Disney Is Pushing Shang-Chi for Nearly Every Award

By Aeron Mer Eclarinal Updated:
Shang Chi Oscars

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

Shang chi
Marvel

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+.

Release Date
September 03, 2021
Platform
Theaters
- About The Author: Aeron Mer Eclarinal
Aeron is a news/features writer and Content Lead for The Direct who has been working for the site since March 2020. From writing about the inter-connectivity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to having an extended knowledge about DC TV's Arrowverse, Aeron's expertise has since expanded into the realm of reality TV, K-drama, animated, and live-action shows from Netflix,  Disney+, Prime Video, MGM+, Peacock, Paramount+, and Max. When he isn't writing and watching all things MCU, Aeron is heavily invested with the NBA (go Celtics!) and occasionally watches thrilling matches in the WWE.