Marvel slump stalled Shang-Chi sequel, says director: ‘Everything went to s—’
In a new chat with The Wrap, the director of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings explained the sequel’s hold-up — and it’s not simply scheduling.
If you were hoping for a Shang-Chi sequel by now, you might be a bit miffed it never showed up. The first film landed back in 2021 and, given how well it was received (and the amount of cash it raked in), you’d think Marvel would have rushed a follow-up into cinemas. Not so, apparently, and now we’ve got a bit of clarity on why things have stalled—straight from the bloke in charge of the original.
Why Shang-Chi 2 Isn’t Here Yet
Destin Daniel Cretton, who directed the first Shang-Chi, has pointed the finger at Marvel’s own house for the lag. Marvel Studios had a major shake-up after Avengers: Endgame. Between chasing more Disney+ shows, diluting the film lineup, and a handful of misfires at the box office, the studio pumped the brakes on how many projects it had in motion at once.
In an interview with The Wrap, Cretton summed it up like this: “When you really look at what happened to the industry, at least from my perspective, it was just like everything went to s–t after that. I feel like if Marvel was where it was before, we would have had maybe two sequels already. Who knows?”
He was clear it’s not a matter of Marvel losing interest in Shang-Chi himself—the appetite for more of Simu Liu’s punchy superhero is there. But Marvel’s own “changing situation” post-Endgame, as Cretton politely phrases it, threw a spanner in the works for every project in the pipeline, not just his.
The Marvel Backstory
After Endgame, Marvel’s slate exploded. More films, a big push on Disney+, and plenty of promises for new faces and spinoffs. Which was great, in theory, but reality didn’t always match the ambition—reviews started to go a bit tepid and a few releases fell short at the box office. That forced a rethink at Marvel Towers, where the new game plan is “less is more” with tighter focus on fewer, more expensive films. If you’re wondering why Shang-Chi 2 isn’t dated yet, that’s pretty much your answer.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings premiered in 2021 and took nearly $432 million worldwide.
The first film got high marks for its slick martial arts sequences and a distinctly different energy from the rest of the Marvel lot. Simu Liu led the cast, with major assists from Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Meng’er Zhang, Michelle Yeoh, and Benedict Wong. That’s a strong ensemble, and Marvel brass knows it—hence they’re not giving up on a sequel, just holding back for the right moment. But for now, there’s no official release date and nothing shooting yet.