Unless you've been phone-less and sequestered away at summer camp, you've probably heard that Simu Liu is Shang-Chi. Last weekend at Comic-Con, it was officially announced that the Canadian actor would play the title role of Marvel's Master of Kung Fu in the upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Not bad for a former accountant. Liu, who stars as Jung in the hit Canadian sitcom Kim's Convenience, has always dreamed of playing a superhero -- as a kid, he wanted to be a Power Ranger -- and had been dropping not-so-subtle shirtless hints at Marvel for years, via social media, about wanting play Shang-Chi. All that campaigning worked. At least, it didn't hurt. Last week, his lifelong dream became a reality.
Two days after Liu screen-tested for the role of Shang-Chi, he was "at home in his underwear, eating shrimp crackers" when received a call from Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige with the big news: not only had he gotten the part, but he would have to be in San Diego in four days for the big announcement in Hall H.
“Hey how was your weekend?”
— Simu Liu (@SimuLiu) July 22, 2019
Me: pic.twitter.com/tQV0QZ8r5u
"It all came to part in the span of a week, which is the craziest part," Liu tells ET Canada. "You spend your whole life reading about superheroes and maybe one being one and then in just like a day, they're like, 'okay.'"
Check out this great interview with Simu, in which he takes us through his reaction to getting the role:
Imagine getting the call that you've been waiting for your entire life... and then having to keep it a secret. Holding it in. And then announcing it in front of thousands of screaming fans.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, written by Dave Callaham, and co-starring Awkwafina and Tony Leung, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is slated to hit theaters on February 12, 2021.
Ya did it, Simu. Now go to work.
