Shang-Chi's Director Just Gave MCU Fans Reason To Celebrate

A new superhero is set to make a big debut in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and fans can't wait to see him kick butt. 

Shang-Chi is an enigmatic figure in Marvel Comics, and while he's not the best-known superhero, that hasn't stopped the studio from turning characters into household names before. Next year, fans will get to see the Master of Kung Fu in all his glory in his very first feature-length film. One thing is clear: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will be unlike any other Marvel movie we've seen so far, both in terms of style and in the representation it brings to the screen. 

As is the case with most major Hollywood blockbusters, production on Shang-Chi suffered a major blow when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The film was originally scheduled to hit theaters in February of 2021, but it's had to be pushed back. Luckily, it seems like comic book fans can expect the movie to not be delayed too much as Marvel Studios has already announced a new release date: July 9th, 2021. We have fresh hope that it'll be able to make that new date, thanks to some exciting news courtesy of director Destin Daniel Cretton.

Shang-Chi himself, Simu Liu, and director Destin Daniel Cretton recently took to their Instagram pages to announce that filming has wrapped on their new Marvel film. Liu posted a pic with his director, accompanied by a statement of excitement about the movie's journey to the big screen: "We made a baby!!! We can't wait to introduce him to the world in 9 months." Cretton shared in the joy by posting three simple words: "WE. ARE. WRAPPED!"

Now Shang-Chi enters the post-production phase, which means we hopefully aren't too far off from seeing a trailer. 2020 was a bit of a wash when it came to superhero movies, but considering 2021 will give us Black Widow, The Eternals, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Marvel fans are going to swarm to movie theaters to see all the action they had to forfeit this year. 

In addition to Simu Liu starring as the supreme martial artist, the film also features Tony Leung as the Mandarin, leader of the terrorist organization known as the Ten Rings. While an actor portraying a fake Mandarin was originally played by Ben Kingsley in Iron Man 3, it looks like the famous comic book antagonist will finally get a chance to be a proper villain in the upcoming film. The movie also stars Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, and Ronny Chieng.

Hopefully there will be no more delays now that principal photography is complete. Check out Shang-Chi when it drops in theaters on July 9th, 2021.