If you’re not already familiar with Simu Liu from his time on the TV series Kim’s Convenience, you’ll definitely get to know him once he debuts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe later this year. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings arrives in the fall, with Liu bringing to life the martial arts extraordinaire who’s been part of Marvel Comics lore since 1973. But while we’re still waiting for this movie, Liu has taken the opportunity to clarify how both his and Shang-Chi’s names are pronounced.
Maybe you’ve only read the names Simu Liu or Shang-Chi, so the way you pronounce it in your head isn’t accurate. Well, not to worry, as Liu is here to set the record straight for those following him on Twitter, as you’ll read below:
I’ll admit that for all the years I’ve known about Shang-Chi, I thought it was pronounced “Sh-aa-ng,” and I know I’m not alone. That was not the case, but with Shang-Chi finally making the jump to cinematic territory after decades of comic book adventures, it’ll be easier than ever for people to quickly learn it’s pronounced “Shong,” as well as instantly know how to properly say Simu Liu’s name. As for the “Dad” part of Liu’s tweet, that has to be a Kim’s Convenience reference, right?
As things stand now, Shang-Chi isn’t the most well-known Marvel property, especially since outside of the comics, he’s only appeared in a few video games. But once Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings comes out, his popularity will surely skyrocket, just like what happened with the Guardians of the Galaxy and will likely occur with the Eternals, the Marvel property being introduced to the MCU just two months after Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi hits the scene. The first trailer for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings dropped last month, and you’re welcome to rewatch it here:
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings marks Simu Liu’s third feature film, having appeared as an extra in Pacific Rim and starred as Gilbert in Women is Losers, which premiered at South by Southwest this past March. Of course, as mentioned earlier, plenty of people already knew about him from playing Jung Kim in Kim’s Convenience, which was recently cancelled after a five-season run despite having previously been renewed for two more seasons. Liu’s other credits include Orphan Black, Dark Matter, The Expanse and Fresh Off the Boat.
So what can we expect from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings? Well, as shown in the trailer, the eponymous protagonist was raised to be one of the world’s greatest fighters, but he was given 10 years to live a life of his choosing by his father, Wenwu, a.k.a. the real Mandarin, leader of the Ten Rings organization, played by Tony Leung. Then comes the day that Wenwu demands that his son return to his old life, which Shang-Chi is not jazzed about and brings him into conflict with a variety of enemies. The cast also includes Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Fala Chen, Meng'er Zhang, Ronny Chieng and Florian Munteanu.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who also worked on the screenplay with David Callaham and Andrew Lanham, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hits theaters on September 3. Discover what else the MCU is sending to the big screen with our upcoming Marvel movies guide.
