Casting Jackie Chan For ‘Shang-Chi 2’ Would Be A Dream, Says Director Cretton

WRITER/DIRECTOR Destin Daniel Cretton says casting Jackie Chan for ’Shang-Chi 2’ would be a dream following his influence on the first film.

For his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Cretton put together an ensemble roster primarily of Asian actors including Kim’s Convenience alum Simu Liu in the titular role, Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh and Tony Leung.

The cast for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings also saw the return of Ben Kingsley as Iron Man 3 faux villain Trevor Slattery and the MCU introduction of Florian Munteanu as Razor Fist.

The MCU film served as an origin story for Shang-Chi as the son of Wenwu, the leader of the Ten Rings criminal organization, who seeks to lead a normal life in San Francisco away from his maniacal father. However, when the group and his father re-emerge to look for a mythical village tied to his mother’s past, Shang-Chi must work with his estranged sister Xialing and his best friend Katy to stoop Wenwu before a world-threatening evil is unleashed.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hit theaters this past September after nearly 20 years of languishing in development hell and became an instant hit for Marvel Studios, receiving rave reviews from critics and grossing over $432 million at the global box office.

In a recent interview with CinemaBlend for the film’s home media release, Cretton opened up about his ideas for Shang-Chi 2 and its cast. When asked which legendary Asian actor he’d like bring in for the MCU sequel, the director said Jackie Chan would be the dream addition to the roster.

“I mean, if we could ever get Jackie [Chan] into a movie that would be a lifelong dream of mine. Let’s put it out [in the universe].”

Cretton isn’t the only one who would dream to see Jackie Chan take part in Shang-Chi 2 as audiences would certainly flock to the theater to see the legendary martial artist make his MCU debut with the sequel. Outside of providing voice work in animated projects and the against-type action thriller The Foreigner, Chan has largely returned to Hong Kong-based productions after years of leading American martial arts projects.

Though Chan has begun performing fewer stunts in an effort to take care of his body more, Shang-Chi 2 would be a great spot to highlight his talents in the MCU, even in a more supporting appearance akin to Michelle Yeoh’s in the film.

The Shang-Chi 2 writer/director has even discussed the influences Chan’s films had on his MCU hit, with the bus scene being one of the prime examples of the actor’s kinetic fight style. The first film even brought on Brad Allan, a team leader for the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, as the Supervising Stunt Coordinator, his second-to-last title before his death last year.

With plenty of time still to go to develop Shang-Chi 2, one can hope Cretton’s willing of Chan’s casting in the sequel comes to fruition in the future. (source: screenrant.com)

(ROHN ROMULO)