title: Anime

text: The opening and credits sequences of most anime television series are accompanied by J-pop or J-rock songs, often by reputed bands—as written with the series in mind—but are also aimed at the general music market, therefore they often allude only vaguely or not at all, to the thematic settings or plot of the series. Also, they are often used as incidental music ("insert songs") in an episode, in order to highlight particularly important scenes.


title: Anime

text: Anime are often classified by target demographic, including , , and a diverse range of genres targeting an adult audience. Shoujo and shounen anime sometimes contain elements popular with children of both sexes in an attempt to gain crossover appeal. Adult anime may feature a slower pace or greater plot complexity that younger audiences may typically find unappealing, as well as adult themes and situations. A subset of adult anime works featuring pornographic elements are labeled "R18" in Japan, and are internationally known as "hentai" (originating from ). By contrast, some anime subgenres incorporate "ecchi", sexual themes or undertones without depictions of sexual intercourse, as typified in the comedic or harem genres; due to its popularity among adolescent and adult anime enthusiasts, the inclusion of such elements is considered a form of fan service. Some genres explore homosexual romances, such as "yaoi" (male homosexuality) and "yuri" (female homosexuality). While often used in a pornographic context, the terms "yaoi" and "yuri" can also be used broadly in a wider context to describe or focus on the themes or the development of the relationships themselves.


title: Anime

text: Anime's genre classification differs from other types of animation and does not lend itself to simple classification. Gilles Poitras compared the labeling "Gundam 0080" and its complex depiction of war as a "giant robot" anime akin to simply labeling "War and Peace" a "war novel". Science fiction is a major anime genre and includes important historical works like Tezuka's "Astro Boy" and Yokoyama's "Tetsujin 28-go". A major subgenre of science fiction is mecha, with the "Gundam" metaseries being iconic. The diverse fantasy genre includes works based on Asian and Western traditions and folklore; examples include the Japanese feudal fairytale "InuYasha", and the depiction of Scandinavian goddesses who move to Japan to maintain a computer called Yggdrasil in "Ah! My Goddess". Genre crossing in anime is also prevalent, such as the blend of fantasy and comedy in "Dragon Half", and the incorporation of slapstick humor in the crime anime film "Castle of Cagliostro". Other subgenres found in anime include magical girl, harem, sports, martial arts, literary adaptations, medievalism, and war.


title: Anime

text: Early anime works were made for theatrical viewing, and required played musical components before sound and vocal components were added to the production. In 1958, Nippon Television aired "Mogura no Abanchūru" ("Mole's Adventure"), both the first televised and first color anime to debut. It was not until the 1960s when the first televised series were broadcast and it has remained a popular medium since. Works released in a direct-to-video format are called "original video animation" (OVA) or "original animation video" (OAV); and are typically not released theatrically or televised prior to home media release. The emergence of the Internet has led some animators to distribute works online in a format called "original net animation" (ONA).


title: Anime

text: The home distribution of anime releases were popularized in the 1980s with the VHS and LaserDisc formats. The VHS NTSC video format used in both Japan and the United States is credited as aiding the rising popularity of anime in the 1990s. The LaserDisc and VHS formats were transcended by the DVD format which offered the unique advantages; including multiple subtitling and dubbing tracks on the same disc. The DVD format also has its drawbacks in its usage of region coding; adopted by the industry to solve licensing, piracy and export problems and restricted region indicated on the DVD player. The Video CD (VCD) format was popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but became only a minor format in the United States that was closely associated with bootleg copies.


title: Anime

text: A key characteristic of many anime television shows is serialization, where a continuous story arc stretches over multiple episodes or seasons. Traditional American television had an episodic format, with each episode typically consisting of a self-contained story. In contrast, anime shows such as "Dragon Ball Z" had a serialization format, where continuous story arcs stretch over multiple episodes or seasons, which distinguished them from traditional American television shows; serialization has since also become a common characteristic of American streaming television shows during the "Peak TV" era.


title: Anime

text: The animation industry consists of more than 430 production companies with some of the major studios including Toei Animation, Gainax, Madhouse, Gonzo, Sunrise, Bones, TMS Entertainment, Nippon Animation, P.A.Works, Studio Pierrot, Production I.G, Ufotable and Studio Ghibli. Many of the studios are organized into a trade association, The Association of Japanese Animations. There is also a labor union for workers in the industry, the Japanese Animation Creators Association. Studios will often work together to produce more complex and costly projects, as done with Studio Ghibli's "Spirited Away". An anime episode can cost between US$100,000 and US$300,000 to produce. In 2001, animation accounted for 7% of the Japanese film market, above the 4.6% market share for live-action works. The popularity and success of anime is seen through the profitability of the DVD market, contributing nearly 70% of total sales. According to a 2016 article on Nikkei Asian Review, Japanese television stations have bought over worth of anime from production companies "over the past few years", compared with under from overseas. There has been a rise in sales of shows to television stations in Japan, caused by late night anime with adults as the target demographic. This type of anime is less popular outside Japan, being considered "more of a niche product". "Spirited Away" (2001) was the all-time highest-grossing film in Japan until being surpassed by . It was also the highest-grossing anime film worldwide until it was overtaken by Makoto Shinkai's 2016 film "Your Name". Anime films represent a large part of the highest-grossing Japanese films yearly in Japan, with 6 out of the top 10 in 2014, in 2015 and also in 2016.


title: Anime

text: Anime has to be licensed by companies in other countries in order to be legally released. While anime has been licensed by its Japanese owners for use outside Japan since at least the 1960s, the practice became well-established in the United States in the late 1970s to early 1980s, when such TV series as "Gatchaman" and "Captain Harlock" were licensed from their Japanese parent companies for distribution in the US market. The trend towards American distribution of anime continued into the 1980s with the licensing of titles such as "Voltron" and the 'creation' of new series such as "Robotech" through use of source material from several original series.


title: Anime

text: In the early 1990s, several companies began to experiment with the licensing of less children-oriented material. Some, such as A.D. Vision, and Central Park Media and its imprints, achieved fairly substantial commercial success and went on to become major players in the now very lucrative American anime market. Others, such as AnimEigo, achieved limited success. Many companies created directly by Japanese parent companies did not do as well, most releasing only one or two titles before completing their American operations.


title: Anime

text: Licenses are expensive, often hundreds of thousands of dollars for one series and tens of thousands for one movie. The prices vary widely; for example, "" cost only $91,000 to license while "Kurau Phantom Memory" cost $960,000. Simulcast Internet streaming rights can be cheaper, with prices around $1,000-$2,000 an episode, but can also be more expensive, with some series costing more than per episode.


title: Anime

text: The anime market for the United States was worth approximately $2.74 billion in 2009, today in 2022 the anime market for the United States is worth approximately $25 billion. Dubbed animation began airing in the United States in 2000 on networks like The WB and Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. In 2005, this resulted in five of the top ten anime titles having previously aired on Cartoon Network. As a part of localization, some editing of cultural references may occur to better follow the references of the non-Japanese culture. The cost of English localization averages US$10,000 per episode.


title: Anime

text: The industry has been subject to both praise and condemnation for fansubs, the addition of unlicensed and unauthorized subtitled translations of anime series or films. Fansubs, which were originally distributed on VHS bootlegged cassettes in the 1980s, have been freely available and disseminated online since the 1990s. Since this practice raises concerns for copyright and piracy issues, fansubbers tend to adhere to an unwritten moral code to destroy or no longer distribute an anime once an official translated or subtitled version becomes licensed. They also try to encourage viewers to buy an official copy of the release once it comes out in English, although fansubs typically continue to circulate through file-sharing networks. Even so, the laid back regulations of the Japanese animation industry tend to overlook these issues, allowing it to grow underground and thus increasing the popularity until there is a demand for official high-quality releases for animation companies. This has led to an increase in global popularity with Japanese animations, reaching $40 million in sales in 2004.


title: Anime

text: Since the 2010s anime has become a global multibillion industry setting a sales record in 2017 of ¥2.15 trillion ($19.8 billion), driven largely by demand from overseas audiences. In 2019, Japan's anime industry was valued at $24 billion a year with 48% of that revenue coming from overseas (which is now its largest industry sector). By 2025 the anime industry is expected to reach a value of $30 billion with over 60% of that revenue to come from


title: Anime

text: Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) valued the domestic anime market in Japan at (), including from licensed products, in 2005. JETRO reported sales of overseas anime exports in 2004 to be (). JETRO valued the anime market in the United States at (), including in home video sales and over from licensed products, in 2005. JETRO projected in 2005 that the worldwide anime market, including sales of licensed products, would grow to (). The anime market in China was valued at in 2017, and is projected to reach by 2020. By 2030 the global anime market is expected to reach a value of $48.3 Billion with the largest contributors to this growth being North America, Europe, China and The Middle East.


title: Anime

text: In 2019, the annual overseas exports of Japanese animation exceeded $10 billion for the first time in history.


title: Anime

text: The anime industry has several annual awards that honor the year's best works. Major annual awards in Japan include the Ōfuji Noburō Award, the Mainichi Film Award for Best Animation Film, the Animation Kobe Awards, the Japan Media Arts Festival animation awards, the Tokyo Anime Award and the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year. In the United States, anime films compete in the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. There were also the American Anime Awards, which were designed to recognize excellence in anime titles nominated by the industry, and were held only once in 2006. Anime productions have also been nominated and won awards not exclusively for anime, like the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature or the Golden Bear.


title: Anime

text: In recent years, the anime industry has been accused by both Japanese and foreign media for underpaying and overworking its animators. In response the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promised to improve the working conditions and salary of all animators and creators working in the industry. A few anime studios such as MAPPA have taken actions to improve the working conditions of their employees. There has also been a slight increase in production costs and animator pays during the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Anime

text: Anime has become commercially profitable in Western countries, as demonstrated by early commercially successful Western adaptations of anime, such as "Astro Boy" and "Speed Racer". Early American adaptions in the 1960s made Japan expand into the continental European market, first with productions aimed at European and Japanese children, such as "Heidi", "Vicky the Viking" and "Barbapapa", which aired in various countries. Italy, Spain, and France grew a particular interest into Japan's output, due to its cheap selling price and productive output. In fact, Italy imported the most anime outside of Japan. These mass imports influenced anime popularity in South American, Arabic and German markets.


title: Anime

text: The beginning of 1980 saw the introduction of Japanese anime series into the American culture. In the 1990s, Japanese animation slowly gained popularity in America. Media companies such as Viz and Mixx began publishing and releasing animation into the American market. The 1988 film "Akira" is largely credited with popularizing anime in the Western world during the early 1990s, before anime was further popularized by television shows such as "Pokémon" and "Dragon Ball Z" in the late 1990s. By 1997, Japanese anime was the fastest-growing genre in the American video industry. The growth of the Internet later provided international audiences an easy way to access Japanese content. Early on, online piracy played a major role in this, through over time many legal alternatives appeared. Since the 2010s various streaming services have become increasingly involved in the production and licensing of anime for the international markets. This is especially the case with net services such as Netflix and Crunchyroll which have large catalogs in Western countries, although as of 2020 anime fans in many developing non-Western countries, such as India and Philippines, have fewer options of obtaining access to legal content, and therefore still turn to online piracy. However beginning with the early 2020s anime has been experiencing yet another boom in global popularity and demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic and streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Hulu and anime-only services like Crunchyroll, increasing the international availability of the amount of new licensed anime shows as well as the size of their catalogs.


title: Anime

text: Netflix reported that, between October 2019 and September 2020, more than member households worldwide had watched at least one anime title on the platform. Anime titles appeared on the streaming platforms top 10 lists in almost 100 countries within the 1-year period.


title: Anime

text: As of 2021, Japanese anime are the most demanded foreign language shows in the United States accounting for 30.5% of the market share(In comparison, Spanish and Korean shows account for 21% and 11% of the market share). In 2021 more than half of Netflix's global members watched anime.


title: Anime

text: In 2022, the anime series "Attack on Titan" won the award of "Most In-Demand TV Series in the World 2021" in the Global TV Demand Awards. "Attack on Titan" became the first ever non-English language series to earn the title of "World's Most In-Demand TV Show", previously held by only "The Walking Dead" and "Game of Thrones".


title: Anime

text: Rising interest in anime as well as Japanese video games has led to an increase of university students in the United Kingdom wanting to get a degree in the Japanese language.


title: Anime

text: Various anime and manga series have influenced Hollywood in the making of numerous famous movies and characters. Hollywood itself has produced live-action adaptations of various anime series such as "Ghost in the Shell", "Death Note", "Dragon Ball Evolution" and "Cowboy Bebop". However most of these adaptations have been reviewed negatively by both the critics and the audience and have become box-office flops. The main reasons for the unsuccessfulness of Hollywood's adaptions of anime being the often change of plot and characters from the original source material and the limited capabilities a live-action movie or series can do in comparison to an animated counterpart. One particular exception however is "", which has become a moderate commercial success, receiving generally positive reviews from both the critics and the audience for its visual effects and following the source material. The movie grossed $404 million worldwide, making it directors Robert Rodriguez's highest-grossing film.


title: Anime

text: Anime alongside many other parts of Japanese pop culture has helped Japan to gain a positive worldwide image and improve its relations with other countries. In 2015, during remarks welcoming Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the White House, President Barack Obama thanked Japan for its cultural contributions to the United States by saying:


title: Anime

text: In July 2020, after the approval of a Chilean government project in which citizens of Chile would be allowed to withdraw up to 10% of their privately held retirement savings, journalist Pamela Jiles celebrated by running through Congress with her arms spread out behind her, imitating the move of many characters of the anime and manga series "Naruto". In April 2021, Peruvian politicians Jorge Hugo Romero of the PPC and Milagros Juárez of the UPP cosplayed as anime characters to get the "otaku" vote.


title: Anime

text: A 2018 survey conducted in 20 countries and territories using a sample consisting of 6,600 respondents held by Dentsu revealed that 34% of all surveyed people found excellency in anime and manga more than other Japanese cultural or technological aspects which makes this mass Japanese media the 3rd most liked "Japanese thing", below Japanese cuisine (34.6%) and Japanese robotics (35.1%). The advertisement company views anime as a profitable tool for marketing campaigns in foreign countries due its popularity and high reception.


title: Anime

text: Anime plays a role in driving tourism to Japan. In surveys held by Statista between 2019 and 2020, 24.2% of tourists from the United States, 7.7% of tourists from China and 6.1% of tourists from South Korea said they were motivated to visit Japan because of Japanese popular culture. In a 2021 survey held by Crunchyroll market research, 94% of Gen-Z's and 73% of the general population said that they are familiar with anime.


title: Anime

text: Anime clubs gave rise to anime conventions in the 1990s with the "anime boom", a period marked by anime's increased global popularity. These conventions are dedicated to anime and manga and include elements like cosplay contests and industry talk panels. Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is not unique to anime and has become popular in contests and masquerades at anime conventions. Japanese culture and words have entered English usage through the popularity of the medium, including "otaku", an unflattering Japanese term commonly used in English to denote an obsessive fan of anime and/or manga. Another word that has arisen describing obsessive fans in the United States is "wapanese" meaning 'white individuals who want to be Japanese', or later known as "weeaboo" or "weeb", individuals who demonstrate an obsession in Japanese anime subculture, a term that originated from abusive content posted on the website 4chan.org. While originally derogatory, the terms "Otaku" and "Weeb" have been reappropriated by some in the anime fandom overtime and today are used by some fans to refer to themselves in a comedic and more positive way.


title: Anime

text: Anime enthusiasts have produced fan fiction and fan art, including computer wallpapers and anime music videos (AMVs).


title: Anime

text: Many fans will visit sites depicted in anime, games, manga and other forms of otaku culture, this behavior is known as Anime pilgrimage


title: Anime

text: As of the 2020s, many anime fans use social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Reddit and Twitter (which has added an entire "anime and manga" category of topics)


title: Anime

text: with online communities and databases such as MyAnimeList to discuss anime, manga and track their progress watching respective series as well as using news outlets such as Anime News Network.


title: Anime

text: Due to anime's increased popularity in recent years, a large number of celebrities such as Elon Musk, BTS and Ariana Grande have come out as anime fans.


title: Anime

text: One of the key points that made anime different from a handful of Western cartoons is the potential for visceral content. Once the expectation that the aspects of visual intrigue or animation being just for children is put aside, the audience can realize that themes involving violence, suffering, sexuality, pain, and death can all be storytelling elements utilized in anime just as much as other media. However, as anime itself became increasingly popular, its styling has been inevitably the subject of both satire and serious creative productions. "South Park"s "Chinpokomon" and "Good Times with Weapons" episodes, Adult Swim's "Perfect Hair Forever", and Nickelodeon's "Kappa Mikey" are examples of Western satirical depictions of Japanese culture and anime, but anime tropes have also been satirized by some anime such as "KonoSuba."


title: Anime

text: Traditionally only Japanese works have been considered anime, but some works have sparked debate for blurring the lines between anime and cartoons, such as the American anime-style production "". These anime-styled works have become defined as anime-influenced animation, in an attempt to classify all anime styled works of non-Japanese origin. Some creators of these works cite anime as a source of inspiration, for example the French production team for "Ōban Star-Racers" that moved to Tokyo to collaborate with a Japanese production team. When anime is defined as a "style" rather than as a national product, it leaves open the possibility of anime being produced in other countries, but this has been contentious amongst fans, with John Oppliger stating, "The insistence on referring to original American art as Japanese "anime" or "manga" robs the work of its cultural identity."


title: Anime

text: A U.A.E.-Filipino produced TV series called "Torkaizer" is dubbed as the "Middle East's First Anime Show", and is currently in production and looking for funding. Netflix has produced multiple anime series in collaboration with Japanese animation studios, and in doing so, has offered a more accessible channel for distribution to Western markets.


title: Anime

text: The web-based series "RWBY", produced by Texas-based company Rooster Teeth, is produced using an anime art style, and the series has been described as "anime" by multiple sources. For example, "Adweek", in the headline to one of its articles, described the series as "American-made anime", and in another headline, "The Huffington Post" described it as simply "anime", without referencing its country of origin. In 2013, Monty Oum, the creator of "RWBY", said "Some believe just like Scotch needs to be made in Scotland, an American company can't make anime. I think that's a narrow way of seeing it. Anime is an art form, and to say only one country can make this art is wrong." "RWBY" has been released in Japan with a Japanese language dub; the CEO of Rooster Teeth, Matt Hullum, commented "This is the first time any American-made anime has been marketed to Japan. It definitely usually works the other way around, and we're really pleased about that."


title: Anime

text: In Japanese culture and entertainment, media mix is a strategy to disperse content across multiple representations: different broadcast media, gaming technologies, cell phones, toys, amusement parks, and other methods. It is the Japanese term for a transmedia franchise. The term gained its circulation in late 1980s, but the origins of the strategy can be traced back to the 1960s with the proliferation of anime, with its interconnection of media and commodity goods.


title: Anime

text: A number of anime and manga media franchises such as "", "Dragon Ball" and "Gundam" have gained considerable global popularity, and are among the world's highest-grossing media franchises. "Pokémon" in particular is estimated to be the highest-grossing media franchise of all time.


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: Chloë Grace Moretz (; born February 10, 1997) is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including four MTV Movie & TV Awards, two People's Choice Awards, two Saturn Awards, and two Young Artist Awards.


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: She began acting as a child, with early roles in the supernatural horror film "The Amityville Horror" (2005), the drama series "Desperate Housewives" (2006–07), the supernatural horror film "The Eye" (2008), the drama film "The Poker House" (2008), the drama series "Dirty Sexy Money" (2007–08), the romantic comedy film "500 Days of Summer" (2009) and the children's comedy film "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" (2010). Her breakthrough came in 2010 with her critically acclaimed performances as Hit-Girl in the superhero film "Kick-Ass" and as a child vampire in the horror film "Let Me In".


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: Moretz starred in Martin Scorsese's historical adventure film "Hugo" (2011), Tim Burton's horror comedy film "Dark Shadows" (2012), the satirical sitcom "30 Rock" (2011–2013), reprised her role as Hit-Girl in "Kick-Ass 2" (2013) and portrayed Carrie White in the supernatural horror film "Carrie" (2013). In 2014, Moretz starred in the award-winning drama film "Clouds of Sils Maria" (2014), the teen romantic drama "If I Stay" (2014) and the vigilante action film "The Equalizer" (2014). She also starred in the mystery thriller film "Dark Places" (2015), the science fiction action film "The 5th Wave" (2016) and the comedy film "" (2016).


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: In 2016, Moretz announced she was "re-assessing" her choice of roles and was dropping out of several projects, including Universal Studios' live-action adaptation of "The Little Mermaid". Moretz's following roles include the drama film "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" (2018), Neil Jordan's drama thriller film "Greta" (2018), the action horror film "Shadow in the Cloud" (2020) and the science fiction film "Mother/Android" (2021). She voiced Wednesday Addams in "The Addams Family" (2019) and "The Addams Family 2" (2021). Moretz's stage work includes her starring role in the original off-Broadway production of "The Library" (2014) at The Public Theater in New York City.


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: Moretz was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Cartersville, Georgia. Her mother, Teri Duke, is a nurse practitioner, and her father, Dr. McCoy "Mac" Moretz (1957–2021), was a plastic surgeon, and heir to the Moretz hosiery business, bought out in 2011 for $350 million. She has four older brothers: Brandon, Trevor, Colin, and Ethan; an older sister, Kathleen, died shortly after birth. She has described her family as "very Christian", specifically Southern Baptist. She moved to New York City in 2002, with her mother and brother Trevor, because he had been accepted into the Professional Performing Arts School, which is what first drew her interest in acting. Moretz would help Trevor read lines.


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: Moretz's first acting role was as Violet in two episodes of the CBS series "The Guardian," and her first film role was as Molly in "Heart of the Beholder." It was not until her second big-screen acting role, in the 2005 remake of "The Amityville Horror," that she earned greater recognition, receiving a Young Artist Award nomination. After "Amityville", Moretz received several guest-starring roles on TV, as well as a small role in "Big Momma's House 2." Her recurring TV characters include Kiki George in "Dirty Sexy Money" and Sherri Maltby in "Desperate Housewives." Moretz also voiced the U.S. version of the animated character Darby in "My Friends Tigger & Pooh." Moretz also co-starred as Cammie, an abused child, in "The Poker House."


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: In 2010, Moretz appeared as Hit-Girl in director Matthew Vaughn's action film "Kick-Ass", based on the comic book series of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. Moretz trained with Jackie Chan's stunt crew for three months prior to filming and did most of her own stunts while filming on location. Because of her youth, there was controversy about her role in the violent film. She received critical acclaim for her performance. Roger Ebert gave the film only one star, but wrote about Moretz: "Say what you will about her character, but Chloë Grace Moretz has presence and appeal." That same year, she played Abby, a 12-year-old vampire, in "Let Me In" (2010), the UK/US remake of the Swedish film "Let the Right One In".


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: Moretz played Ann Sliger in the 2011 crime thriller "Texas Killing Fields". That same year, she played Isabelle in Martin Scorsese's "Hugo", a 3D film adaptation of "The Invention of Hugo Cabret", which was nominated for eleven Oscars. Moretz starred in "Hick," an adaptation of the novel by Andrea Portes. She appeared in the 2012 Tim Burton film "Dark Shadows," a remake of the soap opera, playing the role of Carolyn Stoddard, a rebellious teenage daughter.


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: In 2013, she reprised her role as Hit-Girl in the sequel "Kick-Ass 2". The same year, she appeared in a short segment in the film "Movie 43" and played the title character in "Carrie", a remake of the 1976 film, directed by Kimberly Peirce.


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: Moretz has done voice work for video games. She reprised her role as Hit-Girl for "", and played young Lady Emily in "Dishonored". When asked in October 2012 why she tends to gravitate towards playing darker, troubled characters, Moretz responded that she has such a happy family life, and finds it challenging to play characters who are significantly different. From March 25 through April 27, 2014, Moretz made her Off-Broadway debut in "The Library", directed by Steven Soderbergh.


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: Moretz played the protagonist, Mia, in the adaptation of Gayle Forman's "If I Stay" (2014). The story follows a 17-year-old classical musician as she deals with the aftermath of a catastrophic car accident involving her family and has an out-of-body experience. Critical response to the film was mixed; a 35% positive rating based on 122 reviews and an average rating of 5/10 garnered by Rotten Tomatoes was accompanied by a critics' consensus praising Moretz for giving the performance "her all". Moretz subsequently starred as Cassie Sullivan in "The 5th Wave", an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Rick Yancey. The film was released in January 2016. Hannah Minghella of Sony Pictures said Moretz "embodies the heart, strength and determination that make Cassie such a compelling character."


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: In April 2016, Moretz was chosen to serve as one of three members of the Narrative Short Film Competition jury for the Tribeca Film Festival, alongside Mike Birbiglia and Sheila Nevins. Also that year, she co-starred with Zac Efron and Seth Rogen in the film "", the sequel to "Neighbors"; and headlined the drama film "Brain on Fire", based on the memoir "Brain on Fire" by Susannah Cahalan.


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: In November 2015, Moretz was attached to Shane Carruth's third film, "The Modern Ocean". The ensemble cast includes Asa Butterfield, Anne Hathaway, Daniel Radcliffe and Keanu Reeves. Also in November, Moretz was announced as the star of Universal Studios' live-action version of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid," to be written by Richard Curtis, though she later left the project.


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: In a 2016 interview with "The Hollywood Reporter", Moretz revealed she had dropped out of all the unproduced film projects she was attached to. The only announced film this affected was "The Little Mermaid", since several other films she was slated to appear in were already in post-production. She explained, "I want to reassess who I am and find myself within my roles again. I'm realizing that I can slow down." She said the workload that came from being in several films a year "was causing her to lose sight of [the reason] she started acting and instead focus on [her films' box office receipts]." She stated she would focus on producing, including two television projects. This was taken by some media outlets as Moretz taking a hiatus from acting, so in a later interview, she clarified that she was not taking time off, saying: "I'm just becoming more picky and particular about what roles I'm choosing. I think as an actor you have a huge opportunity to find yourself through the roles that you choose. I think it's my time, right now in my life, to figure out who I am and what I am and what I want and what this industry means... Why not sit back, slow down, realize I'm 19 and go, 'Hey, let's make stuff that really, really hits hard with who I am and helps me figure out what it means to be a 19-year-old actor who is just doing her thing.'"


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: In 2017, Moretz co-starred again with Ansel Elgort, in the crime drama "November Criminals". That same year, she starred in the comedy-drama "I Love You, Daddy", directed by Louis C.K. which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it received negative reviews from critics. Following sexual misconduct allegations against C.K. the film's release was canceled by media company The Orchard, which had acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film as well as international distributors. In the aftermath of the scandal, Moretz stated, "I think it should just kind of go away, honestly. I don't think it's time for them to have a voice right now," referring to men accused of sexual misconduct. "Of course, it's devastating to put time into a project and have it disappear, [...] [b]ut at the same time, this <nowiki>[</nowiki>Me Too<nowiki>]</nowiki> movement is so powerful and so progressive that I'm just happy to be in communication with everyone and to see the big change in the face of the industry, which I think is very, very real."


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: In 2018, Moretz starred in the drama film "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" opposite Sasha Lane and Forrest Goodluck revolving around a teenage girl who is sent to a conversion camp. The film received positive reviews from critics, praising Moretz's performance. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize. The film was released on August 3, 2018, by FilmRise. She next appeared in the horror film "Suspiria", a remake of the 1977 film of the same name directed by Luca Guadagnino which had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September 2018. It received mixed reviews from critics, and performed poorly at the box office. She then starred opposite Isabelle Huppert in "Greta", a thriller film, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2018. It was released on March 1, 2019, by Focus Features.


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: In 2019, Moretz voiced Wednesday Addams in the CGI animated film "The Addams Family", which received mixed reviews from critics. In 2021, she appeared in the live-action/animated film "Tom & Jerry", directed by Tim Story; "Shadow in the Cloud", a horror-thriller directed by Roseanne Liang, and the sequel "The Addams Family 2". She signed on for a role in Mattson Tomlin's first film as director, "Mother/Android", and appeared in the Amazon Prime Video series "The Peripheral".


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: In 2021, Moretz executive produced the six-part Snapchat Original series, "Coming Out". highlighting young LGBTQ people. In an interview with "The Advocate", she said, "I hope it is a show that will help to save lives by sharing what coming out means to each individualthat no single 'coming out' story is the same, each one is unique."


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: She is set to voice the title character in the animated film "Nimona", to be released on Netflix in 2023.


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: Moretz has appeared in photo shoots, including editorials, features and covers, for magazines including "Flaunt", "Vogue", "Teen Vogue", "Jalouse", "Marie Claire", "Interview", "Elle", "Love", "Crash Magazine", "InStyle" and many others. She has also been invited to various haute couture events, such as Dior Spring/Summer 2013 at Paris Fashion Week. Max Mara's signature in 2012 granted her the "Max Mara Face of the Future" award. In 2012, Moretz also became the face of American youth clothing retailer Aéropostale, appearing at various events, videos and reports. In February 2013, "Elle" magazine awarded her with the "Next Future Icon Award" at the "Elle" Style Awards gala held in London.


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: Moretz resides in Studio City, Los Angeles. Her brother Brandon serves as her business manager; her brother Trevor has been her acting coach since 2010, and accompanied her on trips and press dates when her parents were unable to attend.


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: In December 2014, Moretz confirmed she was dating English model and photographer Brooklyn Beckham. She attended the 2016 Democratic National Convention with Beckham in support of Hillary Clinton. In August 2018 she confirmed that after dating on and off for four years, they had broken up.


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: Moretz has publicly supported LGBT equality. Two of her brothers are gay; Moretz states they had initially tried to "pray the gay away" to appease their community. She identifies as a feminist and has turned down film roles that she found to be overtly sexualized. She took on the role of a teenage prostitute in the 2014 film "The Equalizer" because her character "felt so real", rather than a "plot device". In October 2014, Moretz was named one of the 25 Most Influential Teens of the year by "Time" magazine.


title: Chloë Grace Moretz

text: In 2016, Moretz voiced her support for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on the South Korean show "The Brainiacs/Problematic Men". She also appeared as a speaker at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in July 2016, praising Clinton and encouraging young people to vote.


Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a 2021 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Shang-Chi. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, from a screenplay he wrote with Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham, and stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi alongside Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Yuen Wah, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung. In the film, Shang-Chi is forced to confront his past when his father Wenwu (Leung), the leader of the Ten Rings organization, draws Shang-Chi and his sister Xialing (Zhang) into a search for a mythical village.


A film based on Shang-Chi entered development in 2001, but work did not begin in earnest until December 2018 when Callaham was hired. Cretton joined in March 2019, with the project fast-tracked as Marvel's first film with an Asian lead. The film's title and primary cast were announced that July, revealing the film's connection to the Ten Rings organization, which previously appeared throughout the MCU, and its leader Wenwu. "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" is the first Marvel Studios film with an Asian director and a predominantly Asian cast. Filming began in Sydney in February 2020 but was put on hold in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed in August before completing in October, with additional shooting occurring in San Francisco.


"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" premiered in Los Angeles on August 16, 2021, and was released in the United States on September 3, as part of of the MCU. It grossed over $432 million worldwide, making it the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2021. It set several box office records and received positive reviews from critics, many of whom praised the choreography of the action sequences, exploration and representation of Asian culture, Cretton's direction, and the performances from the cast, particularly those of Liu and Leung. The film received numerous awards and nominations, including a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 94th Academy Awards. A sequel is in development, with Cretton set to return as writer and director.


title: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

text: Around a thousand years ago, Xu Wenwu discovers the mystical ten rings which grant godly powers including immortality. He establishes the Ten Rings organization, conquering kingdoms and toppling governments throughout history. In 1996, Wenwu searches for Ta Lo, a village said to harbor mythical beasts. He travels through a magical forest to the village entrance but is stopped by a guardian, Ying Li. The two fall in love, and when the Ta Lo villagers reject Wenwu, Li chooses to leave with him. They marry and have two children, Shang-Chi and Xialing. Wenwu abandons his organization and locks away the ten rings.


text: When Shang-Chi is seven years old, Li is murdered by Wenwu's enemies, the Iron Gang. Wenwu dons the ten rings once again, massacres the Iron Gang, and resumes leadership of his organization. He makes Shang-Chi undergo brutal training in martial arts but does not allow Xialing to train with the others, prompting her to secretly teach herself. When Shang-Chi is 14, Wenwu sends him to assassinate the Iron Gang's leader. After completing his mission, a traumatized Shang-Chi runs away to San Francisco and adopts the name "Shaun".


text: In the present day, Shang-Chi works as a parking valet with his best friend Katy, who does not know about his past. They are attacked on a bus by the Ten Rings, who steal a pendant that Li gave to Shang-Chi. Shang-Chi flies out to meet his sister, fearing that the Ten Rings will go after her matching pendant. He reveals his past to Katy, who insists on helping him. They find Xialing at a secret fight club in Macau, which she founded after escaping from Wenwu at sixteen. The Ten Rings attack the fight club, and Wenwu arrives to capture Shang-Chi, Katy, Xialing, and her pendant.


text: They are taken to the Ten Rings' compound, where Wenwu uses the pendants to reveal a mystical map leading to Ta Lo. Wenwu explains that he has heard Li calling and believes she has been held captive in Ta Lo behind a sealed gate. He plans to destroy the village unless they release her. When his children and Katy object, he imprisons them. The three meet former actor Trevor Slattery, whom the Ten Rings imprisoned for impersonating Wenwu, and his hundun companion Morris, who offers to guide them to Ta Lo.


text: The group escapes and goes to Ta Lo, which exists in a separate dimension with various Chinese mythological creatures. They meet Ying Nan, Li's sister, who explains the history of Ta Lo: thousands of years ago, the universe containing the village was attacked by the soul-consuming Dweller-in-Darkness and its soul eaters, but was saved by a Chinese dragon called the Great Protector who helped seal the Dark Gate to the Dweller's world. According to Nan, the Dweller-in-Darkness has been impersonating Li so that Wenwu will use the ten rings to open the Gate. Shang-Chi, Xialing, and Katy join the villagers in training and preparing for Wenwu's arrival, using outfits and weapons crafted from dragon scales.


text: Wenwu and the Ten Rings arrive and attack. Wenwu overpowers Shang-Chi, pushes him into the nearby lake, and attacks the Gate with the rings. This allows some of the Dweller's soul eaters to escape, and the Ten Rings join forces with the villagers to fight them. The Great Protector revives Shang-Chi and bears him from the lake to battle the soul eaters. Wenwu and Shang-Chi fight once more, and Shang-Chi gains the upper hand but chooses to spare Wenwu. The Dweller-in-Darkness escapes the weakened Gate and attacks Shang-Chi. Wenwu saves Shang-Chi, bequeathing him the rings before the Dweller-in-Darkness kills him. Shang-Chi, the Great Protector, Xialing, and Katy slay the Dweller-in-Darkness. Afterward, Shang-Chi and Katy return to San Francisco, where the sorcerer Wong summons them to Kamar-Taj.


text: In a mid-credits scene, Wong introduces Shang-Chi and Katy to Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers while researching the rings' origin. They discover that the rings are acting as a beacon to something. In a post-credits scene, Xialing becomes the new leader of the Ten Rings, training women alongside men, despite having told Shang-Chi that she would disband the organization.


text: Also appearing in the film are Ronny Chieng as Jon Jon, Xialing's right-hand man and announcer at her underground fighting club; Jodi Long as Mrs. Chen, Katy's mother; Dallas Liu as Ruihua, Katy's brother; Paul He as Chancellor Hui; Tsai Chin as Katy's grandmother; Andy Le as Death Dealer, one of Wenwu's assassins who trained Shang-Chi in his youth; Stephanie Hsu and Kunal Dudheker as Soo and John, married friends of Shang-Chi and Katy; Zach Cherry as Klev, a bus rider who livestreams one of Shang-Chi's fights (after portraying a street vendor in 2017's ""); and Dee Baker as the voice of Morris, a hundun who befriends Slattery. Jade Xu reprises her role as a Black Widow named Helen from "Black Widow" (2021), while Tim Roth provides uncredited vocals for his "The Incredible Hulk" (2008) character Emil Blonsky / Abomination. Mark Ruffalo and Brie Larson appear uncredited in the mid-credits scene as Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, respectively, reprising their MCU roles.


text: According to Margaret Loesch, former president and CEO of Marvel Productions, Stan Lee discussed a potential film or television series based on the Marvel Comics character Shang-Chi with actor Brandon Lee and his mother Linda Lee during the 1980s, with the intention of having Brandon Lee star as the character. Brandon's father, martial arts legend Bruce Lee, was the visual inspiration for artist Paul Gulacy when drawing Shang-Chi during his tenure on the "Master of Kung Fu" comic book series in the 1970s. In 2001, Stephen Norrington signed a deal to direct a Shang-Chi film entitled "The Hands of Shang-Chi". By 2003, the film was in development at DreamWorks Pictures with Yuen Woo-Ping replacing Norrington as director and Bruce C. McKenna hired to write the screenplay. Ang Lee joined the project as a producer in 2004, but the film did not materialize after that point and the rights to the character reverted to Marvel. In September 2005, Marvel chairman and CEO Avi Arad announced Shang-Chi as one of ten properties being developed as films by the newly formed Marvel Studios, after the company received financing to produce the slate of ten films which were to be distributed by Paramount Pictures. Shang-Chi was put on a list of characters that Marvel thought could make great films despite being relatively unknown, since he had a "very Disney story" in the comic books.


text: The Ten Rings were featured in the first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film, "Iron Man" (2008), without their leader the Mandarin. Marvel Studios then planned to feature the Mandarin in a film that could do the character "supreme justice" and showcase his complexity, which Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige felt they could not do in the "Iron Man" films because those focused on Tony Stark / Iron Man. According to Chris Fenton, former president of the Chinese-based film production company DMG Entertainment that was in talks with Marvel Studios to co-produce their films, Marvel offered to create a teaser featuring either Shang-Chi or the Mandarin for the Chinese market that would be featured at the end of "The Avengers" (2012). DMG balked at the offer, since the Mandarin's negative stereotypical portrayal in the comics could potentially prevent the film from releasing in China and risk shutting down DMG as a company. The Mandarin would eventually appear in the DMG co-produced film "Iron Man 3" (2013) portrayed by Ben Kingsley, but he is revealed to be imposter Trevor Slattery posing as the Mandarin. Feige felt this fake Mandarin did not necessarily mean that a more faithful version of the character did not exist in the MCU.


text: By December 2018, Marvel had fast-tracked development of a Shang-Chi film with the intent of making it their first film with an Asian lead. Marvel hired Chinese-American writer Dave Callaham to write the screenplay, and began looking at Asian and Asian-American filmmakers to potentially direct the film. The studios' goal was to explore Asian and Asian-American themes presented by Asian and Asian-American filmmakers, as they had done for African and African-American culture with "Black Panther" earlier in 2018. Development of the film also came following the success of the film "Crazy Rich Asians" that was likewise released earlier in 2018 and led to several other Asian-led properties being developed by Hollywood studios. Callaham's script was expected to modernize elements of the character's comic book story, which was first written in the 1970s, to avoid what modern audiences would consider to be negative stereotypes. When Callaham began work on the script, he became emotional realizing it was the first project where he was asked to write "from my own experience, from my own perspective". Jessica Gao, who would later become the head writer of the TV series "" (2022), had also presented a pitch for the film. Richard Newby of "The Hollywood Reporter" said the film could "break out in a way similar to "Black Panther"" by bringing a new perspective to the character. Newby felt Shang-Chi could have worked well as a television series, and said it "speaks volumes" that Marvel would decide to make a feature film about the character instead. Newby concluded that the film was an opportunity to avoid stereotypes about Asian martial artists and be "more than Marvel's Bruce Lee".


text: Marvel Studios hired Japanese-American filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton to direct the film in March 2019. Deborah Chow—who previously directed episodes of Marvel Television's "Iron Fist" and "Jessica Jones" series—Justin Tipping, and Alan Yang were also considered. Cretton admitted that he had previously not been interested in directing a superhero film, but was drawn to the project to help create a world and character that Asian children could look up to and see themselves in. Cretton's pitch for the film included visual inspiration from Chinese, South Korean, Japanese, and other Asian cinema, including anime, to highlight a tone that showed "the drama and the pain of life, but also show[ed] the humor of life". In April, Marvel Studios and Australian Arts Minister Mitch Fifield announced that an upcoming Marvel film, believed to be "Shang-Chi", would be filmed at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney and on location throughout the state of New South Wales. The production received AU$24 million (US$ million) in one-off funding from the Australian government, as well as backing from the AU$10 million (US$ million) "Made in NSW" state fund. The production was expected to generate AU$150 million (US$ million) for the Australian economy as well as 4,700 new jobs, while taking advantage of around 1,200 local businesses. Don Harwin, the New South Wales Arts Minister, confirmed in July that this film was "Shang-Chi" and that it would be produced back-to-back with Marvel Studios' "" (2022); production on "Shang-Chi" was set to be completed before work began on "Love and Thunder" later in 2020.


text: In mid-July 2019, Marvel Studios began testing actors in their 20s for the role of Shang-Chi, including Lewis Tan and Simu Liu; Tan previously portrayed Zhou Cheng in "Iron Fist". The studio was adamant that actors be of Chinese descent to audition for the character. Liu was considered earlier in the audition process and was brought back in for a second audition when the creatives were finding it difficult to cast the role. He tested again for the part on July 14 and was officially cast on July 16. Awkwafina, who was the first actor cast for the film, had chemistry tests with the potential actors and said "it was apparent that [Liu] was Shang-Chi from the jump". Liu and Awkwafina's castings were announced by Cretton and producer Feige at Marvel Studios' San Diego Comic-Con panel on July 20, where the film's full title was announced to be "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings". Feige noted the Ten Rings organization's role throughout the MCU, and said the Mandarin would be introduced in this film with Tony Leung in the role.


text: The Ten Rings logo was changed for the film from including Mongolian language in previous MCU appearances to having "inoffensive" Chinese characters that are synonyms for strength or power written in ancient seal script. This was done following the logo's appearance in "Iron Man 3", which drew ire from the Mongolian government who felt the Mongolian scripts "offensively tied the country's intangible cultural heritage to a terrorist group", though Oyungerel Tsedevdamba, Mongolia's former minister of culture, sports and tourism, believed the change was more to appease the Chinese market. Kingsley reprises his role as Slattery in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", with the character's inclusion planned early on in order to help fully explore the "context of who the Mandarin is in the MCU". Producer Jonathan Schwartz called Slattery a "secret weapon" whose introduction part-way through the film moves it in a different direction and provides comic relief. Cretton said in October that production would begin in early 2020. In December, Feige said the film would feature a predominantly Asian cast. A month later, Michelle Yeoh entered talks for a role in the film. This was for a different character than Aleta Ogord, who Yeoh had briefly portrayed in Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017). Jessica Henwick, who previously portrayed Colleen Wing in "Iron Fist", was offered by Disney to audition for the role of Xialing in the film, but was concurrently offered by Warner Bros. the role of Bugs in "The Matrix Resurrections" (2021); after Disney and Warner gave her an ultimatum over which role to select with the condition of rejecting the other, Henwick chose the "Resurrections" part over "Shang-Chi", in part because she wanted to reprise the role of Wing in a future MCU production.


text: In addition to Callaham, Cretton and Andrew Lanham also contributed to the screenplay for "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" from a story by Callaham and Cretton. The film was described as a "sweeping superhero epic that combines emotional family drama with gravity-defying martial arts action". Schwartz said much of Shang-Chi's arc within Marvel Comics is a family drama, and Cretton wanted to focus on that element for the film, exploring Shang-Chi's broken and abusive family background. Liu noted that the comic book backstory for Shang-Chi is not widely known like those for comic book characters such as Batman or Spider-Man, and that gave the film's writers freedom to take more creative liberties with the story. Cretton and Callaham were cognizant of some of the racial stereotypes surrounding the character in the comics, with Liu saying everyone involved was "very sensitive to not have it go into stereotypical territory". Cretton believed the resulting script was a "really beautiful update" to the character from what began in the comics.


text: Cretton felt the film told an authentic story about Asian identity. Callaham said there is "no single Asian American voice", and he and Cretton contemplated how the film could speak to "the wider Asian diaspora" and would be generally entertaining but also "personal to all these people". Cast members Liu, Leung, and Meng'er Zhang contributed their own experiences coming from Canada, Hong Kong, and mainland China, respectively, to add to the authenticity of the film. Some aspects that were discussed regarding each scene were whether characters should be speaking in Chinese Mandarin or English and the type of food served in the different households to ensure it felt authentic to whose house it was. The film's opening begins with narration entirely in Mandarin, which Nancy Wang Yuen, writing for "io9", said was a striking decision for an MCU film to "begin in a language other than English and continue to do so for an extended period". Regarding the use of Mandarin in the film, Cretton said the choice of which language to use when was "always rooted in just the logic of the characters and who would naturally be speaking what language". Zhang, whose first language is Mandarin, served as a dialect coach for the other actors. "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" further deals with Asian language and some negative characterization around it by portraying its characters as having varied knowledge of Asian languages, as demonstrated by an exchange with Katy and Jon Jon when Jon Jon says he speaks "ABC" (American-born Chinese), and Shang-Chi teaching Katy how to pronounce his name, which serves as a meta moment to also aid the audience on the proper pronunciation of "Shang-Chi".


text: Having Shang-Chi surrounded by "many strong women" formed out of the relationship between Shang-Chi and Wenwu, with them being supporting characters to him while also being on their own narrative arcs. Cretton stated that having "women who are kind of kicking his butt into gear throughout the movie just felt right". Cretton's three sisters and his wife helped inspire Katy, Xialing, Ying Nan, and Ying Li. Speaking to the relationship between Shang-Chi and Katy, Cretton enjoyed being able to show a strong, "deeply caring" friendship that is rarely seen in superhero films, adding that it never felt right to have the two characters end up in a romantic relationship since it would have been forced. Yeoh requested a scene be added between her character Ying Nan and Zhang's Xialing that would empower Xialing to "step out of the shadows for the first time"; this scene became an important part of Xialing's journey in the film and was one of the many scenes that also addressed the sexism presented in the story. Cretton felt seeing Xialing become the new head of the Ten Rings organization in the film's post-credits scene was reflective of her beginning to take control of her life. Various versions of the scene existed throughout the production before it was moved to be after the credits since they thought it was "a juicy idea for where the story might go in the future". Cretton also noted there was more material created regarding the ten rings that was purposely withheld to be explored in future projects.


text: Principal photography began in February 2020, shooting at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney and on location throughout the state of New South Wales, under the working title "Steamboat". William Pope served as cinematographer for the film, shooting on the Arri Alexa LF. Cretton chose Pope because he felt the cinematographer's style could be both naturalistic and heightened, and because of Pope's work on "The Matrix" (1999) which Cretton believed had the right tone for an MCU film focused on Asian and Asian-American characters. Cretton was inspired by Jackie Chan's filmography, the "Ip Man" series, "Tai Chi Master", and "Kung Fu Hustle" among others in the martial arts and kung-fu genres, as well as anime and video games.


text: On March 12, after studios had started halting production on films due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cretton decided to have himself tested for coronavirus after working closely with people who had potentially been exposed to it. This was a precaution due to Cretton having a newborn baby, and he self-isolated while awaiting these results; the test later came back negative. While Cretton was self-isolating, Marvel suspended first unit production for the film but intended for other aspects such as second unit to continue as normal. On March 13, the rest of the film's production was paused as Disney halted filming on most of its projects. Before the shut down, Ronny Chieng joined the cast in an undisclosed role. In early April, Disney shifted much of their slate of films due to the pandemic, moving "Shang-Chi" release date to May 7, 2021.


text: Work building sets for the film resumed at the end of July 2020, and by August 2, all cast and crew members had arrived to begin shooting "in the coming days". Any cast and crew members returning to Australia from outside the country had to be quarantined for two weeks upon arrival before returning to work, according to Australia's guidelines. Later in August, Yeoh was confirmed to appear in the film. The next month, the film's release date was pushed back to July 9, 2021, after "Black Widow" was shifted to the May 2021 date. In October, filming took place in San Francisco, also under the working title "Steamboat". Shooting locations included the Russian Hill, Noe Valley, and Nob Hill neighborhoods, as well as Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square. Filming wrapped on October 24, 2020.


text: For the film's action scenes, Cretton drew inspiration from a range of different fighting styles due to Shang-Chi being trained in different types of martial arts. These include the "elegant, almost ethereal wushu style" from "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000) and the "kinetic" fights of Jackie Chan's films. Supervising stunt coordinator Brad Allan along with other members of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team became responsible for making the different styles feel consistent, as well as containing elements of Hong Kong action cinema. Chinese choreographers were used to create wuxia-style fight scenes. Schwartz said there was a meaning for each fighting style in the film, and they helped to tell the story visually. The bus fight sequence was part of Cretton's pitch for the film, calling it a "what-if scenario" to help explain the fight sequences he enjoyed, "ones where the stakes just keep rising as the fight continues". Once it was planned for the film, Cretton credited Allan for bringing the "Buster Keaton-like physical comedy [to the fight], mixed with setups and payoffs, and stakes rising and rising to almost ridiculous levels". Fight coordinator Andy Cheng added that the bus fight took over a year to plan, going through as many as 20 different iterations, with most of the differences pertaining to the fighting within the bus. The sequence was partially completed when the production shut down for COVID, requiring those involved to "retune" once production resumed to complete it. Two buses were utilized, on a high gimbal for "all the big moves" and another gimbal high, with the windows and seats removed most of the time for safety. Cheng added that figuring out how the bus would be sliced in half and choreographing a fight around it was the most difficult part. Although the exterior shots of the sequence were filmed in San Francisco, the bus interior scenes were shot in Sydney. The sequence was shot in 48 fps to help with tracking or adjustments, and converted back to 24 fps, while the shots in slow-motion were shot at 250 fps using a Phantom Camera. The Kamehameha attack from the anime "Dragon Ball Z" was an inspiration for the final fight between Shang-Chi and Wenwu, which Cretton had also included in his pitch.


text: "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" is dedicated to supervising stunt coordinator Brad Allan, who died in August 2021. Nat Sanders and Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir served as co-editors on the film, alongside Harry Yoon. In December 2020, Marvel revealed roles for several cast members, including Awkwafina as Shang-Chi's friend Katy, Yeoh as Jiang Nan, and Chieng as Jon Jon. They also announced the casting of Meng'er Zhang as Xialing, Fala Chen as Jiang Li, and Florian Munteanu as Razor Fist; Munteanu was cast after Marvel Studios was impressed with his role in "Creed II" (2018). In March 2021, the film's release date was pushed back once again to September 3, 2021, when "Black Widow" was shifted to the July 2021 date, and Dallas Liu was revealed to be appearing.


text: The film's official trailer in June 2021 revealed that Benedict Wong would reprise his MCU role of Wong, along with the appearance of the Abomination; the Abomination first appeared in "The Incredible Hulk" (2008), portrayed by Tim Roth, with Roth providing uncredited vocals for the character in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings". Feige enjoyed returning to the Abomination after over a decade since his last MCU appearance, especially with the fans recognizing and embracing the reference. Cretton added that, beyond being a pairing that "felt really great", the Abomination and Wong were chosen because they "made sense to what's happening in the MCU around the time of our movie" and linked it to future MCU projects. Both characters appear in "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law", and because of Gao creating a substantial storyline for Abomination in the series, he was added to "Shang-Chi" as a way "to seed him so that people can get excited but also remember him". Wong was thrilled to be part of the film and its Asian cast, expressing excitement to be "sat at a table of Asian excellence".


text: The film's mid-credits scene, which features Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner and Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, was conceived late in the film's production by Cretton to address the origins of the ten rings. Callaham noted that there were many different origins created in the film for the ten rings, before it was decided to leave the origins ambiguous to be addressed in more detail in a later MCU property. Callaham said this was an intentional choice after they realized "it doesn't make any difference at all where it comes from [in this film]. That's not the story we're telling." Cretton had hoped the scene would feature Wong, as well as him going to karaoke with Shang-Chi and Katy to sing "Hotel California", but was unsure which additional Avengers characters would appear until late in post-production. Banner and Danvers were both chosen for the scene since they each represent the science and space aspects of the MCU, respectively, with their appearances also lining up accurately with other events in the MCU happening around the time of the scene. Additionally, Callaham believed Larson was added because she previously worked with Cretton on "Short Term 12" (2013), "The Glass Castle" (2017), and "Just Mercy" (2019). Though Cretton reiterated that Danvers' appearance made sense for the scene, he jokingly acknowledged that this continued the streak of her appearing in his films and said that he enjoys including "people that I love in the movies that I'm making". Ruffalo and Larson filmed their roles in early 2021 during the film's additional photography. Feige said the scene was meant to indicate "how vital and important" Shang-Chi was to the MCU, likening it to Nick Fury's appearance in the post-credits scene of "Iron Man".


text: Sixteen visual effects vendors worked on the film, with up to three vendors on a given shot, creating over 2,000 shots, of which over 1,700 were in the final film. Visual effects supervisor Joe Farrell described the process like "moving chess pieces around". 40 to 50 of the 168 shots in the bus fight sequence were mostly digital, with the entire environment requiring digital pieces including the bus, buildings, and people. Farrell stated the motion of the sequence made editing difficult, especially in regards to the nine passengers. They were mapped out to know where they were at all times and sometimes were digitally moved around. Farrell, who had to remain in Sydney due to the COVID pandemic, planned the San Francisco shoot using Google Street View and hired crew members who had worked on the "Fast & Furious" franchise to film the sequence. Because the fight sequence in Macau takes place on scaffolding outside of a glass building, crews built an expansive 360-degree blue screen around the set in order to prevent the crew's reflection from appearing on film, with Rodeo FX doing the rotoscoping work necessary for the sequence. Much of downtown Macau was created digitally, with Farrell remotely supervising the sequence from Sydney after having drone crews map out the area on Google Earth. Rising Sun Pictures contributed to over 300 VFX shots in the film and was primarily responsible for creating the digital environment for Ta Lo. Artists of the company created the geography of the forest, and took inspiration from locations in Southeast Asia and also integrated some practical elements from material shot in Sydney, which was later adjusted for proper lighting in post. Sets for Ta Lo were carefully designed in order to allow for the easier combination between practical and CG elements, such as adding in erosion to various trees and also adding more water and species of trees and other plants to the shots. The team also worked with the Australian Institute for Machine Learning in order to develop an advanced technique for facial replacement, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), which was used to replace the stunt double's faces with the principal actors for the action scenes located in the area.


text: The water map scene went through many iterations to determine how that information should be conveyed, with Cretton feeling the use of water "perfectly connected to the story of our characters" and created a "visually beautiful scene". The hundun Morris was inspired by Cretton's family dog, a 15-year-old dachshund. Images of hunduns were included during early development as potential inspiration for the film and Cretton wanted to feature one in the film in some way after seeing them. Morris was a green screen "blob" during filming, with Cretton crediting Kingsley for helping to "breathe life into him", making it feel as if Morris was a real character. Multiple different designs were tested for the character, including one that had him looking "like a plucked chicken", but the creatives wanted to ensure Morris remained cute, which was challenging since a character's eyes and face help convey their emotion. As such, they relied on the look of his fur and feathers. WetaFX contributed to over 305 VFX shots in the film. The team found creating the CG rings easy, but they had difficulty in designing its movement, as the ring's movements were very "character-specific"; Shang-Chi used the rings defensively while Wenwu used them in an aggressive manner. They also created the designs of the Great Protector and the Dweller-in-Darkness for the film and helped create the action scenes between them featuring the water. The creatures were rendered using various tools, such as Houdini and Mantra, and animated using other tools such as the Maya and Loki puppets. Proxy versions of the creatures are created at first, and then the visualization for the chakras, with different colors, and the human souls was added. Then, the team used the real-time renderer Gazebo to assess the newly created model, which allows them to identify any potential problems early on. After this, the team inserted the hair of the dragons, and the texture artists added shading to the dragons to give them "material properties". Real-life materials, such as quartz, shells, lizard skin, and elephant hides, were used as references. In creating the water, the team used production line techniques, as they designated individuals in supervising certain parts of the water simulation, such as the water surface. The film's main-on-end title sequence was designed by Perception, and focused on the movement of water.


text: Recording for the film's score, composed by Joel P. West, began at Abbey Road Studios in London by June 2021. West scored Cretton's four previous films. The film's score was released digitally by Marvel Music and Hollywood Records on September 1, 2021.


text: Marvel Music, Hollywood Records, and Interscope Records also released four separate singles ahead of the film's release: "Lazy Susan" by 21 Savage and Rich Brian, "Every Summertime" by Niki, "Run It" by DJ Snake, Rick Ross, and Rich Brian, and "In the Dark" by Swae Lee & Jhené Aiko. A soundtrack album containing these songs was released on September 3, in addition to songs by JJ Lin, Saweetie, Anderson .Paak, and other artists and was produced by Sean Miyashiro and 88rising.


text: On April 19, 2021, Liu's birthday, he shared the first teaser poster for the film, shortly followed by Marvel releasing the first teaser trailer. Adam B. Vary of "Variety" felt it was "gratifying to finally see Liu in action as Shang-Chi" and highlighted how the teaser provided further insight and new information for the film, such as the way it would depict the rings worn by the Mandarin. Cole Delbyck at "HuffPost" said the "eye-popping" action was unlike anything seen in past MCU films. Writing for "io9", Rob Bricken felt the teaser did not disappoint with its action, but the family drama was what made the film look compelling to him. "Collider" Adam Chitwood called the teaser "pretty fantastic", comparing its story and tone to "Black Panther", and saying "Shang-Chi" looked to be "an exciting, fresh, and new Marvel Cinematic Universe experience" based on the teaser. Reactions to the poster and trailer in Chinese speaking regions in East Asia were more critical, with commentators believing both presented a "rather stereotyped" view of Chinese people and culture.


text: The film's first full trailer was released on June 24, 2021, during ESPN's "NBA Countdown". Sean Keane at "CNET" enjoyed seeing more of Leung in the trailer and called the fight sequences "super-impressive". He was surprised by the inclusion of Abomination at the end of the trailer and noted that the character looked more like his design from the comics than when he appeared in "The Incredible Hulk". "Digital Spy" Gabriella Geisinger felt the Abomination's role in the film would just be a cameo appearance to set up the character's story in the Disney+ series "" (2022) but also felt it could still have "wide-reaching implications" for the MCU. Germain Lussier of "io9", Susana Polo of "Polygon", and Jennifer Ouellette of "Ars Technica" all felt the trailer was a better showcase for Shang-Chi than the teaser was, with Ouellette highlighting the different narration for the trailer that expanded on Shang-Chi's family background. Lussier also noted that the trailer featured a lot of new visual effects that were not in the teaser, and felt that Shang-Chi would soon become a "huge star", despite not being a well-known character, similarly to Iron Man before "Iron Man". Polo highlighted the martial arts and magic seen in the trailer. An episode of the series "" was released on September 1, exploring the Ten Rings organization using footage from its previous MCU appearances.


text: On August 15, 2021, Ron Han created a GoFundMe drive to raise money for Asian American Pacific Islander (API) children at the Boys & Girls Club in San Gabriel Valley to see "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", as well as the larger "Shang-Chi challenge" for other people to create similar drives for their communities; the challenge was inspired by a similar one created for "Black Panther". By the end of the month, API nonprofit organization Gold House partnered with GoFundMe to create the "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" Gold Open Community Fund to raise money for private screenings of the film for the API community and non-profit groups on its opening weekend to help the film earn a successful opening weekend box office gross. Beginning September 3, Shang-Chi and Death Dealer began appearing in Disneyland's Avengers Campus.


text: Promotional partners for the film included Sanzo beverages, which released a limited edition version of lychee flavor; Microsoft; BMW, which acted as the film's global car sponsor and had the BMW iX3 and BMW M8 appear in the film; Old Spice; and international sponsors including Visa, Virgin Plus, Gruppo TIM, Mikron Group, and BGF.


text: "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" had its world premiere at the El Capitan Theatre and TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on August 16, 2021, and was screened at CinemaCon on August 25. The film began releasing in international markets on September 1, with it releasing in 66% of its markets by the end of its first weekend. In Australia, "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" was released on September 2, with a planned release in New South Wales, Victoria, and Australian Capital Territory on September 16 because of the COVID-19-related state lockdowns; it ultimately released in New South Wales on October 11 when theaters in the state reopened. It was released in the United States on September 3, in over 4,200 theaters, with 400 IMAX, over 850 in premium large format, 1,500 3D, and 275 in specialty D-Box, 4DX, and ScreenX.


text: The film had a 45-day exclusive theatrical release, rather than being released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access like "Black Widow". In August 2021, with the increase of COVID-19 Delta variant cases, Disney CEO Bob Chapek explained that the film would stay theatrical-only due to "the practicality of last-minute changes" and called the 45-day exclusivity "an interesting experiment" for the company to learn more on how consumers wished to view and consume their films; Liu took issue with Chapek calling the film an experiment, with Feige later stating Liu's response appeared to be a misunderstanding on Chapek's intention. "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" is part of Phase Four of the MCU.


text: "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" was previously scheduled to be released on February 12, 2021, the first day of the Chinese New Year, before it was shifted to May 7, and then to July 9, delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film shifted once again in March 2021 to the September 2021 date after "Black Widow" was moved to the July 9 release date. In May 2021, a Chinese state media report excluded "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", as well as "Eternals", from its list of upcoming MCU films releasing, which "Variety" noted "added to rumors" that the films would not be released in China. In September 2021, "Deadline Hollywood" reported that a theatrical release in China was unlikely due to comments Liu made in an interview with the CBC in 2017, referencing negative comments from his parents about living in China. Despite this, by early October Disney still listed the film's release in China as "to be determined".


text: The film was released on digital download on November 12, 2021, as well as on Disney+ as part of the service's "Disney+ Day" celebration. Disney+ also received the IMAX Enhanced version of the film. It was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on November 30. The home media of the film includes audio commentary, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and various behind-the-scenes featurettes.


text: Following the release of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" on Disney+, viewer tracking application Samba TV reported that over 1.7 million U.S. households watched the film within its first weekend of availability. Samba TV also disclosed viewerships for the United Kingdom (250,000), Germany (85,000), and Australia (17,000), while TV Time reported that it was the most-streamed film in the United States during that same time frame. Nielsen stated that it was the second-most-streamed film with a viewership of 1.072billion minutes in its first week. Asian Americans made up 10% of the audience, the highest percentage for any title on the chart.


text: In the second week, it was the third-most-streamed film according to Nielsen, with 878 million minutes viewed, and the second-most-streamed film according to TV Time. It retained its position on TV Time in the following week, while Nielsen stated that it was the third most-streamed-film with 613 million minutes viewed. In the fourth week it dropped to the third position on TV Time's chart, while dropping to the fifth position on Nielsen's chart with a viewership of 273 million minutes. It dropped to the fourth position on TV Time in the following week, while retaining its position on Nielsen with 233 million minutes viewed. In the sixth week it rose to the third position on TV Time's chart. TV Time stated that it was the sixth most-streamed-film globally in 2021.


text: The film was number one on the NPD Videoscan First Alert chart, which tracks combined sales of DVDs and Blu-rays, and the dedicated Blu-ray sales chart, for two weeks. According to "The Numbers", it sold a combined 274,482 DVD and Blu-ray units in the first week for a revenue of $5.2 million. In the second week it sold 143,178 units for $2.7 million. Meanwhile, it also acquired the first position on Redbox's digital chart after release. It was the third most-selling title on disc for December 2021 according to the NPD Group.


text: "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" grossed $224.5million in the United States and Canada, and $207.7million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $432.2million, the most money ever earned by a film opening on Labor Day weekend. The film earned $13.2 million worldwide from IMAX, another Labor Day weekend record.


text: "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" earned $29.6 million on its opening day (which included $8.8 million from its Thursday night previews), the third-best opening day since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The Thursday night previews gross was the second-highest of the pandemic, behind "Black Widow" ($13.2 million). It grossed $75.5 million over its three-day opening weekend, the second-largest of the pandemic, behind "Black Widow" ($80.3 million). IMAX contributed $8 million, which was a record for a Labor Day weekend release. It earned $94.67 million over the four-day Labor Day weekend, surpassing "Halloween"s (2007) $30.6 million as the largest Labor Day weekend opening ever. The film surpassed $100 million in five days, the fastest film to reach that milestone since "" (2019) surpassed that amount in its opening weekend. It remained the number one film in its second weekend, earning $35.8 million, which was the largest second weekend gross of the pandemic. In its third weekend, the film was once again the number one film, earning $21.7 million, becoming the second-largest third weekend gross for a September release behind "It" (2017). "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" was again the top film in its fourth weekend, the third MCU film following "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014) and "Black Panther" (2018) to remain the top film for four consecutive weeks, and became the highest-grossing film of 2021 in the United States, surpassing "Black Widow". The film surpassed $200 million in the United States and Canada by September 30, becoming the first film of the pandemic era to achieve the milestone, was the third-highest-grossing film in its fifth weekend, and the fourth-highest in its sixth weekend. It remained in the top ten at the box office for two additional weekends. By its fourth weekend, "Deadline Hollywood" projected the film would earn $250 million in total domestic box office.


text: The film earned $56.2 million from 41 markets in its opening weekend, opening number one in many. The United Kingdom had the largest opening day of the pandemic, as well as the largest three-day opening weekend of the pandemic with $7.7 million. In Hong Kong, the film produced the largest September opening weekend, as well as the second-best opening during the pandemic. Nancy Tartaglione of "Deadline Hollywood" noted South Korea's $6.5 million opening was an underperformance for the market and an MCU film, though it was the first Hollywood film to open at number one in several weeks. In its second weekend, the film earned $35.2 million from 42 markets, remaining number one in several. In its third weekend, the film earned an additional $20.3 million from 43 markets, being the top film in many territories, including Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and the UK. The film opened in Indonesia in its fourth weekend, opening at number one with $1.2 million, while remaining number one in many markets, such as Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and the UK. "Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings" was the top film in Australia for nine weekends, with its highest-grossing day coming on October 31, 2021. , the film's largest markets are the United Kingdom ($27.1 million), South Korea ($14.9 million), and France ($11.5 million).


text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 91%, with an average score of 7.5/10, based on 337 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, ""Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" isn't entirely free of Marvel's familiar formula, but this exciting origin story expands the MCU in more ways than one." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 52 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported 91% of audience members gave it a positive score, with 78% saying they would definitely recommend it.


text: Peter Debruge at "Variety" called the film "a flashy, Asian-led visual effects extravaganza that gives the second-tier [Shang-Chi] the same over-the-top treatment that big-timers like Hulk and Thor typically get. The result broadens [Marvel Studios'] spectrum of representation once again, offering audiences of Asian descent the kind of empowerment for which "Black Panther" paved the way a few years back." Angie Han of "The Hollywood Reporter" felt while "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" did not "meld together" its martial-arts, fantasy elements, and exploration of Chinese and Asian-American culture "as smoothly as [it] should", it did become a superhero film that felt "fresh and fun enough to feel worth a spin". Han believed some of the less intense action sequences made the film seem less like a superhero film and more like "the wistful grandeur of Disney's live-action fairy tale adaptations" and added some of the humor keeps it from "tipping over into self-importance", but "rob[s] it of some of its wonder". She also praised the performance from Leung, whose sincerity in portraying Wenwu made him a "supervillain with a soul".


text: Giving the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, "RogerEbert.com"s Nick Allen believed the film "fits into Marvel packaging in its own way, but it has an immense soulfulness that other MCU movies, superhero movies, and action movies in general should take notes from". Allen believed Leung was the film's "most brilliant" casting and enjoyed the various fight sequences since Cretton changed the height, light, reflections, and staging for each. He noted the film's final act was "such an over-the-top, giddy, rollercoaster ride that you can't help but root for it" and concluded that "Shang-Chi" was "not an experiment for Marvel and Disney" but rather "a promising template for how they can get it right again". Writing for "Empire", Laura Sirikul said the film was "a winning blend of Chinese culture mixed with the successful Marvel formula that avoids the typical Asian clichés and stereotypes of accents and bad drivers, while pointedly calling out some of the racial errors from Marvel's past. Given what's on show here, the future for Shang-Chi and Asian representation in the MCU looks bright." Sirikul also felt the choreography was the best yet in the MCU, saying the fight scenes were "truly gratifying" and praised Liu, Awkwafina, and Leung. She did feel, however, the film had some pacing issues that made the story "convoluted" and a "rushed ending [that] makes some of the character arcs feel unearned and brushed aside".


text: Jake Cole of "Slant Magazine" was more critical of the film, giving it a score of 1.5 out of 4 stars. He believed Shang-Chi was defined by "the same 'gifted kid' impostor syndrome as so many other self-doubting heroes in the MCU" and criticized Liu's performance as "curiously affectless", but praised Leung as "effortlessly convey[ing] the calm malice with which Wenwu asserts his absolute power as well as the anguish that the man feels over the loss of his wife". Cole felt the film's flashbacks were "superfluous" and had "emotional flatness" that brought the film "to a crawl" each time they were used, and took issue with CGI-aided action scenes and the final act that "devolves into loud and chaotic visual nonsense". Alison Wilmore of "Vulture" wrote that the film was not "a hopeless addition" to the MCU, but added that it "feels as racked with a sense of inadequacy about its main character as that main character is about himself". She concluded that the film was "caught between the legacy of its forebears and a still-developing sense of self", which was the "most Asian American thing" about the film.


text: In December 2021, "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" received the Vanguard Award at Unforgettable Gala's 19th Annual Asian American Awards, an honor previously held by "The Farewell" (2019).


text: In February 2021, the documentary series "Marvel Studios: Assembled" was announced. The special on this film, "Assembled: The Making of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", goes behind the scenes of the making of the film, and was released on Disney+ on November 12, 2021.


text: In December 2021, a sequel was announced to be in development, with Cretton returning to write and direct. The following month, Liu was expected to reprise his role in the sequel, saying that he wanted the film to explore what his character would do with his "newfound power" of the ten rings, as well as how he fits into the larger MCU.


title: Bob Marley

text: Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements of reggae, ska, and rocksteady, as well as his distinctive vocal and songwriting style. Marley's contributions to music increased the visibility of Jamaican music worldwide, and made him a global figure in popular culture to this day. Over the course of his career, Marley became known as a Rastafari icon, and he infused his music with a sense of spirituality. He is also considered a global symbol of Jamaican music and culture and identity, and was controversial in his outspoken support for democratic social reforms. In 1976, Marley survived an assassination attempt in his home, which was thought to be politically motivated. He also supported legalization of marijuana, and advocated for Pan-Africanism.


title: Bob Marley

text: Born in Nine Mile, Jamaica, Marley began his professional musical career in 1963, after forming the Teenagers with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, which after several name changes would become the Wailers. The group released its debut studio album "The Wailing Wailers" in 1965, which contained the single "One Love", a reworking of "People Get Ready"; the song was popular worldwide, and established the group as a rising figure in reggae. The Wailers released a further eleven studio albums, and after signing to Island Records the band's name became Bob Marley and the Wailers. While initially employing louder instrumentation and singing, the group began engaging in rhythmic-based song construction in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which coincided with Marley's conversion to Rastafari. Around this time, Marley relocated to London, and the group embodied their musical shift with the release of the album "The Best of The Wailers" (1971).


title: Bob Marley

text: The group started to gain international attention after signing to Island, and touring in support of the albums "Catch a Fire" and "Burnin'" (both 1973). Following the disbandment of the Wailers a year later, Marley carried on under the band's name. The album "Natty Dread" (1974) received positive reception. In 1975, following the global popularity of Eric Clapton's version of Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff", Marley had his international breakthrough with his first hit outside Jamaica, with a live version of "No Woman, No Cry", from the "Live!" album. This was followed by his breakthrough album in the United States, "Rastaman Vibration" (1976), which reached the Top 50 of the Billboard Soul Charts. A few months after the album's release Marley survived an assassination attempt at his home in Jamaica, which prompted him to permanently relocate to London. During his time in London he recorded the album "Exodus" (1977); it incorporated elements of blues, soul, and British rock and enjoyed widespread commercial and critical success. In 1977, Marley was diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma; he died as a result of the illness in 1981, shortly after baptism into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. His fans around the world expressed their grief, and he received a state funeral in Jamaica.


title: Bob Marley

text: The greatest hits album "Legend" was released in 1984, and became the best-selling reggae album of all time. Marley also ranks as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of more than 75 million records worldwide. He was posthumously honoured by Jamaica soon after his death with a designated Order of Merit by his nation. In 1994, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "Rolling Stone" ranked him No. 11 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. His other achievements include a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and induction into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.


title: Bob Marley

text: Robert Nesta Marley was born on 6 February 1945 at the farm of his maternal grandfather in Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, to Norval Sinclair Marley and Cedella Malcolm. Norval Marley was from Crowborough, East Sussex in England, then resident of Clarendon Parish, Norval claimed to have been a captain in the Royal Marines; at the time of his marriage to Cedella Malcolm, an Afro-Jamaican then 18 years old, he was employed as a plantation overseer. Bob Marley's full name is Robert Nesta Marley, though some sources give his birth name as Nesta Robert Marley, with a story that when Marley was still a boy a Jamaican passport official reversed his first and middle names because Nesta sounded like a girl's name. Norval provided financial support for his wife and child but seldom saw them as he was often away. Bob Marley attended Stepney Primary and Junior High School which serves the catchment area of Saint Ann. In 1955, when Bob Marley was 10 years old, his father died of a heart attack at the age of 70. Marley's mother went on later to marry Edward Booker, a civil servant from the United States, giving Marley two half-brothers: Richard and Anthony.


title: Bob Marley

text: Bob Marley and Neville Livingston (later known as Bunny Wailer) had been childhood friends in Nine Mile. They had started to play music together while at Stepney Primary and Junior High School. Marley left Nine Mile with his mother when he was 12 and moved to Trenchtown, Kingston. She and Thadeus Livingston (Bunny Wailer's father) had a daughter together whom they named Claudette Pearl, who was a younger sister to both Bob and Bunny. Now that Marley and Livingston were living together in the same house in Trenchtown, their musical explorations deepened to include the new ska music, and the latest R&B from United States radio stations whose broadcasts reached Jamaica. Marley formed a vocal group with Bunny Wailer, and Peter Tosh. The line-up was known variously as the Teenagers, the Wailing Rudeboys, the Wailing Wailers and finally just the Wailers. Joe Higgs, who was part of the successful vocal act Higgs and Wilson, lived nearby and encouraged Marley. Marley and the others did not play any instruments at this time, and were more interested in being a vocal harmony group. Higgs helped them develop their vocal harmonies, and started to teach Marley how to play guitar.


title: Bob Marley

text: In February 1962, Marley recorded four songs, "Judge Not", "One Cup of Coffee", "Do You Still Love Me?" and "Terror", at Federal Studios for local music producer Leslie Kong. Three of the songs were released on Beverley's with "One Cup of Coffee" being released under the pseudonym Bobby Martell.


title: Bob Marley

text: In 1963, Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith were called the Teenagers. They later changed the name to the Wailing Rudeboys, then to the Wailing Wailers, at which point they were discovered by record producer Coxsone Dodd, and finally to the Wailers. Their single "Simmer Down" for the Coxsone label became a Jamaican No. 1 in February 1964 selling an estimated 70,000 copies. The Wailers, now regularly recording for Studio One, found themselves working with established Jamaican musicians such as Ernest Ranglin (arranger "It Hurts To Be Alone"), the keyboardist Jackie Mittoo and saxophonist Roland Alphonso. By 1966, Braithwaite, Kelso, and Smith had left the Wailers, leaving the core trio of Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, and Peter Tosh.


title: Bob Marley

text: In 1966, Marley married Rita Anderson, and moved near his mother's residence in Wilmington, Delaware, in the United States for a short time, during which he worked as a DuPont lab assistant, and on the assembly line and as a fork lift operator at a Chrysler plant in nearby Newark, under the alias Donald Marley.


title: Bob Marley

text: Though raised as a Catholic, Marley became interested in Rastafari beliefs in the 1960s, when away from his mother's influence. After returning to Jamaica, Marley formally converted to Rastafari and began to grow dreadlocks.


title: Bob Marley

text: After a financial disagreement with Dodd, Marley and his band teamed up with Lee "Scratch" Perry and his studio band, the Upsetters. Although the alliance lasted less than a year, they recorded what many consider the Wailers' finest work. Marley and Perry split after a dispute regarding the assignment of recording rights, but they would continue to work together.