Motion Picture: Marvel’s First Asian Superhero in 'Shang-Chi' May Not Make it to China’s Big Screens
Simu Liu - Marvel/Disney
Action: Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which broke a box office record, may not make it to China’s big screens. Canadian actor Simu Liu, who portrays Shang-Chi in the film, is under fire after Chinese nationalists recently resurfaced comments made by Liu in 2017. These comments, deemed as “insults” to China, are added blows to Shang-Chi’s already rocky reputation. The initial 1973 comic-book storyline included Fu Manchu, a character who is now seen as one that plays into racist Asian stereotypes. However, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, said back in August that Fu Manchu “is not even a Marvel character, and hasn't been for decades.” So far, Shang-Chi has earned $257.6 million worldwide. Currently, It remains unclear whether Shang-Chi will ever be released in China.
The action-thriller Vendetta, written and directed by Jared Cohn (The Horde), is set to debut in 2022. The film’s U.S. distribution rights have been acquired by Redbox Entertainment. The movie stars Bruce Willis, Clive Standen, Thomas Jane , Theo Rossi, and Mike Tyson, and tells the story of how William Duncan (Standen) makes a vow to avenge his daughter’s death after she is murdered.
Drama: Guillermo del Toro’s film noir, Nightmare Alley, is coming to theaters Dec. 17, and the first teaser is out now. The film, based on the 1946 novel by William Lindsay Gresham, stars Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman and David Strathairn.
Cooper plays a nightclub and carnival performer who is able to manipulate his audience, while Blanchett plays a psychiatrist who aims to expose him, but finds herself twisted in his web of deception.
A24 has released the official trailer for director Stephen Karam’s The Humans. The cast includes Richard Jenkins, Jayne Houdyshell, Amy Schumer, Beanie Feldstein, Steven Yeun, and June Squibb. The film is adapted from Karam’s Tony-winning play, and it is his first time directing a film. The movie is centered on three generations of a Pennsylvania family on Thanksgiving Day. “Haunting and piercingly funny, The Humans explores the hidden dread of a family and the love that binds them together,” A24 states.
The Humans will be in theaters and on Showtime this Thanksgiving.
Documentary: Flee, written and directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, is a 2021 animated documentary film that walks viewers through the journey of a child refugee from Afghanistan. The film is executive produced by Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and produced by Monica Hellström and Signe Byrge Sørensen, with voiceover by Rashid Aitouganov. It has already earned awards such as the Cristal at Annecy and the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, and will be released by Neon Dec. 3. “I hope that people will get some perspective and will be able to relate to the stories of refugees,” Rasmussen said.
Kristin Robinson - Shondaland
Industry Update: MRC announced that Kristin Robinson is now the company’s senior vice president. Emily Spence, who Robinson now reports to, has become the chief communications officer. Robinson was formerly the vice president of Shondaland. At MRC, she will administer external communications across the company’s array of film and television productions.
A24 has hired J.B. Lockhart as its first Chief Financial Officer. Lockhart is joining A24 after serving as the CFO of the NBA over the last four years. This comes at a time when the company is striving towards global growth.