Maui-born Destin Cretton just wrapped production on Marvel Studios’ next film, Shang Chi. It stars Simu Liu, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina, and Tony Leung. This will mark the first film in the Marvel MCU that will be led by an Asian Actor. Prior to this, Destin directed Just Mercy for Warner Bros, which was the adaptation of the NY-Times best-selling memoir written by and based on the life of American lawyer, social justice activist, and founder/executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, Bryan Stevenson. It starred Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, and Brie Larson. Destin’s feature film debut, “I Am Not a Hipster”, premiered at Sundance in 2012. This was followed by the feature-length adaptation of his award-winning short film, Short Term 12, which won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival in 2013. It features early performances by Brie Larson (Room, Captain Marvel), Lakeith Stanfield (Get Out, Atlanta), Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody, Mr. Robot), Kaitlyn Dever (Detroit), and John Gallagher Jr. (The Newsroom). His third feature, an adaptation of the NY Times best-selling memoir, The Glass Castle, starred Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, and Naomi Watts and was released in 2017 by Lionsgate.

Ryusuke Hamaguchi was born in 1978. After graduating from the University of Tokyo, Hamaguchi spent several years working in the commercial film industry before entering the graduate program in film at Tokyo University of the Arts.

He made his festival debut in San Sebastian and Tokyo FILMeX in 2008 with his graduation film PASSION. He then directed the Japanese-Korean co-production THE DEPTHS (2010), INTIMACIES (2012), and a series of documentaries, THE TOHOKU TRILOGY (THE SOUND OF THE WAVES, VOICES FROM THE WAVES, and STORYTELLERS), co-directed by Ko Sakai, from 2011 to 2013.

Hamaguchi made his first major appearance on the global stage with HAPPY HOUR, his 317-minute feature film, which premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival and went on to win major awards at numerous festivals worldwide. He followed this up with ASAKO I & II, which debuted in Competition at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival to universal acclaim. Hamaguchi additionally served as the co-writer of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s WIFE OF A SPY, which won the Silver Lion at the 2020 Venice Film Festival.

In 2021, Hamaguchi’s WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize.

His latest work, DRIVE MY CAR, premiered in Competition at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and was awarded the Best Screenplay Prize, the FIPRESCI International Critics’ Prize, and the Ecumenical Jury Prize. DRIVE MY CAR was awarded Best Film at the 2021 Gotham Awards, and at both the 2021 New York Critics Circle Awards and the 2021 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, as well as winning Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Screenplay at the 2022 National Society of Film Critics Awards.

It has since been nominated for Best Picture, Best International Feature, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director at the 94th Academy Awards.

Dev Patel is a British actor. He began his career playing Anwar Kharral in the E4 teen drama Skins (2007). His breakthrough came with the leading role of teenager Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle’s drama Slumdog Millionaire (2008), for which Patel was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Patel’s career expanded with leading roles in the comedy-dramas The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) and The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015), the science fiction thriller Chappie (2015), and a supporting role in the HBO series The Newsroom (2012–2014). For his performance as Saroo Brierley in the drama Lion (2016), Patel won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He subsequently starred in the independent films Hotel Mumbai (2018), The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) and The Green Knight (2021), and made his directorial debut with the action film Monkey Man (2024).

Simu is a Chinese-Canadian actor who won a Game Changer Award and People’s Choice Award for his role as Shang-Chi in the Marvel movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). Before his leading role in a Marvel movie, he played Jung Kim on the CBC sitcom Kim’s Convenience (2016). He is also a writer and producer.

Immigrating from China at the age of 5, Simu was raised in Mississauga, Ontario. After graduating from the Richard Ivey School of Business and working at a top accounting firm for nearly a year, Liu was laid off. Deciding to pursue work in film and television instead, he quickly landed roles on series such as Heroes Reborn (2015), Nikita (2010), Warehouse 13 (2009) and Air Crash Investigation (2003).

He has since starred on Blood and Water (2015) and Taken (2017), and guest starred on shows such as The Expanse (2015), Bad Blood (2017), and Fresh Off the Boat (2015).

Liu has written and produced for television as well as in film. His short film Meeting Mommy was selected as a semi-finalist for the NBC Universal Shorts Festival. He was also a writer on the second season of Blood and Water, contributing as a story editor for the season and as the main writer for one episode.

Simu trains extensively in martial arts and stunt work in addition to television and theatrical performance.

Gemma Chan is a British film, television, theatre actress and former fashion model best known for her recent roles as Astrid Leong-Teo in “Crazy Rich Asians” and Minn-Erva in “Captain Marvel.”

After graduating from Worcester College, she turned down for a job at a law firm for a career in modeling and then in acting. Her parents weren’t comfortable with this choice, but the was determined to break into the industry and enrolled in the Drama Centre London, where she was scouted by British film producer Damian Jones.

Gemma has since starred on shows such as “Doctor Who,” “Secret Diary of a Call Girl,” and “Sherlock.” She is also a theatre actress who has appeared on stage in Bertolt Brecht’s play “Turandot,” Anders Lustgarten’s “The Sugar-Coated Bullets of the Bourgeoisie,” David Henry Hwang’s “Yellow Face,” and Timberlake Wertenbaker’s “Our Ajax.”

Yeun Sang-yeop, known professionally as Steven Yeun, is a South Korean-born American actor.

Yeun initially rose to prominence for his roles as Glenn Rhee in the television series The Walking Dead (2010–2016) and Ben in the film Burning (2018). The latter earned him critical acclaim and several accolades. He also starred in and executive produced Minari (2020), earning him critical acclaim and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor, becoming the first Asian American actor to receive this honor. He also became the first Asian-American actor to be nominated at the Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.

Yeun has also appeared in the films I Origins (2014), Okja (2017), Sorry to Bother You (2018), The Humans (2021) and Nope (2022), and has voiced main characters in television series such as Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016–2018), Tales of Arcadia (2016–2021), Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters (2017–2018), Final Space (2018–2021), Tuca & Bertie (2019–2022), and Invincible (2021–present).

Awkwafina is a Golden Globe winning actress, writer and musician from Queens, New York. She grew up with her given name, Nora Lum, and has since used her trademark comedic style and signature flair to become a breakout talent in the entertainment industry. Most recently, Lum can be see in her Comedy Central Show, “Awkwafina is Nora From Queens,” which just completed his first season and “Jumanji: The Next Level,” which opened December 2019.

Lum is receiving glowing reviews for her starring role in the indie darling “The Farewell,” where she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. The story is based on a true story about a family saying goodbye to their beloved matriarch – the only person who doesn’t know she is dying.

Lum brings an impressive range of talent to everything she does, most famously to Warner Bros’ smash hit “Crazy Rich Asians,” which she starred as Peik Lin. She also hosted “Saturday Night Live” and starred in “Ocean’s 8.”
Lum became an internet sensation in 2012 with her satirical work in the viral video “My Vag,” and her 2014 debut album, which featured her acclaimed raps “NYC Bitche$,” “Mayor Bloomberg (Giant Margarita),” and the title track, “Yellow Ranger.”

Lum can next be seen in Marvel’s Shang Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings and season two of her Comedy Central show. She currently resides in Los Angeles.