Tony Leung Says His ‘Shang-Chi’ Fight Ideas Were Shut Down by Director

Tony Leung has opened up about his experience working on Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and he says not every idea he brought to the table made it into the final film.

Leung, who plays Wenwu, also known as The Mandarin, said the scale of the production was very different from what he was used to. He explained that the set was highly structured and fast-paced, leaving little room for changes during filming.

He said: “The production was much bigger than what I had experienced before, and the people were very professional, and we had to finish everything on time every day. It’s very efficient, but you can’t improvise. You can’t change even a word.”

One of the main things Leung wanted to explore differently was Wenwu’s fighting style. He imagined the character using a more evolved form of combat that reflected centuries of experience and survival. In his view, Wenwu should not fight like a traditional martial arts character, but instead like someone who had absorbed many styles over time.

He explained: “At the very beginning, I argued with the director: ‘If a guy comes from a thousand years ago, the way he fights must be a combination of all martial arts, like MMA today, because he lived through all that time.’ And the director said no. I said, ‘Why not? Why just typical kung fu in the ‘70s?’ He said, ‘This is Marvel.’ I said, ‘Okay,’ and I didn’t argue anymore.”

Leung’s comments show a clear creative difference between his vision for the character and Marvel’s established style for action scenes. While he pushed for a more experimental approach, the final version stayed closer to traditional martial arts choreography that fits the MCU’s visual tone.

Even with those differences, Leung spoke positively about his overall experience. He described working on the emotional side of Wenwu as something that helped shape his performance, especially when it came to the character’s past and family life.

He recalled a conversation with director Destin Daniel Cretton: “I remember one day the director suddenly asked me a question when I just passed by: ‘Do you love your kids?’ I said, ‘Yes, but I don’t know how.’ So that’s the relationship between me and my kids in the film. Because I immersed myself with the death of my wife.”

Leung added that this emotional background became the core of Wenwu’s personality. Even though the character is powerful and dangerous, he is also shaped by loss and long-term grief, which keeps him stuck in the past.

He said: “I don’t care about any other thing. So maybe that brings the romance of that character. He is always living in the past.”

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was released in 2021 and became a major success for Marvel Studios, earning over 400 million dollars worldwide during a time when theaters were still recovering from the pandemic. The film was praised for its action scenes, character depth, and its introduction of Shang-Chi into the MCU.

Simu Liu, who plays Shang-Chi, has since confirmed he will return in future Marvel projects, including Avengers: Doomsday. However, plans for a direct sequel to Shang-Chi have changed multiple times over the years. Early development discussions included ideas for another film and possible crossover appearances, but scheduling shifts within Marvel Studios have delayed progress.

As of now, Shang-Chi remains one of the more unique entries in the MCU, and Leung’s comments add a behind-the-scenes look at how some of the film’s creative decisions were made, especially when it came to shaping Wenwu’s fighting style and emotional tone.

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