By Zach Johnson
Marvel Studios rolled out the red carpet for the MCU’s newest Super Hero.
On Monday night, stars Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Ronny Chieng, Benedict Wong, Dallas Liu, Andy Le, Jayden Zhang, Harmonie He, and Jodi Long joined director and writer Destin Daniel Cretton; producers Kevin Feige and Jonathan Schwartz; executive producers Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Charles Newirth; and writers Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham to celebrate the rise of the MCU’s newest Super Hero at the world premiere of Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings. Hosted at the El Capitan Theatre, the event brought out dozens of stars, including Eternals director Chloé Zhao, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star Xochitl Gomez, and Ben Kingsley, who returns as Trevor Slattery in Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings.
For Liu, the world premiere marked a major milestone after the film was announced in 2019. “I started this journey over two years ago at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego about to go onstage for Comic-Con,” Liu told reporters on the red carpet. “I never thought in a million years that it would all lead me to this moment right now, right here, in front of so many amazing fans—some of whom have lined up for hours and hours to be here. It’s such a groundswell of love and support and joy. It’s exciting. This is beyond a dream come true.”
On the press line, Feige revealed Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings was a project 20 years in the making. “From my earliest days at Marvel, there were lists of, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to make a movie about this?’” Feige said. “There are still some things that we’ve not made yet on that list, but I’m so happy that we’re finally debuting Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings with a full Hollywood Blvd. close—like a big premiere should be.”
Cretton added it felt “really good” to finally see the movie with an audience. “It has been a long journey for our team. It’s also been a long journey for the world the last couple years. To be here, to have a night to be grateful for being able to work for the past two years with really good people and celebrate together, is really special.” Shang-Chi’s origin story “is really dear to my heart,” Cretton added. “Growing up in Hawai‘i, I didn’t really have any Super Heroes that I could dress up like on Halloween. I got to explore this character alongside Simu and watch him grow, in true Marvel fashion, into a fully developed human being who is relatable in his ups and downs, in his strengths and weaknesses, and who finds his heroism by overcoming things that many of us are trying to overcome in our daily lives.”
Before Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings opens in theaters on September 3 (get tickets via Fandango), take a closer look at the red carpet arrivals from the world premiere:
