Marvel's SHANG-CHI Production Shut Down as the Director Self-Isolates and Waits Coronavirus Test Results

Marvel Studios and Disney have decided to temporarily shut down production on their upcoming film Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings. The delay comes after director Destin Daniel Cretton was asked by a doctor to self-isolate over the coronavirus.

According to Variety, Cretton was not feeling symptoms of the virus, but he chose to be tested as a precaution because he is a new father. As he is in self-isolation, he awaits his test results. The movie has been shooting in Australia since February. The second unit will continue production at this time.

Marvel’s shared the following note with the crew:

“As many of you know, Destin, our director,  has a new born baby. He wanted to exercise additional caution given the current environment and decided to get tested for Covid-19 today.  He is currently self-isolating under the recommendation of his doctor. While he waits for the results of the test, we are suspending 1st unit production in an abundance of caution until he gets the results this coming week. Second unit and off production will continue as normal. We will reach out to everyone by Tuesday for the latest update. This is an unprecedented time. We appreciate everyone’s understanding as we work through this.”

It’s unknown if this delay will impact the February 2021 release date of the film. As for the length of the production hold, we just have to wait to see what the director’s test results end up being.

The film stars Simu Lu, Awkwafina, and Tony Leung. Lu plays Shang-Chi, the son of China-based globalist who raised and educated his progeny in his reclusive China compound, closed off to the outside world. The son trained in the martial arts and developed unsurpassed skills.

Shang-Chi is a master of numerous unarmed and weaponry-based wushu styles, including the use of the gun, nunchaku, and jian. The character first appeared in Special Marvel Edition #15 in 1973.