RUMOR MILL: This information is strictly RUMOR for now, so take everything with a grain of salt.
‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ has begun production in Australia, and some RUMORS are starting to surface. A few things aren’t rumors. We know for a fact that the 26th Marvel Cinematic Universe flick is being directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (‘Just Mercy’) based on a script by Dave Callaham (‘Wonder Woman 1984’). Simu Liu stars in the titular role, as Marvel’s Master of Kung-Fu, with Tony Chiu-Wai Leung as the villain The Mandarin, and Awkwafina, who is reportedly playing The Mandarin’s adopted niece, Fah Lo Suee. (That last part is very much a RUMOR.)
Now word has surfaced that ‘Shang-Chi’ revolves around a huge martial arts tournament, and somehow that involves everyone’s favorite shorts-wearing dragon, Fin Fang Foom. (per scooper @DanielRPK) The buzz about a martial arts tournament is actually coming from multiple sources, and it sounds plausible, so that could very well be true. A VERY long bit of fan fiction potential scoop was published on GOSSIP site Murphy’s Multiverse, which hinted that after winning the contest, Shang-Chi will “unlock” Fin Fang Foom and have to fight him last.
This… “synopsis” indicates that ‘Shang-Chi’ opens with the revelation that the ‘Ten Rings’ in the title are extraterrestrial in origin and arrived in China on board a spaceship, hundreds of years ago. Right off the bat, while that could be true, it sounds an awful lot like the Vibranium meteorite that crashed into Wakanda as shown in ‘Black Panther’, so I wouldn’t expect Marvel to replicate something they already showed in one movie.
At any rate, as it continues, the “Legend of the Ten Rings” is true and they are in possession of The Ancestor, a martial arts master who is dying. A tournament is held to find his successor who will come to possess the magical/alien rings. The Mandarin hires Shang-Chi to enter the contest, as he himself if too old and he doesn’t want to risk Fah Lo Suee’s life, even though she is also a skilled fighter.
Reportedly, before going to the tournament, The Mandarin sends Shang-Chi to assassinate Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) for impersonating him in ‘Iron Man 3’. It also reports that Shang-Chi will develop a superpower in this picture, the ability to create duplicates of himself.
Cut to that Fin Fang Foom buzz.
The “leaked” plot also indicates that a character called “Kane” will accompany Shang-Chi on his journey, while vlogging it online. That part sounds plausible, as it gives the story a dose of modern technology, and the Marvel pics often include comedic sidekicks.
However, the synopsis also references S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as part of the story and there is no S.H.I.E.L.D., so that’s a crock. (Keep your movie facts straight, fake sources! Or rather, go back and watch ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ again!)
Last year, it was RUMORED that the movie would include characters from the comics like Tiger Claw, Moving Shadow, Razor-Fist, and Ghost Maker (per theDisInsider), and a martial arts tournament seems like a great way to squeeze in such cameos.
In addition, it is reported that ‘Creed II’s Florian Munteanu has been cast in a secondary role. Could he be playing one of these competitors? Sure, why not? Romanian-born Munteanu, nicknamed “Big Nasty,” is a professional boxer, and ‘Creed II’ has been his only film, although he also appeared in the short ‘Bogat’.
In January, it was reported that Michelle Yeoh was in talks for an undisclosed role. (Yeoh previously appeared as Ravager Aleta Ogord in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2’.)
Expect more “news” about ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ as production continues, and as con season kicks off (coronavirus permitting). The film is due to hit theaters on February 12, 2021.
Below, you can read the entire “leaked” synopsis via Murphy’s Multiverse:
An alien spaceship landed in China hundreds of years ago. The ship was powered by the Ten Rings, magical relics that all serve a different purpose. The rings were looted by a secret society known as the Avatars, which is led by a wise martial artist simply called the Ancestor. The Ancestor wore the rings and used them to become an expert fighter.
The Mandarin grew up hearing about the ancestor’s story and was fascinated by it, despite everyone else believing it was just a myth. He began to idolize the Ancestor, and devoted his life to finding the rings. This inspired him to form his own mafia, which is the Ten Rings gang. Basically, the point of the gang is look for the rings all around the world. He adopted his niece, Fah Lo Suee (Awkwafina) and taught her martial arts.
After years of investigation, he discovers that the legend of the ten rings are real, and that the Ancestor is dying. There was a leak a little while back that Shang-Chi is a tournament film, and that’s actually true. When the Ancestor dies, the Avatars will run a secret tournament/kung-fu trial in which the winner will be granted the rings. The Mandarin is too old to compete, and he doesn’t want to risk Fah Lo Suee’s life. That’s where Shang-Chi is going to come in.
Shang is a street urchin who meets the Mandarin after he starts dating Fah. The Mandarin takes a liking in Shang and starts training him as his apprentice. His first task, as an act of gang initiation, is to kill Trevor for impersonating the Mandarin. People speculated that they would be related, but it will be more of a Walter White/Jesse Pinkman dynamic.
When the tournament begins, the Mandarin will send Shang to win and get the rings for him. That’ll be the basic gist of the film pretty much. I know that defeating Fin Fang Foom will be an obstacle. Leiko Wu and Clive Reston will be in the movie as SHIELD agents who are investigating the Ten Rings gang. Shang-Chi will obviously betray the Mandarin and become a hero over the course of the film. He will get the ability to create multiple duplicates of himself. It will be an ‘Orphan Black’ situation, where each clone of himself has their own personality. So the fights will obviously be insane to witness.
Marvel is casting Shang’s enemies in the tournament, and one of them will be a character named Chao.
