Marvel Studios' plans for making a Shang-Chi movie became evident last December when it hired Dave Callaham to pen the script for what would be the first Asian-led Marvel Cinematic Universe installment. Now, the project is another step closer to reality as the studio has brought in a director at the helm.
Multiple Hollywood trades are reporting that Destin Daniel Cretton has landed the directorial gig for the Shang-Chi movie. He is best-recognized for writing and directing the acclaimed 2013 independent drama Short Term 12, which provided Brie Larson - our Captain Marvel - with the first leading role of her acting career.
The filmmaker and the actress later collaborated on the 2017 biographical drama The Glass Castle, and are currently hard at work on the upcoming project in the same genre titled Just Mercy, which also stars MCU alum Michael B. Jordan. Larson and Jordan aren't the only ones to have possibly put in a good word for Cretton as he has also partnered with Black Panther director Ryan Coogler in the past on the small-screen project Scenes for Minors.
The also-rans in the race for the Shang-Chi directorial gig: Justin Tipping, Alan Yang and Deborah Chow (Photo Credit – Focus Features, Flickr and Marvel)
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel was also considering a few other directors for the Master of Kung-Fu's standalone movie before making up its mind. The shortlist included Justin Tipping (Dear White People), Alan Yang (Master of None), and Deborah Chow (Jessica Jones).
The Shang-Chi movie currently doesn't have a release date, and there's no word on when it would move into production. But that's nothing to be concerned about as Marvel has been staying tight-lipped on other future projects as well like Black Widow, The Eternals, Black Panther 2, and Doctor Strange 2. We can rest assured that the studio will be a lot more uninhibited once Avengers: Endgame has arrived in theaters.
