Kevin Feige and Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton talked about how important culture is in the upcoming movie.
Personally, I think the cultural aspect is one of the most important aspects of Shang-Chi, and it seems to heavily factor into the film. Based on their discussions at the recent press conference, it was equally important to both Feige and Cretton.
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Destin says that the fact that this is a Marvel film, the culture is extra relevant and having Shang-Chi in the same world as all the other characters in the MCU is very important and to Cretton, not having that would be a dis-service to the character.
Kevin Feige & Destin Daniel Cretton Explore Culture In Shang-Chi
Kevin Feige said that the character being in the MCU as well as a part of his own culture were both important, and he and Jonathan Schwartz wanted to work on this movie for those reasons. However, Feige also explained that culture became more important when Cretton emphasized it in his pitch for the film.
It was always about both. We wanted to do it for both of those of reasons: to bring this specific character into the MCU but, just as importantly, to bring representation of another kind to this film. And that was really what Destin brought in this pitch, which was – yeah, action, cool, Marvel – but it was really the story of this father and son.
Cretton added that due the fact that this is a Marvel film, the culture was even more relevant than usual. Having Shang-Chi in the same world as all the other characters in the MCU was very important to Cretton, and not having a specific connection to his Chinese heritage would be a dis-service to the character.
I think what is extra relevant to the culture is that this is a Marvel. If we were not putting Shang-Chi shoulder to shoulder with all these amazing Marvel superheroes that we’ve come to love in the past, that would be – to me – a big disservice to the culture and the character.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings releases September 3. Are you excited for what Kevin Feige and Destin Daniel Cretton have in store? Let us know in the comments below.
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