Is Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings set to become the next Black Panther?

Remaining true to their promise of providing a platform to global artistes, Marvel Studios has shown that representation matters. In its upcoming project, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the entertainment giant has roped in an Asian cast to steer the movie to success. From Awkwafina as Katy, Tony Leung as Mandarin and Meng'er Zhang as Xialing to Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan and Fala Chen as Leiko – Shang Chi is the first Marvel film to be led by an Asian star Simu Liu, playing the titular character.

Avoiding its previous mistake where it casted Tilda Swinton as a Tibetan monk incurring the outrage of fans, the franchise has taken a meticulous step by casting real Asian people to play Asian roles, instead of using prosthetics and makeup to create false impressions. Taking to their social media handles on Thursday, Marvel unveiled the posters of the characters from the movie, teasing the action-packed ride, fans are in for.

The plot revolves around Kung Fu expert, Shang Chi, as he gets embroiled in a tiff with the mysterious Ten Rings organization and its crafty leader – the Mandarin, who is also his father. When forced to face the demons of his past, how the hero rises to the occasion will be worth a watch.

After years of allegations and requests to provide representation and diversify their cast, Marvel Entertainment took a step in the right direction in 2018 with Black Panther. Having a star-studded all-black cast, the movie received a phenomenal response from the audience as it correctly captured the essence of an African nation. Grossing more than $1.3 billion worldwide, Black Panther became the first superhero film to ever earn an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.

Now with such diverse Asian artistes in the movie, it would not be a surprise if Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, becomes the highest grossing movie of the year, given the buzz it has already generated. Directed by Destin Yori Daniel Cretton, the movie will hit the theaters on September 3, 2021.