Shang-Chi Star Simu Liu Blasts Martin Scorsese And Quentin Tarantino, Calls Them Gatekeepers Of The Movie Industry.

The star of Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi, Simu Liu has taken to his Twitter handle to blast Hollywood veterans Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, tagging them “gatekeepers” of the movie industry and, indirectly, accusing them of propagating racism in Hollywood.

Well-known for his Twitter fingers, Simu Liu called these veteran auteurs out, saying, “I am in awe of their filmmaking genius. But they don’t get to point their nose at me or anyone.”

The Twitter rant is a result of comments both filmmakers had made in the past which could be loosely translated to be anti-comic-book or anti-diversity, depending on who you as.

Simu Liu on Twitter: “No movie studio is or ever will be perfect. But I’m proud to work with one that has made sustained efforts to improve diversity onscreen by creating heroes that empower and inspire people of all communities everywhere.I loved the “Golden Age” too.. but it was white as hell. / Twitter”
No movie studio is or ever will be perfect. But I’m proud to work with one that has made sustained efforts to improve diversity onscreen by creating heroes that empower and inspire people of all communities everywhere.I loved the “Golden Age” too.. but it was white as hell.

In an interview with the podcast “2 Bears, 1 Cave,” Quentin Tarantino was of the opinion that comic book movie characters and not the actors playing them were the biggest spin of the current movie era. This is a major departure from the times when the biggest draw to see any movie was the actors starring in it.

“Part of the Marvel-ization of Hollywood is…you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters,” Tarantino said. “But they’re not movie stars. Right? Captain America is the star. Or Thor is the star. I mean, I’m not the first person to say that. I think that’s been said a zillion times…but it’s like, you know, it’s these franchise characters that become a star.”
“My only axe to grind against them is they’re the only things that seem to be made,” he added. “And they’re the only things that seem to generate any kind of excitement amongst a fan base or even for the studio making them. That’s what they’re excited about. And so it’s just the fact that they are the entire representation of this era of movies right now. There’s not really much room for anything else. That’s my problem.”

In response, Simu Liu termed the old days Tarantino praised as “white as hell,” and went on to extol Marvel Studios and the MCU for its continued drive to promote diversity in movies.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings released in cinemas worldwide on September 3, 2022. The movie went on to gross ~ $432 million. The superhero is expected to show up in the MCU again.