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Marvel boss Kevin Feige addresses Scarlett Johansson, Shang-Chi controversies

By Dan Selcke

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 16: Producer, President of Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Kevin Feige attends the "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" World Premiere at El Capitan Theatre on August 16, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 16: Producer, President of Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Kevin Feige attends the "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" World Premiere at El Capitan Theatre on August 16, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney) /
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Kevin Feige is known to run a pretty tight ship over at Marvel Studios, but the company is having a pretty stormy summer. First, MCU veteran Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) sued parent company Disney for tens of millions of dollars over the release of Black Widow, which she alleges would have made more money at the physical box office were it not also offered via streaming service Disney+ for an extra fee.

And then, just the other day Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings stars Simu Liu took issue with Disney CEO Bob Chapek calling the release strategy for the movie — it’s going to be in theaters for 45 days before landing on streaming — an “interesting experiment,” which Liu seemed to take as a dig at the movie itself. “We are not an ‘interesting experiment,’” he wrote on social media. “We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year.”

What a wildly successful studio head to do? Make nice. Feige addressed both controversies at the world premiere of Shang-Chi, saying of the Johannson situation that he’s “all for amicable solutions.” He was a little more specific about Liu’s comments:

"He is not a shy man. I think in that particular tweet you can see, and I think everyone does, a misunderstanding. It was not the intention. The proof is in the movie and we swing for the fences as we always do. With the amount of creative energy we put in and the budget, there’s no expense spared to bring this origin story to the screen."

Kevin Feige: public relations superhero.

Early reviews for Shang-Chi are glowing

As for the movie itself, it’s getting some excellent early reviews. Just look at some of these raves from the lucky few who got to see it early:

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings comes out in theaters (and only in theaters) on September 3.

Next. Watch the trailer for Star Wars: Visions on Disney+. dark

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h/t The A.V. Club, SyFy Wire

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