Shang-Chi's Simu Liu Has an Exciting Update on His Marvel Sequel

Finally, some good news about the sequel.

One of the MCU's coolest and most forgotten about heroes, Shang-Chi, will be returning to the MCU, says Simu Liu. Shang-Chi, the master martial artist, made his MCU debut in the 2021 MCU hit Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Despite good reviews from audiences and critics, the movie's COVID release date severely limited its box office potential. Because the character has yet to appear in any follow-up MCU movie or series, fans assumed that Shang-Chi's spotlight had faded permanently. However, Simu Liu has provided audiences with some great news. Speaking to The Times of India about his new movie Jackpot (which also features his Shang-Chi co-star Awkafina), Simu Liu confirmed that Shang-Chi 2 is in the works at Marvel Studios. The actor didn't provide any details about the film's potential release date, production timeline, or plot, joking that it's above his pay grade. But Liu's confirmation is the first piece of good Shang-Chi news fans have received since the movie's release. Liu said: "A lot of it is above my pay grade, but it's definitely happening. So, just very excited to kind of work on it, and it's going to be amazing. I really can't say anything beyond that." Starring Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Ben Kingsley, Meng'er Zhang, Michelle Yeoh, Fala Chen, and Benedict Wong, Shang-Chi formally introduced the legendary Ten Rings organization to the MCU. The iconic Marvel villains were first teased in Iron Man 3, but that version was a fake (an actor named Trevor Slattery, played by Ben Kingsley, was hired to pose as the Mandarin). The Ten Rings were then teased in a Marvel One shot (remember when Marvel made those?) titled All Hail the King, revealing that the Ten Rings did exist in the MCU. As well as promising a return for its eponymous hero, the end of Shang-Chi also teased that the Ten Rings would return.

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Cate Blanchett Describes the 'Backwards' Process of How Marvel Movies Are Made

The actor behind one of the MCU’s most powerful villains reveals that the studio isn't "necessarily used to having a whole script.”

There’s no stopping the Goddess of Death, even if “Marvel aren’t necessarily used to having a whole script.” Cate Blanchett, who proved to be an admirable foil to Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder in one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most beloved big-screen entries, spoke about the strange process behind making Thor: Ragnarok (2017). But under the guidance of visionary director, Taika Waititi, the third Thor film went on to become not only a financial success, but a fan-favorite that even bedazzled critics. Blanchett’s villainous Hela remains quite memorable, and she played an enormous part in the superhero flick’s success. However, the Oscar winner revealed that bringing the project to life involved quite the unorthodox process, which did not include a full screenplay. While promoting her new film, Borderlands, Blanchett said in an interview with GQ: "You know, Marvel aren’t necessarily used to having a whole script, so there wasn’t anything… You know, often, though, they will board the essential battles, and then they'll start working backwards and construct their stories. It's a whole, big, massive jigsaw puzzle, I don't know. What I didn't realize then was [it was] the first time a female villain had been realized onscreen [for the MCU], so that was exciting.”
Blanchett continued: “But I knew Taika [Waititi] was going to put his own particular spin on it, and that Chris [Hemsworth] was so up for anything, incredibly generous and funny, and ready to kind of move this in another direction. So, it felt like there was a really playful, exciting energy — fresh winds were moving through. It was great, it was really great.”
Cate Blanchett clearly portrayed one of the best and most powerful MCU villains since the inception of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But as the Oscar-winning performer jests in her interview with GQ, strangely enough, Blanchett was not asked to portray Thor, nor wield Mjöllnir — although Hela seemed giddy to destroy the God of Thunder’s precious hammer. Five years later, in Thor: Love and Thunder, Natalie Portman did get to play a version of the character, which Blanchett had her own thoughts on. Blanchett said during the same sit-down:
Blanchett’s good feeling about Chris Hemsworth paid off as Thor: Ragnarok became a hit with critics and fans alike. Taika Waititi’s first film in the MCU boasts the best CinemaScore (A) of all the Thor movies, and fans also gave the film an 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics were even more smitten with Ragnarok, which resulted in Thor 3 registering an impressive 93% on the Tomatometer. So, how did Blanchett land the highly coveted role of the Goddess of Death? Well, the thespian did explain how the events unfolded in the same interview, and it turns out her admiration for Waititi's work played a large part in winning the part of Hela. The Oscar winner said (below): “Well, I’d seen Taika’s films and loved them. I’d heard that it was happening, but I didn’t think anything of it. And then I just got a call saying that Taika wanted to meet — and would I [be interested]. And I said, ‘Yeah, of course!’ And I didn’t know what he [wanted]. I just thought he wanted to say hello. And then he asked would I be in it.” Cate Blanchett won her first Oscar (Best Supporting Actress) for her work on The Aviator (2004), and then she took home the Best Actress Academy Award for Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine (2013) at the 2014 ceremony. In total, Blanchett has been nominated for eight Oscars.

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