Marvel Studios isn’t revealing too much about its future plans ahead of the April 26 premiere ofAvengers: Endgame, but one piece of that puzzle has fallen into place with the announcement that theShang-Chimovie now has a director.
Destin Daniel Cretton, the director of the 2013 dramaShort Term 12and 2017’sThe Glass Castle, will directShang-Chifor Marvel. The film will feature the studio’s first Asian lead character, a master of martial arts who debuted in a 1973 issue ofSpecial Marvel Edition.
According toThe Hollywood Reporter, Cretton was among several filmmakers in the running for the job, withDear White Peopledirector Justin Tipping,Master of Nonedirector Alan Yang,Jessica Jonesdirector Deborah Chow also in the pool of contenders at one point. The script forShang-Chiis being penned byWonder Woman 1984screenwriter Dave Callaham, and the film is expected to feature a cast largely composed of Asian and Asian-American actors.
The creation of Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin,Shang-Chiis known as “The Master of Kung Fu” in the Marvel Comics universe. The character was introduced after Marvel was unsuccessful in its attempt to acquire the rights to the 1970s television seriesKung Fu, starring David Carradine, and is an expert in a wide range of armed and unarmed combat styles. He eventually earned his own solo series,The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, and became a recurring guest in various other series. A recent member of The Avengers in the Marvel Comics Universe, he previously joined fellow martial arts masters Misty Knight and Colleen Wing in Marvel’sHeroes for Hireseries.
In the character’s comic-book continuity, Shang-Chi is the son of the villainous Fu Manchu, and he only becomes a hero after rebelling against his criminal legacy.
Cretton already has significant experience working with one Marvel Studios star, having directedCaptain Marvelstar Brie Larson in bothShort Term 12andThe Glass Castle, and will do so again in the upcomingJust Mercy, which also starsBlack Pantheractor Michael B. Jordan. There’s currently no production timeline forShang-Chi, which still needs to find its lead actor.
