Destin Daniel Cretton has signed on to write and direct a sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Rumours of a sequel to the Marvel superhero movie, starring Simu Liu and Awkwafina, began circling soon after the film was released in September, and the news was officially confirmed on Monday.

Cretton’s involvement in the sequel was revealed as it was announced that he had signed an exclusive multi-year overall deal to develop TV projects for both Marvel Studios for Disney+ and Disney’s Onyx Collective across all platforms, including Hulu.

The Short Term 12 director will produce the projects through Family Owned, the production company he is launching with Asher Goldstein. The duo will focus on creating a slate of film and TV projects that highlight the experiences of communities that have traditionally been overlooked by pop culture, according to Deadline.

“Destin is an amazing collaborator who brought a unique perspective and skill to Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings,” said Marvel boss Kevin Feige in a statement. “We had a fantastic time working together on the film and he has so many intriguing ideas for stories to bring to life on Disney+, so we’re thrilled to expand our relationship with him and can’t wait to get started.”

The Just Mercy filmmaker added, “Working on Shang-Chi with Kevin and the Marvel Studios team was one of the highlights of my life, and I couldn’t be more excited about Tara (Duncan)’s vision for Onyx Collective. I can’t wait to explore new stories and build new worlds with this community.”

Cretton, who has a Japanese-American mother, is already working on a new Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) series for Disney+. It was announced in October that he would also direct the TV series adaptation of American Born Chinese, the 2006 graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang, for the streaming service.

© Cover Media