Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Tony Leung says he learnt quickly not to question Marvel while on the set of the 2021 blockbuster, after initially complaining about the film’s fight choreography.
Speaking to Vulture, the Internal Affairs actor said he had “argued with the director” about his character’s fighting style — only to be told it didn’t really matter.
Leung plays Xu Wenwu in the film, the 1,000-year-old father of Shang-Chi and the leader of the Ten Rings organization. And it’s because his character is a millenia old that Leung suggested he should fight using moves from throughout history — rather than the kind of kung fu that movie audiences were used to.
“The production was much bigger than what I had experienced before, and the people were very professional, and we had to finish everything on time every day,” Leung began, discussing the blockbuster’s production. “It’s very efficient, but you can’t improvise. You can’t even change a word.
“At the very beginning, I argued with the director: ‘If a guy comes from 1,000 years ago, the way he fights must be a combination of all martial arts, like MMA today, because he lived through all that time.’ And the director said no.
“I said, ‘Why not? Why just typical kung fu in the ’70s?’ He said, ‘This is Marvel.’ I said, ‘Okay,’ and I didn’t argue anymore.”
Shang-Chi was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who has since gone on to helm the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as well as co-create the successful Disney+ Marvel series Wonder Man.
Five years later, meanwhile, the character of Shang-Chi will finally return in Avengers: Doomsday, due in theaters later this year. Earlier this year, Shang-Chi himself, Simu Liu, insisted a full sequel will eventually happen — despite no word from Marvel itself to make this official.
As for Leung, a legend of Hong Kong and Chinese-language movies, there’s no suggestion he’ll be back as Xu Wenwu anytime soon. The character has since appeared in a couple of Marvel animated series — What If? and Marvel Zombies — though voiced by a different actor.
Image credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
