“We are not an experiment, We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise. I’m fired the f — k up to make history on Sept. 3; JOIN US (sic),” said Liu in a tweet.
Feige further also noted that the film’s premiere had a similarly impactful feel to that of the celebrations of “Black Panther.”
“When you have the opportunity to showcase a hero that looks like a huge segment of the globe that feels like they haven’t been showcased, the magic can happen if you deliver. I think Destin (Daniel Cretton) and Simu have delivered for this movie,” he said.
The Marvel Studio’s boss added that he noticed a superhero quality in Liu after “a lot of reads, a lot of auditions,” adding “there’s no magic formula” in finding the right person for a Marvel hero.
“It’s a feeling. It’s a sense of both the ability to be relatable and grounded and, at the same time, take your place in that pantheon of heroes should everything go so well in an origin story they will end up with the other pandemic heroes,” said Feige.
As for what could potentially be next for Liu’s “Shang-Chi,” Feige noted, “there is a direct line of where he heads to next.”
This movie marks Disney’s second live-action tentpole featuring Asian leads, which was released amid the pandemic. The first was “Mulan,” which was released on Sept. 4, 2020. That film was available on the streaming platform Disney Plus Premier Access the same day.
Besides Liu, “Shang-Chi” also stars Tony Leung, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu, and Ronny Chieng. The movie will arrive on Disney Plus, 45 days after its Sept. 3, 2021 release.
Liu’s comments came as another Disney star has been at odds with the company, which is in the midst of a lawsuit with “Black Widow” star Scarlett Johansson, who sued Disney over its decision to release the Marvel title simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access.
Johansson claimed the move hurt the box office in favor of juicing Disney’s streaming service. Feige addressed the lawsuit at the premiere, noting he is “all for amicable solutions,” as per reports.
(With inputs from ANI)
Edited by Ojaswin Kathuria and Nikita Nikhil
