A new superhero enters the Marvel movie universe in a landmark movie that tells the story of his origin. Viewers will accompany Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) on a journey to self-discovery in an exciting production full of great special effects, new characters and exotic worlds in typical Marvel Studios style. The movie on DVD, Blu-ray ™ and Blu-ray ™ Steelbook will be released on January 26th.
In the new movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Simu Liu stars as Shang-Chi, who has to face the past after he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.
The film also stars Tony Leung as Xu Wenwu, Awkwafina as Shang-Chi’s friend Katy and Michelle Yeoh as Ying Nan / Aunt Nan, and Chen Wave, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng.
“Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings is the story of a young man who realizes that his father is actually one of the world’s worst criminals,” says producer Kevin Feige. “Shang-Chi has to learn to deal with this fact and live on. He must find the heroism needed to break with his father’s inheritance. But, as with any story, this one has many facets. In our film, the way his father is perceived by the world and by himself is more complicated than Shang-Chi initially realizes. ”
“ The complexities of Shang-Chi and Xu Wenwu’s relationship were at the center of my interest,” admits director Destin Daniel Cretton. “In the comic book version, I was most touched by the complicated attitude of a father training his son to be a killer, where the son has grown up and now has to face him. That was what interested me the most, and that was the basis of the idea that I introduced to Marvel. “
Upon receiving the script, impersonating the main character, Liu was stunned.
“Destin told me the story so well before I read it that when I finally got to know it, I cried,” Liu confesses. “I cried because the relationship between Shang-Chi and the other characters and his family is so intimate. I realized that, at heart, this movie is about family. I cried because it shows an Asian superhero doing what we would expect him to do and save the world. It was a very important moment for me as a fan, as an actor and as an Asian. Just unbelievable. “
Simu started a four-month pre-training session and then spent a month in Sydney, Australia, where the shooting was to take place. Cretton, however, assured Liu that he was not cast simply because of his ability to learn hand-to-hand combat.
“From an early stage, Simu and I established that what enables viewers to connect with Shaun is their experience,” explains the director. “Simu took this character’s skills very seriously, he practiced persistently for five months, understanding that we didn’t involve him because of the martial arts, but because of the role he created.”
An important aspect of this movie for Liu was representing the Asian community.
“He’s the first Asian-American superhero in the Marvel movie universe,” comments the actor. “This is an important feature of this film, an important milestone for us. We waited a long time for this moment to see ourselves presented like this on the screen. Many of us, the children of immigrants, lacked serious representation on the screen. We watched caricatures, stereotypes and, in a sense, we were erased. I am pleased with the changes that have been taking place over the past two years, and I believe Shang-Chi will be an important part of this discussion. “
He adds:
“I believe this film will greatly contribute to the normalization of Asian faces on screen outside of Asia, and to the recognition that the Asian diaspora has its own identity that belongs as much to the East as to the West, but at the same time to neither of these cultures. In this sense, I believe that we are pioneers of such a voice and such stories. I am very proud that I have been honored to participate in this project. “
Simu Liu is enthusiastic about what viewers can expect and adds:
“There are sequences and moments here that you’ve never seen before in a Marvel movie. They will be surprising, exciting and addictive. Really, until you see it, you won’t believe it. Some of the sequences invented by the art team are truly unbelievable. I think they will raise the bar not only for Marvel movies, but for the movie in general. “
Shang-chi and the legend of the ten rings will be released in DVD, Blu-ray™ and Blu-ray™ Steelbook formats on January 26th.
Special additions in the Blu-Ray edition:
- Creating a legacy
- Family relationships
- Gags from the set
- Unused scenes
- Audio commentary by the creators