Chinese superhero takes center stage in latest outing of the Marvel universeAFP, LOS ANGELESIn Hollywood’s latest attempt to score in the huge — but highly restrictive — Chinese market, an Asian actor has been cast as a leading Marvel superhero for the first time. However, its value for Marvel Studios, and owner Disney, was expected to be as a vehicle for expanding into the Chinese market. Like the previous Marvel film Black Widow, the film has no release date in China, where movie theaters reopening this summer are stocked largely with domestic, patriotic features. As well as protecting Chinese filmmaking, this could reflect growing discontent with Disney-owned Marvel, whose next big superhero outing Eternals is being directed by Beijing-born Chloe Zhao (趙婷). Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige sought to tamp down that criticism in an interview with a Chinese film journalist last month, insisting that the narrative is one of the hero returning to his roots.

Source: Taipei Times September 01, 2021 15:56 UTC