Simu Liu, the star of Marvel’s upcoming movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, took to social media yesterday to respond to Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s remarks about the film’s theatrical release being “an interesting experiment”.
Disney recently revealed that due to Covid-19 complications, and distribution agreements, the next entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, would not be premiering on its streaming service, Disney Plus. Chapek, commented that the decision to break away from the company’s hybrid premiering plan would be a chance to collect new data, and that the new marvel movie would be an “interesting experiment” for the studio going forward.
However, referring to Shang-Chi as an experiment didn’t sit well with fans, or the movie’s leading man. The upcoming film is a big landmark in terms of representation for Marvel, being the first Chinese Superhero movie in the studio’s history. It will also be one of the first releases after the TV series Loki catapulted us into the multiverse, and ushered in Marvel Phase 4. Shang-Chi is already a significant feature, and those involved want it to be regarded as such.
Sharing a picture of his co-stars, and some behind the scenes snaps of Shang-Chi’s set, Liu tweeted: “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 3; JOIN US.”
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
Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Tim Roth, and Benedict Wong are also cast in the highly anticipated movie. Destin Daniel Cretton is directing the project, with Victoria Alonso, Louis D’Esposito, and Charles Newirth serving as executive producers.
We are curious to see how Shang-Chi does in the box office and how Disney will respond to Liu’s tweet. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings premieres in theatres on September 3.