This just in! A sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has just been officially announced, with Dustin Daniel Cretton returning to write and direct! In addition, Cretton will also be developing an as-yet unnamed MCU series for Disney+.
Deadline broke the news this morning that Cretton has signed an exclusive multi-year deal with Disney’s Marvel Studios and Hulu’s Onyx Collective to develop TV projects for both streamers. The news comes at no surprise, as this year’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a massive box office success. The film came out over Labor Day weekend and is the highest grossing domestic release of 2021 at $224.5M. It is also generally cited as one of the main reasons that movie studios decided to continue with their scheduled releases post-Labor Day, rather than delaying them further due to Covid.
A Bright Shang-Chi Filled Future For Cretton
Cretton’s upcoming projects will be at least in part produced by a new production company that he will be launching with partner Asher Goldstein, called Family Owned. The goal of the production company is to create projects that focus on the experiences of minorities and under-represented groups, which certainly fits in with his previous work as well as the mission statement of Onyx Collective overall. Cretton will join the likes of MCU director Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) who is also a partner of Onyx Collective.
Tara Duncan, the President of Onyx Collective and Freeform had this to say about the announcement:
“Destin is a powerhouse storyteller with impeccable taste in material. As we continue to expand our roster, Destin’s unique voice will help usher in an exciting slate of content for our global audience.
Said Cretton:
“Working on Shang-Chi with Kevin and the Marvel Studios team was one of the highlights of my life, and I couldn’t be more excited about Tara’s vision for Onyx Collective. I can’t wait to explore new stories and build new worlds with this community.”
WHAT WILL THE DISNEY+ SERIES BE? (SPOILERS FOR SHANG–CHI AHEAD!!)
Though the announcement didn’t state what Cretton’s upcoming MCU series might be, fans are speculating on a variety of different possibilities. In the post credits scene of Shang–Chi, we saw that his sister Xialing was taking over the Ten Rings organization and opening it up to female warriors, before the screen cut to black and told us “The Ten Rings Will Return.”
I thought it was interesting that they phrased it that way, not simply stating that Shang Chi will return – which of course, he will – but that the organization itself will return. This would make sense, as that post credits scene certainly opened the doors for more storytelling opportunities, but it made me wonder even then if Marvel and Kevin Feige were planning a spin-off show. And while this isn’t confirmed to be the identity of Cretton’s mystery series, I think it would be an amazing possibility.
Keep in mind, when we first meet Xialing as an adult, she had made a name for herself running a underground fight ring in Macao, and this could be the direction the Ten Rings will be headed, only on a bigger scale. After all, the organization no longer has the ten rings themselves…Shang-Chi does. So what would the organization do without them? What would their purpose be? I think an underground fighting tournament would be the perfect answer. Envision an MCU “Who would win?” style show. How cool would it be to see our favorite characters compete in an MCU fighting tournament, with new characters squaring up against each other every week?
Variety seems to indicate that this show will be a comedy, which I can still see being the case for this idea. After all, Xialing’s second in command was played by comedian Ronny Chieng, and the framing and spectacle of the idea could certainly lend itself to comedic aspects.
Whatever the series will be, fans are certainly in for a treat as the show will almost certainly focus on characters and minorities that are underrepresented in Hollywood. Kevin Feige stated the following:
“Destin is an amazing collaborator who brought a unique perspective and skill to Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. 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.”
What do you think Cretton’s Disney+ show will be? Are you excited for him to direct another Shang-Chi movie? Let us know in the comments below!
KEEP READING: HOW SHANG-CHI AND XIALING CAN CHANGE THE LEGACY OF THE TEN RINGS AFTER THE DEATH OF THEIR FATHER
