Kevin Feige has responded to Shang-Chi star Simu Liu’s recent criticism of Disney CEO Bob Chapek. Liu hit back at Chapek on social media after the CEO described the release of Shang-Chi as an experiment during Disney’s investor call.
Chapek described the decision to release Shang-Chi in theatres with a 45 day exclusivity period as an “interesting experiment”. Writing on Twitter, Liu hit back, saying: “We are not an experiment. We are the underdog, the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise,” he continued. “I’m fired the f*** up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US.”
At the Shang-Chi premiere last night Kevin Feige was asked about these comments by The Hollywood Reporter, and he brushed off the spat as a misunderstanding. “He [Liu] is not a shy man,” said Feige. “I think in that particular tweet you can see, and I think everyone does, a misunderstanding. It was not the intention.”
“The proof is in the movie, and we swing for the fences as we always do,” he explained. “With the amount of creative energy we put in and the budget, there’s no expense spared to bring this origin story to the screen.”
We are not an experiment.
We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year.
We are the surprise.
I’m fired the f**k up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US. pic.twitter.com/IcyFzh0KIb
— Simu Liu (刘思慕) (@SimuLiu) August 14, 2021
While at the premiere, Feige claimed Shang-Chi felt every bit as impactful as Black Panther and that he was excited for MCU fans to see a hero that “looks like a huge segment of the globe that feels like they haven’t been showcased” before. He also thanked both Liu and the action movie’s director Destin Daniel Cretton for helping to bring the film to the big screen.
Feige finished by teasing a potential Shang-Chi sequel, saying: “there is a direct line of where he heads to next.” The martial arts movie isn’t even out yet, but early reactions have been extremely positive. Joesph Deckelmeier, the CEO of the Illuminerdi, dubbed it one of “the best MCU origins” that he has seen, while Collider’s Drew Taylor had nothing but praise for the upcoming movie calling it a “triumph” and “some of the very best action in the MCU”
Set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, Shang-Chi will see the titular master of kung-fu (Liu) forced to confront the mysterious Ten Rings organisation and his father, The Mandarin (Tony Leung).
Shang-Chi hits theatres on September 3.