It hasn’t been made official just yet, but we all know that Marvel is working on a Shang-Chi movie, which will introduce the titular master martial artist into the MCU. The character will be notable for being the first Chinese superhero in the franchise, and Marvel fans in China are going wild over the idea.
Over the weekend, Variety reported that Marvel’s beginning their search for Shang-Chi and is exclusively looking at actors of Chinese descent, with the studio warning agents that performers of other Asian heritages will not be considered. Marvel’s decision to stay true to the comic book character’s ethnicity has been praised on social media as well, and fans on Chinese site Weibo can’t wait to see him on the big screen.
The hashtag “Shang-Chi casting” has been been viewed 100 million times on the website, with the hashtag “Marvel’s first Chinese hero” also being viewed 590 million times. The popularity of the topic on Weibo has ensured that all the major entertainment media outlets are running the story as well.
“First we got China’s first Disney princess, and then we got China’s first Marvel hero!” one publication wrote with excitement, referring to the release of the first trailer for Disney’s Mulan remake last week. The warrior heroine will be played in the live-action version by popular Chinese actress Liu Yifei and the trailer also caused a huge celebration on the Chinese internet – though there were also complaints about its historical inaccuracies – with many discussing how they cried tears of happiness.
All we’ve got on Shang-Chi right now are rumors and reports, as Marvel has remained tight-lipped about the project. That should change this weekend, however, as the studio is expected to unveil their full Phase Four line-up during their big Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, July 20th. Stay tuned for more.