Dave Callaham worked as a writer on both Marvel’s Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings and DC’s Wonder Woman 1984 and recently recounted the difference between the two projects.

Shang-Chi and Wonder Woman were received very differently by audiences. While Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings generally impressed and left fans excited to see more of Simu Liu’s MCU hero, Wonder Woman 1984 failed to live up to the reputation of its predecessor.

Dave Callaham reflected on his experience of the two movies recently, revealing he felt a more personal connection to Shang-Chi, while his involvement with Wonder Woman 1984 was relatively minimal.

Marvel Vs. DC: A Writer’s Perspective

During a recent interview with the Austin Film Festival, Dave Callaham looked back on his experience of working on Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, comparing it to his more limited involvement in Wonder Woman 1984.

The writer revealed his role on DC’s Wonder Woman sequel was limited to helping out director Patty Jenkins, who was a friend and collaborator of Callaham’s and who had already figured out most of the story. Conversely, he felt a much more personal connection to Shang-Chi in its examination of Asian American culture.

Dave Callaham said of the Marvel and DC projects:

“Wonder Woman [1984] was never mine and it never will be mine… And none of these things are mine. But it was never my story to tell. I was just helping Patty out. Shang-Chi… it’s not mine, but I do feel a sense of ownership’s not the right word but i’m very connected to that movie because of what it is, and what it represents for me, and what it represents for my family members, and what it represents for the culture. And so when Black Widow was released on day and date in theaters and on Disney+, I got really nervous and we had already shifted release dates a number of times.”

Callaham’s involvement with superhero projects doesn’t end with these Marvel Studios and DC Films projects, either. He is currently working as a writer on the upcoming Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and its sequel Beyond the Spider-Verse.

Here is the synopsis for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings:

“Simu Liu stars as Shang-Chi in Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Shang-Chi must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.”

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton from a script written by David Callaham, the MCU film stars Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings is available to own on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray DVD, Digital HD, and to stream on Disney Plus. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the future of the MCU, and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.

Source: Austin Film Festival