton

    Fandango goes on to ask if he definitely means post-snap, which he goes on to confirm. He doesn’t go into detail where it exactly fits, but it’s a good confirmation as Marvel Studios have moved away from strictly following their releases alongside their timeline placement. Black Widow took place during the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Loki made the placements of future entries even more complicated due to the introduction of the multiverse, which adds some more complexity to Marvel Studios’ approach.

    The big confusion is the wording of “post-snap,” as that would place it before the events of Avengers: Endgame. The result of that film was titled the blip, but there’s the possibility Cretton is referencing that event which also included a snap to undo what Thanos has done. So, we might still have to speculate on which snap he is referencing for just a few more weeks.

    Source: Fandango

  • New ‘SHANG-CHI’ IMAX Poster Hints at Fin Fang Foom

    New ‘SHANG-CHI’ IMAX Poster Hints at Fin Fang Foom

    It looks like Shang-Chi‘s marketing has finally ramped up, as we got a brand new IMAX poster for the film. Yet, there’s also a rather curious detail on it. While we see the Great Protector dragon, which was hinted at through a leaked Funko Pop and then confirmed in a brief sequence during the last trailer, he is joined by another strange dragon. In the exclusive reveal by ComicBook.com, they confirm that it is a greenish-black dragon.

    Now, the colors might be familiar to many that followed the comics, and our reports from back in September, there were hints at Fin Fang Foom’s lair, The Valley of the Sleeping Dragon, getting included in the film. We thought it might’ve been used for the white Great Protector, but it seems it might house two dragons. His design is also quite different from the comics. So, it might be a different one entirely but Marvel Studios is no stranger to changing the designs of comic characters. The color scheme would at least hint at a connection between the two.

    shang-chi imax poster

    No matter what character it turns south to be, the inclusion of more dragons opens up the film to a lot of interesting details we might’ve missed. Perhaps the Ten Rings have a different purpose after all and the green dragon is why the organization was born. It could also be the namesake for the Great Protector. There’s a lot of potential his inclusion could hint at, which might also be why they randomly included him in this poster.

    Source: Comic Book

  • ‘FREE GUY’s Surprise $28.4M Domestic Box Office Adds Fuel for ‘SHANG-CHI’s Upcoming Release

    ‘FREE GUY’s Surprise $28.4M Domestic Box Office Adds Fuel for ‘SHANG-CHI’s Upcoming Release

    Another week comes to a close and we have some more data to give us an insight into how the overall Box Office is developing. There’s been some negative light on recent statements by Disney CEO Bob Chapek on calling the upcoming 45-day release window of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings an “experiment” in unlikely times. While the sentiment with the Delta Variant spreading across the role was understandable, the wording for such a culturally relevant depiction for an Asian-American-led project wasn’t. The film’s star Simu Liu shared this sentiment in a tweet:

    All eyes were on Free Guy, a 20th Century release without a Disney+ Premier Access offering, to offer a glimpse of how other theatre-only releases might perform. Well, it may have given some hope as it surprised with a really impressive $28.4M domestic release. To put that in perspective, early predictions set it as a low-end $15M to $20M. For a pandemic release with a $100M budget, it’s a great showcase of its strength in cinemas. It generally garnered $51M worldwide putting git at a good start. It even saw the largest increase from Friday to Saturday with a 24% spike in ticket sales.

    Free Guy | film.at

    In addition, without a digital offering, its drop in the second weekend might prove some optimism for future releases. As Variety points out, Free Guy is the only real original theatre-only release so far and makes it a big testing ground in comparison to Snake Eyes and A Quiet Place Part II. As Shawn Robbins, the chief analyst of Box Office Pro highlights, it’s giving some hope that Shang-Chi surpasses the predictions ceiling of $55M.

    Audiences love sequels — when they’re good — but sometimes you want something unique. Considering its an original movie, Disney is probably feeling more confident going into ‘Shang Chi’.

    Not everything was all rosy over the weekend, as The Suicide Squad dropped by 70% in its second weekend. Its strength lied in its HBO Max showings, but its availability might show the challenge of these same-day releases. According to Forbes, it’s the biggest drop for a high-profile superhero film with only Shaquille O’Neal‘s Steel standing at the top spot with 78%. We’ll see if we get an additional insight into how it performs on the streaming service in its second week Black Widow has surpassed Christopher Nolan‘s Tenet, which has become the benchmark for blockbuster releases moving forward. Here’s hoping it might mean that Shang-Chi proves that it’s deserving of more attention.

    Source: Twitter, Variety, Forbes, CNBC

  • How Chinese Mythology and Marvel History Could Set Up a ‘SHANG-CHI’ Sequel Featuring Iron Fist

    How Chinese Mythology and Marvel History Could Set Up a ‘SHANG-CHI’ Sequel Featuring Iron Fist

    The trailers for Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings have so far done a pretty good job of showing us a lot and divulging very little. Nevertheless, we here at Murphy’s Multiverse have been hard at work analyzing every little detail we can. Recently, the team published a few articles speculating on the inclusion of important Chinese mythology in the film. If true, it could open the doors to the future of the franchise in some big ways. If the next installment in the Shang-Chi saga decides to lean further into this mythology, it could set up a sequel featuring a partnership everyone has been wanting to see. Some further digging and a whole lot of reading, reveals an interesting connection between the titular Master of Kung Fu and another popular Marvel martial artist, the Immortal Iron Fist.

    Sons of the Dragon | The Immortal Iron Fist Podcast

    It seems incredibly likely, even if it’s not yet confirmed, that Shang-Chi‘s first solo film will end with him in possession of the Ten Rings. It’s been strongly hinted at in the footage and posters we’ve seen released for the movie, and it would be a fun new way for the MCU to “power up” a character who’s already pretty dangerous on his own. As human machine Joseph Aberl pointed out in his own prospective piece, the origins of these mystical rings could have a pretty heavy connection to the film’s Great Protector and the other dragons of importance in Chinese folklore. If Simu Liu‘s protagonist were to end up the owner of this immense ancient power, it would be a great starting point in a journey to discover more about where this energy comes from.

    The theory here is that the “Great Protector” is actually the White Dragon of Qinghai Lake, one of the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas in Chinese legend. Not just that, he’d also be the creator of the Ten Rings. This idea stems from the shots in the movie’s trailers that show the Great Protector, a white dragon, submerged in water and interacting with a fully-uniformed Shang-Chi, presumably in a climactic moment of the story. He is also historically associated with the element of metal, which plays into the concept of molding the rings. If this theory turns out to be correct, it would allow for the other Dragon Kings to play a role in future Shang-Chi projects concerning our hero and his efforts to understand his past. This is where things get interesting. If a person were to dig far enough into Marvel lore, they would discover that one of the other Dragon Kings once played a vital role in the origins of the mystical city K’un L’un and it’s champion, the Iron Fist.

    Marvel's Shang-Chi: 10 Easter Eggs & Plot Hints From New Trailer - The Direct

    Long before the days of Matt Fraction‘s famous run, which rewrote the history of the character and made his title a generational mantle, there was a little tale by the name of Power Man & Iron Fist #118-122. This comic attempted to give Shou-Lao the Undying, the dragon from whom Danny Rand received his powers, a new origin more closely tied to mythology. In it, we find that Shou-Lao was once a mortal resident of K’un L’un who began a romantic relationship with a dragon in her human form. Unfortunately for him, this dragon turned out to be the sister of the Black Dragon, who was unpleased with Shou-Lao’s actions. As revenge, he turned Shou-Lao into an immortal beast, confined him to a cave, and ripped out his heart. Eventually, killing this dragon and plunging his fists into the removed heart is what would give Rand his supernatural abilities. In the story, Rand and Luke Cage would have to confront the Black Dragon.

    This has since been retconned, but the MCU could use it as a jumping off point for a meeting between Shang-Chi and Rand in a potential sequel. If the Great Protector is a Dragon King, and our newly formed hero ends up searching of the other dragons and the power they bestow on Earth, it could lead him directly to the doorstep of K’un L’un. A famous Iron Fist story involves Danny Rand and the other champions of the Heavenly Cities fighting back against a corrupt K’un L’un leader known as Yu-Ti. The comic Black Dragon once took the city over by force. Perhaps these concepts could be combined to make the film’s antagonist, as he disguised himself in a human form as Yu-Ti.

    Fixing Marvel's Iron Fist: Introducing Danny Rand to a New Audience – The Nerds of Color

    Another possibility is that the dragons are tied to the Heavenly Cities themselves, with Wenwu and the Ten Rings’ base of operations functioning as a Heavenly City in the MCU. The decade-long disappearing act often pulled by Heavenly Cities could help explain why the Mandarin has not yet been seen in the MCU, and why Shang-Chi was given “ten years” to discover himself separate from the organization. It would also align with Michelle Yeoh‘s comments about portraying the protector of a “mythical city”. If this is true, and Shang-Chi becomes the city’s new champion, it would stand to reason that he might have to use his Ten Rings to compete in a future Tournament of the Heavenly Cities. Either way, a future team-up between Shang-Chi and the Iron Fist is starting to feel a little less far-fetched.

    Source: Echoes From Old China, Comic Vine

  • ‘SHANG-CHI’ Eyeing a $35M to $55M Domestic Opening Weekend

    ‘SHANG-CHI’ Eyeing a $35M to $55M Domestic Opening Weekend

    Disney has been going through some troublesome times. After Black Widow opened to an impressive $80M during the pandemic, many wondered what it might mean for their next release. The Delta Variant continues to spread, and people are even more hesitant to visit cinemas. Of course, it raises questions regarding the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in just a few weeks. Well, it looks like it could still garner an impressive Box Office for a pandemic, but it’s also a far cry from where the first 2021 Marvel Studios’ release landed.

    As of now, the film is predicted to hit around $35M. The current optimistic ceiling would place it at $55M. If they ramp up the advertisement in the upcoming weeks, they might even push it up, but the film is unlikely to even get near a $200M domestic Box Office in its run. If it does manage to pass the $40M benchmark, it’ll be the first film since Black Widow, as most films faltered out around the $30M range. If it hits the top $55M prediction it would below Ant-Man, and The Incredible Hulk.

    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: Neuer Trailer zum Marvel-Film

    There’s some hope that the Marvel Studios’ brand will push the film to a higher rate even during uncertain times. Unlike the previous release, it won’t be available on Disney+ Premier Access, which might hurt its opening weekend but could give it much longer legs than other digital releases. It will have a 45-day release window before it gets released on Disney+, which will signal how Disney handles future releases moving forward.

    Shang-Chi has a lot of potential as a franchise. Especially as it is an essential move for Asian-American representation. Hopefully, the film will manage to pass the ceiling, but it seems unlikely given the current circumstances. Even Black Widow missed its optimistic ceiling of $110M, but it could’ve been influenced by its digital availability. Its success might also determine Eternals release as others continue to push back films back. Right now, success can no longer get purely based on its Box Office alone, and it may find a larger audience on the streaming service once it releases.

    Source: Box Office Pro, Polygon, Business Insider