For almost a decade, Marvel Studios seemed to lag behind in terms of inclusivity and diversity, both in front of and behind the camera. It wasn’t until recent films like 2018’s “Black Panther” and 2019’s “Captain Marvel,” that it was clear the studio had intentions on righting that perceived wrong. And with the upcoming Phase 4, Marvel Studios is taking a huge step in the right direction with films like “Black Widow,” “Eternals,” and of course, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”
And in the case of that latter film, director Destin Daniel Cretton has very clear intentions on bringing diversity not just to fans with the look of his film, but also behind the scenes, hiring a diverse crew. The filmmaker recently told THR that there’s a very good reason why he was interested in tackling ‘Shang-Chi’ and why he thinks it’s important to show diversity behind the scenes, as well.
“I grew up without a superhero to look up to,” said Cretton. “I gravitated to Spider-Man when I was a kid, primarily because he had a mask covering his face and I could imagine myself under that mask. I would love to give my son a superhero to look up to. I feel very privileged to be a part of telling that story.”
But bringing ‘Shang-Chi’ to life means a lot more than just having a film with an Asian lead. As Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently said, a vast majority of the cast (“98%” per the studio head) is Asian, meaning that the film is following in the footsteps of “Black Panther” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” creating a film that doesn’t just highlight one or two diverse roles but has expanded it to the whole film.
And not just that, Cretton says he wanted to bring that diversity to the crew of his recent film “Just Mercy” and “Shang-Chi,” as well. But according to the filmmaker, that wasn’t as easy as he would have liked, given that many People of Color haven’t been given the same crew-leading opportunities as their white counterparts.
“So on ‘Just Mercy’ we were giving so many people their first opportunities to be the heads of a department, which is so exciting,” he said. “On this movie with Marvel, just in terms of casting — how many famous Asian actors are there? It’s really exciting to be able to make some new famous faces for other films to choose from. It would be a failure if ‘Shang-Chi’ was, like, the first and last. That would suck. But I hope it’s the first of many more movies that represent the world that we live in.”
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” arrives in theaters on February 12, 2021.