Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-SA-2.0/iDominick (Photo: Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-SA-2.0/iDominick)
Marvel Studios recently announced that it would be developing its first Asian superhero movie. Executives from the studio are hoping that the film about Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu, will be another successful representation for a minority group in Hollywood following the huge response for "Black Panther."
But while there's still no script and a director has not yet been chosen for the Asian-led superhero flick, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have been dream casting the film. One name that always comes up on the list is Chinese-Canadian "Aquaman" actor Ludi Lin. But is he interested?
Lin said in an interview with Screen Rant that he's keen on playing the role of Shang-Chi. He wants to be in a story that's centered on an Asian superhero because it's another "big step towards representation."
The actor also said that it would be an incredible opportunity to become part of the large universe that the Father of Marvel, Stan Lee, built. But if given a chance, Lin would also ideally want to create his superhero.
Lin, who was born in China but spent most of his youth in Australia and Canada, is a Martial Arts expert. He knows Muay Thai and Jui Jitsu and also speaks Cantonese and Mandarin.
The budding star got his first break in Hollywood playing the Black Ranger in the 2017 reboot of "Power Rangers." He's also part of the Netflix series "Marco Polo" and landed the part of Murk in DC's "Aquaman."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel head Kevin Feige has been hoping to increase representation in the MCU. While it's no secret that there are a lot of Asian crew members and supporting cast on the set, Feige wants an Asian to finally be the main focus of its superhero flick.
Asian representation made waves at the Hollywood box office over the summer with the blockbuster hit "Crazy Rich Asians." The film featured an all-Asian cast, which has not happened in the U.S. box office since the release of "The Joy Luck Club" in 1993.
Meanwhile, Marvel has tapped Dave Callahan to write the screenplay for the still-untitled Shang-Chi film. He's credited for the script "Wonder Woman: 1984" and "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2."
The studio also wants an Asian-American director to take the helm so that the movie will remain authentic and true to the identity of the characters to be portrayed. If plans come together, the Shang-Chi film could begin production by 2020.
