Half a decade on from the launch of Marvel blockbuster Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, director Destin Daniel Cretton has said that a sequel is still in development.

Shang-Chi launched back in August 2021, and won a positive reception for its lead character played by the charismatic Barbie actor Simu Liu. Five years later, however, the prospect of a quick follow-up has faded. Indeed, audiences haven't even seen a whiff of Shang-Chi at all in subsequent Marvel movies — though Liu will finally reprise the role in this December's Avengers: Doomsday.

To be fair to Cretton, the past five years have been very busy. Initially tapped to direct Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (later delayed and retooled into Doomsday), changes in priority within Disney and the firing of Kang actor Jonathan Majors saw Cretton move on to helm the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day instead, all while incubating the hit Disney+ series Wonder Man.

All of this appears to have postponed Shang-Chi's return, with the character's next solo movie seemingly pushed into the MCU's next phase, following December 2027's climactic Avengers: Secret Wars. Still, at least it sounds like Shang-Chi will survive for a while yet.

"We're working on it," Cretton told Deadline when asked about Shang-Chi 2. "The first film's reception was incredible, and we want to honor that. It's evolving in a way we're excited about."

Asked whether the sequel would pick up from where the first film left off — something that now seems exceedingly unlikely — Cretton simply responded that he couldn't talk "specifics, but the emotional core is very important to us."

Shang-Chi's finale saw the hero called to join the Avengers — something we'll see much more of later this year as he teams up with old and new heroes (plus X-Men and The Fantastic Four) against the villainous Doctor Doom. Shang-Chi's sister Xialing, meanwhile, becomes head of the Ten Rings criminal organization — although it remains to be seen whether this plot thread will be returned to.

Word that the film is "evolving" is also intriguing — perhaps a nod to the fact its events will now likely take place within the MCU's upcoming mutant era, rather than its Multiverse Saga. Exactly when Shang-Chi 2 will finally arrive, however, remains to be seen.

Image credit: Ryan Emberley/Getty Images for Disney.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social