Deadline has an exclusive about a new Marvel Studios film in development and there is already a writer on board.

According to Deadline’s exclusive, Marvel Studios is developing a live action film based on the comic book character Shang-Chi. The article states that Marvel is fast tracking this film partly because it will be the first superhero tentpole franchise with an Asian protagonist. After the success of Marvel’s Black Panther film, the ability to have a successful superhero franchise with a non-white cast has opened up the possibility of more films featuring heroes of different ethnicities.

Chinese-American writer Dave Callaham (The Expendables, Wonder Woman 1984) is writing the screenplay for the feature film and the studio is currently searching for an Asian director to helm it.

Shang-Chi was created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin in 1973 and the character was heavily influenced by films like Enter The Dragon and others. In the comics, Shang-Chi is raised in an reclusive compound where he is trained to be the Master of Kung-Fu so that he can go on missions to aid his industrialist father. When he discovers that his father has been keeping secrets, including the fact that he is known around the world as the Devil’s Doctor, Shang-Chi and his father become bitter enemies.

What do you think of a Shang-Chi film from Marvel Studios? Who would you like to see in the role of the hero? Let me know what you think in the comments below.