There have been rumblings about a Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings spin-off since 2021, with many believing it eventually became Wonder Man, a series co-starring one of the movie's standout characters, Trevor Slattery. Filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton was heavily involved with the critically acclaimed Marvel Spotlight series.
We've been hearing chatter about a Ten Rings-related series revolving around The Mandarin's criminal organisation for some time. Now, Daniel Richtman reports that Marvel Studios once again has a Ten Rings project in development.
This feels a little like a familiar story being repackaged, but after the likes of Nova and Strange Academy were put on hold, Marvel may have decided to revisit this series. Whether it happens is another matter, of course, but a Shang-Chi follow-up is long overdue.
The movie's post-credits scene set the stage for Meng'er Zhang's Xialing to pick up where her father, Wenwu, left off. It's hard to say whether that group really needs an entire series devoted to them, especially when they'd arguably make better antagonists in Shang-Chi 2. Either way, if this series moves forward, we'd hope that Shang-Chi himself is a big part of it.
Similar to Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was released at a time when, thanks to COVID, moviegoers were still wary about heading to multiplexes. Despite that, it still grossed an impressive $432.2 million in 2021.
Nearly five years on, we're still waiting to see Shang-Chi in action again. Fortunately, Simu Liu is among those confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. Still, there was a time when it looked like the character would be a central focus of the Multiverse Saga.
Shang-Chi was reportedly being lined up to take centre stage in Shang-Chi and the Wreckage of Time (a movie we expected Marvel Studios to announce at 2022's San Diego Comic-Con) and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, both of which were going to be helmed by Cretton.
Plans changed, and Shang-Chi's Ten Rings likely no longer have ties to Kang. Still, that's an easy "retcon" when they hail from Kakaranthara (the home of Fin Fang Foom) in the comics. Cretton, meanwhile, handed The Kang Dynasty—now Avengers: Doomsday—to the Russo Brothers and is busy working on Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
"I will say this. It's definitely happening, I should probably lead with that," Simu Liu previously said of plans for Shang-Chi 2. "People, whether it's online or in person, ask me every single day and tell me every single day how much they enjoyed the first movie and how much of a moment it was. And I think there's just so much goodwill, and I'm so deeply appreciative of that."
"So please know that if you've ever sent me a message, if you've ever asked about a sequel or just approached or any which way, I really take it to heart, and I really, really appreciate it," Liu continued. "I think I speak for myself and Destin [Daniel Cretton], our returning director, when I say that we're so beyond excited to jump back in."
Stay tuned for updates as we have them.