D23 Expo took place last week, and some very interesting interviews took place; one of them was slightly unexpected, as Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”) of “Zootopia 2” and the “Loki” series was on hand to introduce new Disney CEO Josh on Friday night for their big film and television presentation (one of the more impressive industry conventions in recent memory). Quan was also interviewed at the event and expressed his desire to reprise his charming MCU character O.B. in a very surprising project: he’s keen to join the cast of “Shang-Chi 2.”
Speaking with the folks at Deadline, Quan talked about wanting to return to the MCU as O.B. alongside reuniting with his “American Born Chinese” (another Disney+ project he worked on after his return to acting and co-starred ‘Shang-Chi” actress Michelle Yeoh) director Destin Daniel Cretton (executive produced the show and helmed two episodes), who is coming off the $2 billion box office hit “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and the filmmaker revealed that the project is in early development with in-demand genre screenwriter Dave Callaham (“Shang-Chi,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse”) on the martial arts superhero sequel.
“Okay, this is an easy one for me. I would love to see O.B. show up in ‘Shang-Chi 2.’ I love that movie; Simu Liu was great in it. That would be amazing for O.B, to join the Shang-Chi family…You know, Destin and I made a TV show called ‘American Born Chinese’ together. We’re great friends; I think he’s one of the most talented filmmakers working today. I’m so happy for him with ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ breaking all box office records. Next time you interview him, tell him,” Quan said with his signature positive energy.
The problem might be finding ways to have O.B. interacting with characters from “Shang-Chi 2”; we’re not entirely sure, after “Avengers: Secret Wars,” how much presence a Multiverse-focused group like TVA is going to have. Unless, after “Secret Wars,” those TVA characters are allowed to leave the facility and return to their respective timelines in the outside world. We would be thrilled if Kevin Feige, Cretton, and Marvel Studios found a way to make this work. And considering Quan’s martial arts background (he was a fight choreographer on the first “X-Men” film), he might even be worth casting as a different character entirely (wouldn’t be the first MCU actor to get a second role).
This thankfully wouldn’t be an impossible notion, as Wumni Mosaku‘s B-15 from “Loki” had a minor part in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” so O.B. showing up isn’t that off-base. Perhaps O.B. is enlisted to help explain the origin of the ten rings (in the comics, it’s alien technology, like the Quantum Bands from “Ms. Marvel” and “The Marvels“).
There have also been some recent link-ups between Cretton and star Simu Liu (“Avengers: Doomsday”) with living legend Jackie Chan (had been trying to get “Rush Hour 4” deal together at Warner Bros. and Paramount), and there has been some speculation that Marvel will try to get the action star some sort of part in the next installment, although this is not official in any way, shape, or form. We’ll just have to be patient for updates on the superhero flick.
I don’t think even Marvel or Cretton have locked down what “Shang-Chi 2” is going to look like, but we’ll be like Quan and be extremely hopeful there is room for him, either as his tech-wizard O.B. from the TVA or as someone else entirely. You can watch that exchange with Quan by Deadline at D23 Expo last week below.
