No, this Marvel sequel hasn't been cancelled; MCU star confirms it will happen

Ever since Marvel Studios launched the Multiverse Saga, it has placed a focus on building out its roster of new heroes, while also making time to focus on some of the secondary heroes of the Infinity Saga. That meant audiences could enjoy a mix of origin stories and sequels from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a combination that they hadn't had regularly since the franchise's earlier days.

There were some mixed results, however, as some of those movies were very successful, while others weren't - a first for Marvel Studios! - forcing them to reconsider some of their upcoming titles. And that led fans to worry about a number of the planned sequels being cancelled (and one of them has indeed been confirmed to have been scrapped).

The good news is that at least one of them, Shang-Chi 2, is definitely still going ahead.

Simu Liu confirms Shang-Chi 2 is still happening

If you have been worried about the future of the Shang-Chi movie series, you can stop now. Star Simu Liu has confirmed in a new interview with PTI (via Times of India) that the sequel is indeed still happening, even if he couldn't say much more about it.

When asked about the fate of the sequel, he confirmed that "it's definitely happening" and that he was "excited to work on it":

"A lot of it is above my pay grade, but it's definitely happening . So just very excited to kind of work on it and it's going to be amazing. I really can't say anything beyond that."

Needless to say that this will come as music to fans' ears. Shang-Chi And the Legend of the Ten Rings was a major success story of Phase Four, grossing $432 million against a budget of somewhere between $150 - $200 million, but given that a sequel could cost more and may have a harder time succeeding in this era of "superhero fatigue", fans were unsure whether Marvel would proceed with a sequel.

It was the lack of clarity about the sequel that had fans uncertain about the film as well. Director Destin Daniel Cretton had confirmed his return to the franchise shortly after the first movie's success, while Simu Liu had also spoken about Shang-Chi 2. However, Marvel had yet to officially acknowledge when - or if - it would be happening.

With rumors of multiple MCU projects being either shelved or cancelled after a number of underperformances, it was clear that a shift was taking place in Marvel's strategy. Insiders pointed to the studio taking a different, less-is-more, approach, focusing on "less riskier" projects and more surefire hits. Shang-Chi being an origin story made it a risk, but it was one that paid off, so it's easy to see why Marvel is proceeding with the sequel.

With Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently confirming that there are no plans for the long-rumored Eternals 2, the confirmation that Shang-Chi 2 is still happening is a welcome relief.