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Marvel delights fans with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings announcement - all the details

Simu Liu stars as Shang-Chi

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Rebecca Lewis
Rebecca Lewis - Los Angeles
ReporterLos Angeles
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Marvel has dropped the first trailer for the upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

The film - Marvel's first Asian-led superhero film - stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, who has been trained in martial arts but kept his knowledge and skills a secret from friends.

But when the evil Ten Rings organization - led by his father Wenwu - makes a reappearance, he is called back to the training he once received in a battle of life or death.

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WATCH: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings trailer

Awkwafina stars as Shang-Chi's friend Katy, who has no idea about his secret identity - but it looks like she's ready to be his sidekick as the trailer shows Katy saving the day during an epic bus battle.

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Simu also shared the first poster for the film on Instagram - to mark his birthday.

shang chi poster

Simu shared the poster on Instagram to mark his birthday

"Whoever said that you could only RECEIVE presents on your birthday? This is your VERY FIRST LOOK at the teaser poster for Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings!" he posted.

"You know... I never saw myself as the hero of my own story growing up. I struggled to find any Asian characters onscreen, and there were fewer still that made me feel truly proud of my heritage.

"It's absolutely insane to think that in just over four months, we will have a @MarvelStudios movie featuring an almost ENTIRELY Asian cast, each full of rich nuance and dimensionality.

"Shang Chi is more than just a movie - it is a celebration of our culture and a rallying cry for the forgotten, the unseen, and the overlooked. It is a reminder to take up space, to stand tall, and to be unapologetically ourselves."

simu liu

Shang-Chi  is called back to the training he once received in a battle of life or death

He added: "(Of course, it's also going to deliver superhero action like you have NEVER. SEEN. BEFORE.)"

Marvel fans will know that Shang-Chi's father in the comics was Fu Manchu, a criminal mastermind. But the company lost the rights to Fu Manchu in 1983, forcing the studio to decide to merge Shang-Chi's father, now known in comic lore as Zheng Zu, with the Mandarin - the villain from Iron Man 3 - into one character called Wenwu.

The Mandarin's real name in the comics remains unknown after six decades, so this allows Marvel to take some creative license with the character - and connect Shang-Chi to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Michelle Yeoh, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen and Ronny Chieng also all star in the film.

The movie has been directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and produced by Kevin Feige and Jonathan Schwartz. David Callaham and Andrew Lanham wrote the screenplay for the film, along with Destin.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opens in cinemas on September 3, 2021.