Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is one of four MCU films from 2021 under Phase 4's massive slate. The film is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, and it features a stellar Asian ensemble led by Kim's Convenience star Simu Liu, Ocean 8's Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, and Tony Leung as the chief villain, Wenwu a.k.a. the Mandarin.
Shang-Chi follows the heroic origin story of the titular martial artist as he confronts his dark past with his father, Wenwu, while honoring the memory of his mother by protecting Ta Lo against mystical threats. The film earned a record-breaking opening weekend at the box office along with overwhelmingly positive reception from fans and critics.
As a result of its success, Marvel Studios confirmed that a sequel to Shang-Chi is in development, with both Liu and Cretton returning. In addition, a Disney+ spinoff series is also in the works, which is heavily rumored to be centered around Xialing and the Ten Rings.
Now, as Marvel celebrates Shang-Chi's success, a new Oscar-related campaign for the film has emerged.
Shang-Chi's Oscar Push
Disney has now published its "For Your Consideration" awards campaign list for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
The list features names of those involved with the MCU project in many major Oscar categories such as Simu Liu (Best Actor), Destin Daniel Cretton (Best Director), and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige (Best Picture).
The full list can be seen below:
BEST PICTURE
Kevin Feige, p.g.a.
Jonathan Schwartz, p.g.a.
BEST DIRECTOR
Destin Daniel Cretton
BEST ACTOR
Simu Liu
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Awkwafina
Meng'er Zhang
Fala Chen
Michelle Yeoh
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Florian Munteanu
Benedict Wong
Yuen Wah
Ben Kingsley
Tony Leung
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Dave Callaham & Destin Daniel Cretton & Andrew Lanham
Story By
Dave Callaham & Destin Daniel Cretton
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Production Designer: Sue Chan
Set Decorator: Rebecca Cohen
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
William Pope
BEST SOUND
Katy Wood, J.R. Grubbs, Onnalee Blank, CAS, Lora Hirschberg, Guntis Sics
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Joel P West
BEST FILM EDITING
Nat Sanders, ACE, Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir, ACE, Harry Yoon, ACE
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Kym Barrett
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Rick Findlater, Lara Birch
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Walker, Dan Oliver
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Fire in the Sky” Written by Anderson Paak, Bruno Mars, and Nicholas “Sun Zoo” Race
Marvel Studios' Impressive Efforts for Awards
Marvel Studios and Disney are pulling out all the stops toward an Oscar push for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
The studios' latest efforts echo the same approach with previous projects such as WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. That said, many feel that this recent push for Shang-Chi is a no-brainer, especially after the positive reception that it earned from fans and critics.
It is unknown if the Academy will truly acknowledge this campaign for Shang-Chi, but the fact that Marvel and Disney made a strong effort essentially presents a wide array of opportunities for the film.
It's worth pointing out that Disney's Oscar campaign always highlights every notable figure of its respective projects. This is done in order to give everyone an equal chance at getting nominated in their respective categories.
Still, it's possible that Shang-Chi's most plausible shot at a nomination is under the visual effects category. Shang-Chi has many notable sequences where its visual effects stole the spotlight such as its dragon battle from the third act as well as its incredible fight scenes.
It's worth noting that a previous report already confirmed that Marvel Studios has four projects on the shortlist for the Academy Awards' "Best Visual Effects" category, and one of them is Shang-Chi.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now streaming on Disney+.
