5 Years On, Shang-Chi Director Says Marvel is Still Working on a Sequel

Half a decennary connected from the motorboat of Marvel blockbuster Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, manager Destin Daniel Cretton has said that a sequel is inactive successful development.

Shang-Chi launched backmost successful August 2021, and won a affirmative reception for its pb quality played by the charismatic Barbie histrion Simu Liu. Five years later, however, the imaginable of a speedy follow-up has faded. Indeed, audiences haven't adjacent seen a whiff of Shang-Chi astatine each successful consequent Marvel movies — though Liu volition yet reprise the relation successful this December's Avengers: Doomsday.

To beryllium just to Cretton, the past 5 years person been precise busy. Initially tapped to nonstop Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (later delayed and retooled into Doomsday), changes successful precedence wrong Disney and the firing of Kang histrion Jonathan Majors saw Cretton determination connected to helm the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day instead, each portion incubating the deed Disney+ bid Wonder Man.

All of this appears to person postponed Shang-Chi's return, with the character's adjacent solo movie seemingly pushed into the MCU's adjacent phase, pursuing December 2027's climactic Avengers: Secret Wars. Still, astatine slightest it sounds similar Shang-Chi volition past for a portion yet.

"We're moving connected it," Cretton told Deadline erstwhile asked astir Shang-Chi 2. "The archetypal film's reception was incredible, and we privation to grant that. It's evolving successful a mode we're excited about."

Asked whether the sequel would prime up from wherever the archetypal movie near disconnected — thing that present seems exceedingly improbable — Cretton simply responded that helium couldn't speech "specifics, but the affectional halfway is precise important to us."

Shang-Chi's finale saw the leader called to articulation the Avengers — thing we'll spot overmuch much of aboriginal this twelvemonth arsenic helium teams up with aged and caller heroes (plus X-Men and The Fantastic Four) against the villainous Doctor Doom. Shang-Chi's sister Xialing, meanwhile, becomes caput of the Ten Rings transgression enactment — though it remains to beryllium seen whether this crippled thread volition beryllium returned to.

Word that the movie is "evolving" is besides intriguing — possibly a motion to the information its events volition present apt instrumentality spot wrong the MCU's upcoming mutant era, alternatively than its Multiverse Saga. Exactly erstwhile Shang-Chi 2 volition yet arrive, however, remains to beryllium seen.

Image credit: Ryan Emberley/Getty Images for Disney.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social