Destin Daniel Cretton, the director of Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, has officially signed on to write and direct the film’s sequel, Deadline reports.
The news comes as Cretton enters an exclusive deal with Disney, via Marvel Studios and Hulu’s Onyx Collective. The deal includes a new MCU series for Disney+, which is already in development, and other TV projects for platforms like Hulu., which will be produced by his Asher Goldstein-assisted production company Family Owned.
“Destin is a powerhouse storyteller with impeccable taste in material,” Tara Duncan, president of Freeform and Onyx Collective, said. “As we continue to expand our roster, Destin’s unique voice will help usher in an exciting slate of content for our global audience.”
While a follow-up to Shang-Chi wasn’t confirmed before Monday, there’s been talks of what a sequel to the film may look like. As star Simu Liu explained during a November episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, he wasn’t made aware of any plans at that point. Liu then added that there was once a time Marvel would give cast members a heads up, but that time is long gone after some past tea-spilling.
“I just feel like there were certain things that ruined it for all of us,” he said. “I don’t want to single anyone out, but shout out to [Tom] Holland, shout out to [Mark] Ruffalo. They really just mucked it up for the rest of us.”
Shang-Chi opened this year over Labor Day weekend, earning the title of highest-grossing domestic release of 2021 with $224.5 million. The film has also made $432 million worldwide.
“Destin is an amazing collaborator who brought a unique perspective and skill to Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings,” Marvel President Kevin Feige said. “We had a fantastic time working together on the film and he has so many intriguing ideas for stories to bring to life on Disney+, so we’re thrilled to expand our relationship with him and can’t wait to get started.”
