Marvel dropped the first trailer of the much-awaited “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” movie on Monday, introducing Simu Liu as their franchise's first Asian superhero.
The much-talked-about action thriller film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” featuring Asian hero Simu Liu in the lead role, has been hogging the limelight ever since the first look poster of the movie was released.
To pique the curiosity of the cinephiles, the makers have now released the first trailer of the upcoming edge-of-the-seat thriller flick.
The trailer sees Simu Liu in the titular role in the film based on Marvel Comics character Shang-Chi who faces off against the mysterious Ten Rings organisation and its true leader, the Mandarin.
The Ten Rings have been a figure lurking in the background for the entirety of the MCU, first introduced in 2008's “Iron Man”, but Shang-Chi promises to reveal the actual group for the first time.
The nearly two-minute-long trailer opens with Sim Liu standing in front of a wooden log while thinking about the reasons behind his hardcore training lessons he had been taught by his master.
As the trailer continues, a background voice of Liu's master is heard asking him, "I gave you ten years to live your life... and where did that get you?.." To which Liu replies "It brought me here... it brought me home.."
What makes the trailer more exciting is the fact that Simu Liu himself has a background in martial arts such as Taekwondo and Wing Chun, as well as gymnastics, proving that he is perfect for the role.
The nail-biting trailer promises powerful performances by all the actors, enthralling dialogues, drama, and an engaging story.
From powerful background music that complements the pace of the trailer to some intense performances, the trailer features it all making it safe to say that fans are in for a visual treat.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel had met with controversy when attempting to delve into Asian themes before.
Its 2017 Netflix TV series, “Iron Fist”, was widely slammed for focusing on a wealthy white character who masters Asian fighting traditions (which is the same setup as the comics).
The show was cancelled after two seasons. And the MCU's 2016 film 'Doctor Strange' had a whitewashing controversy when actress Tilda Swinton was cast in the part of The Ancient One - a character that is Asian in the comics (director Scott Derrickson explained the production was attempting to avoid Asian stereotypes but by doing so admittedly removed an Asian character from the film).
“Shang-Chi” is part of Marvel's Phase four and like many titles, its production was initially interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Other cast members include Awkwafina as Shang-Chi's friend Katy, Tony Leung as Shang-Chi's father and the leader of the Ten Rings, and Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan.
The film is slated to release on September 3, 2021, and is one of four Marvel titles headed to theatres this year along with “Black Widow”, “Eternals”, and “Spider-Man: No Way Home”.