Fans could see the continuation of a major Phase 4 project sometime relatively soon, as a spin-off to one of the MCU's most well-received movies since Avengers: Endgame is reportedly being worked on at Marvel Studios. Since the end of the Infinity Saga, a lot of fans have become much more critical of the MCU, especially during Phase 4. Many claimed that the franchise didn't feel as coherent or important as it used to, but a few specific projects still stood out. One of those titles, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, was especially exciting for many, but Marvel has continued to leave everyone hanging when it comes to continuing the multiple stories presented in that movie.
According to industry insider Daniel Richtman via Patreon, Marvel Studios is currently working on a new project about the Ten Rings, the criminal organization that played a major role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. No specific details were given about the project, such as whether it will be a feature film or a TV show, just that it is in development at Marvel Studios.
At the end of Shang-Chi, it was revealed that the titular character's sister, Xu Xialing, took over the Ten Rings organization and began reforming it to her standards. This left fans with the impression that Marvel Studios would bring the Ten Rings back at some point in the future and explore the organization under Xialing's rule, but since Shang-Chi's 2021 release, any project related to it has seemingly remained in limbo.
Notably, Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi's director) has a multi-year contract with Marvel Studios, and it has been rumored for years now that he and Marvel have been working on a Ten Rings Disney+ series. Those rumors were strong in late 2021, as it was even reported that Xialing actress Meng’er Zhang would return in the lead role, but they died down as time went on.
Now, with Shang-Chi's involvement in Avengers: Doomsday, it appears as though Marvel is ready to put its foot back on the gas for Shang-Chi-related projects, such as a Ten Rings series.
Will a Ten Rings Series Ever Be Released?
A Ten Rings project at Marvel Studios has not officially been greenlit, so it is still quite a long way away, and that is assuming it will ever even see the light of day. However, it is important to remember that Destin Daniel Cretton would almost definitely be the one behind the series, and Marvel has a lot of faith in him.
Cretton already returned to the MCU to co-create, direct, and produce 2026's Wonder Man series. That Disney+ show took the Marvel world by storm and was a pleasant surprise for many. It was so well-received and successful that Disney immediately greenlit a second season, which Marvel Television is already working on.
Because Cretton has a multi-year contract with Marvel Studios and his track record is more than stellar, Disney and Marvel would be more likely to take a chance on a Ten Rings series with him at the helm. A few years ago, when rumors were floating around that a Ten Rings title was in the works, Marvel may have been a bit more on the fence about moving forward with something like that.
However, now that Cretton has put out two extremely successful projects centering around characters a lot of casual fans are less familiar with, no one has a reason to think Cretton wouldn't be able to pull off another similar project. Most likely, Marvel is going to wait to get past Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars before it starts announcing a bunch of upcoming projects, but it would not be surprising if a Ten Rings Disney+ series ended up getting confirmed.
