Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 'could be banned from China'

'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' could reportedly be banned in China.

The new Marvel movie has already been praised for its exploration and representation of Asian culture, but may not be released in the world’s largest film market, according to Variety.

The film - which stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi - could be banned after the actor was accused by social media users of being insulting towards China.

Simu, 32 - who was born in China but moved to Canada at the age of five - previously reflected on his family’s immigrant background in a video celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary.

He said: "When I was young, my parents would tell me these stories about growing up in Communist China where you had people dying of starvation.

"They lived in the third world. They thought of Canada as this pipe dream, as this place where they could go to be free and to create a better life for their kid."

The comments could prompt the movie to be banned in the world's most populous country, and Simu could also face a lengthy ban from the Chinese film market.

Meanwhile, Simu recently insisted 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' is not an "experiment".

The actor is "fired up" to make history with the movie - which is Marvel's first Asian superhero film - and is excited about what the it can prove to the industry.

Speaking about the film - which is one of the first Disney movies to have an exclusive theatrical release during the coronavirus pandemic - he said: "On ‘Shang-Chi,’ we think it’s actually going to be an interesting experiment for us, because it’s got only a 45-day window for us.

"So the prospect of being able to take a Marvel title to the [streaming] service after going theatrical at 45 days will be yet another data point to inform our actions going forward on our titles."