The Marvel cinematic universe welcomes a new superhero in Director Destin Daniel Cretton’s fantasy adventure, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Cretton’s film tells the story of a martial arts master, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.
Following the September 5 DGA membership screening in Los Angeles, Cretton discussed the making of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings during a Q&A moderated by Director Jon M. Chu (In the Heights).
During the conversation, Cretton spoke about keeping the narrative in the martial arts sequences.
“I was very nervous about that part of this film because I didn’t want it to contribute to a cliché. [Supervising Stunt Coordinator] Brad Allen trained under Jackie Chan and what he came to us with was a deep respect for the culture and the art form. He surrounded himself with choreographers from Hong Kong, mainland China, and some of the best stunt performers in the world. Most of them were Wushu champions before they even came into cinema, so they’re not only trained in the physical arts, but they’re trained as storytellers. They’re trained to know when to cut, how long you can physically hold a shot before a stunt performer or actor will shut down, and how many moves it takes. I wanted the storytelling to always be present and a clear narrative in every fight.”
Cretton’s other directorial credits include the feature films Just Mercy, The Glass Castle, Short Term 12 and I Am Not a Hipster; the documentaries Drakmar: A Vassal’s Journey and Born Without Arms; and episodes of the television series Tokyo Vice and Scenes for Minors.
Cretton has been a DGA member since 2016.
You can listen to Cretton's Q&A by clicking the podcast episode embedded below. You can find more DGA podcast episodes here.