Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is expecting the upcoming ‘Shang-Chi’ film to have a “98% Asian cast.”
Much has been said about the lack of diversity in modern-day blockbusters, but all of that seems to be changing as we enter the next decade. Studio heads like Kevin Feige have been making a continuous effort to make their films more diverse so everyone can see a part of themselves on the big screen. With films like Black Panther and Captain Marvel, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has proven to the world that superhero films can have diverse casts and voices and still be billion dollar successes.
Now, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has revealed that the upcoming Shang-Chi film will feature a cast that is predominantly Asian. Speaking to students at the New York Film Academy, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige commented on how important diversity is and how the upcoming Shang-Chi will be a film that further explores the various characters that Marvel has.
“Like Shang-Chi, we’ve wanted to make that movie for a long time. We want to make a movie with a 98% Asian cast. And then you talk about, as you develop the movie, what other heroes can you bring into it, if you need them? And in the case of Black Panther [in Captain America: Civil War], it was the greatest thing that ever happened.”
Black Panther was a cultural triumph and was widely praised for being a beacon for young, black viewers. Shang-Chi is expected to do the same for younger Asian viewers who will finally have a hero in the name of Shang-Chi to look up to. The cast for the upcoming Shang-Chi is already stacked with Asian actors, with more sure to be announced as the film nears its production start date.
Are you excited to see Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige bring Shang-Chi to the big screen? Let us know in the comments!
In the comics, Shang-Chi is a skilled martial artist who was raised and trained by his father, who he soon learns is a Chinese crime lord and immortal sorcerer who repeatedly attempted to conquer the world, in an isolated compound located in China. When Shang-Chi was finally allowed to venture into the outside world in order to do his father’s bidding, he learned about his father’s evil ways and faked his own death before embarking on a mission to take down his father’s criminal empire.
Introduced in Special Marvel Edition #15 in December 197, Shang-Chi will reportedly modernize the source material in order to avoid the character stereotypes of the time. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film will star Simu Liu, Awkwafina and Tony Leung.
Marvel Studios‘ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opens in theaters on February 12, 2021.
Source: New York Film Academy
