One of the stranger lingering questions of the current Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) era has nothing to do with Kang’s overarching plan, who the new Avengers will be, or whether people will finally shut up about She-Hulk twerking. No, it’s why Marvel hasn’t announced a Shang-Chi 2 after the success both critically and box office-wise of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. And now, a new listing in Production Weekly is giving some hope that the Shang-Chi sequel might be moving closer to reality.
To be clear up front, Production Weekly, while a trusted resource for folks in TV and movie production, is openly not necessarily reliable when it comes to scoops of this sort. They do not vet their listings, and, as an example, last week’s hastily deleted Young Avengers listing seemed to come from an online rumor-monger, not the studio itself — though I’d argue a Young Avengers movie happening is a safe bet if there ever was one.
Similarly, trying to imagine Marvel not having some level of planning going for a Shang-Chi 2 seems crazy, as well. The movie grossed $432 million worldwide at the height of the pandemic. The reviews were great. And the movie itself was set up for a sequel. While co-writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton turned his attention to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty for a while, he’s off that now. And rather than due to a fall-out with Marvel, it seemed mutually agreed upon. Now, instead, he’s discussed turning his attention to the Disney+ Marvel series Wonder Man, as well as Shang-Chi 2.
After a break for the SAG-AFTRA strike, Wonder Man is in post-production. Presumably as creator of the series as well as a director, Cretton is involved in said post-production. But it also makes sense he may be able to turn his attention at least partially to Shang-Chi 2. That’s where this Production Weekly listing comes in.
There’s nothing particularly Earth-shattering about the listing, mind you. Most of the information seems to be vestigial from Shang-Chi, including the listing of producers: Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jonathan Schwartz, and Asher Goldstein. The tell there is Victoria Alonso, who has parted ways with Marvel after a fair amount of behind-the-scenes drama. Also listed are Cretton as writer and director, as well as Simu Liu (who played Shang-Chi) as cast.
Everything else tracks, too, from the contact info to the blurb: “Shang-Chi, the master of weaponry-based Kung Fu, is forced to confront his past after being drawn into the Ten Rings organization.” Again, this seems generic versus a surprise synopsis for a Shang-Chi 2.
However, the most intriguing part of the listing is the status, which is simply: 2025.
That could mean anything, of course, but could Shang-Chi 2 be far enough along for a 2025 start of production? Pure speculation, but I’d say… Yes? The original movie came out in 2021, and if Cretton has been working on it in the background for three plus years, that’s plenty of time to get a script in shape. Liu has been ready to reprise the role for years now. And Marvel has untitled movies currently scheduled for February 13, 2026, July 24, 2026 and November 6, 2026.
Disney has been pretty open about — particularly when it comes to Marvel — sticking with safe bets. A sequel to Shang-Chi, a well-regarded movie with a solid fanbase eager to see further adventures, seems about as safe as they come. And if Shang-Chi 2 begins production in 2025, any of those 2026 release dates is well within its reach.
Again: this might be nothing. But hopefully, it’s not. We need Shang-Chi 2 to kick and punch its way into our lives. Make it happen, Disney.
5 thoughts on “Is Shang-Chi 2 Finally Moving Closer To Production?”