As Shang-Chi moves further into pre-production, the film may have just gotten one of their biggest crew members yet. According to an updated listing on IMDbPro, costume designer Kym Barrett has joined the Destin Daniel Cretton-directed film. Readers around these parts will most recognize Barrett’s work from her time on Aquaman, The Amazing Spider-Man, and The Matrix trilogy. A frequent collaborator of The Wachowskis, Barrett as held a similar role on Speed Racer.
Her latest work includes costuming on Jordan Peele’s critically-acclaimed horror flick Us and the upcoming Charlie’s Angels reboot starring Kirsten Stewart and Naomi Scott amongst others.
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While Shang-Chi has long been one of Marvel’s most grounded characters, reports have started surfacing of various crew hirings that paint a picture of a larger-than-anticipated film. Last month, the same service announced Colossal and 300: Rise of an Empire production designer Sue Chan had boarded the project alongside Captain Marvel VFX supervisor Christopher Townsend.
Aquaman is probably best known for its larger-the-life visuals, including the jaw-droppingly beautiful costuming and visual effects. Barrett’s work on Aquaman earned her a Costume Designers Guild Awards nomination last year. In total, Barrett has earned CDG Award nominations and five Saturn Award nominations, most recently for her work with Pierre-Yves Gayraud on Cloud Atlas.
Earlier this year, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige called Shang-Chi an intriguing, albeit, risky project for the production house.
“I think every movie that we do is a risk. We only want to do movies that people seem to think are risks. Doing the story of an Asian-American hero of Chinese heritage is something that is very intriguing to us. It will be really different and special,” Feige said when asked if Shang-Chi is viewed as a risky project.
“I hope audiences around the world respond to it in the same way they did to Steve Rogers… whether they have [an] American flag or not. It’s about the individual storyline, spectacle and adventure that come with Marvel Studios movies.”
ComicBook.com has reached out to Barrett’s team, though a comment wasn’t available as of press time.
Who are you hoping Marvel casts as Shang-Chi? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or by tweeting me at @AdamBarnhardt to chat all things MCU!
Shang-Chi has yet to receive a release date. Avengers: Endgame is now in theaters for its second theatrical release while Spider-Man: Far From Home
