Shang-Chi Screenwriter Gets Marvel Tattoo After Losing Bet With Director

By Jamie Jirak

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hit theatres last year and featured the debut of Simu Liu in the titular role. The film also had a lot of fun new characters, including Morris, the lovable Dijiang who is basically a mythical, faceless chicken. In the film, Morris is the companion of Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) and he hails from Ta Lo. Turns out, the folks who made Shang-Chi didn't think Morris was going to make the final cut. In fact, director Destin Daniel Cretton recently revealed that screenwriter Dave Callahan had to get a Morris tattoo after losing a bet. 

"Early in the development of @shangchi, screenwriter @stingrza and I had the crazy idea of putting a faceless, 6 legged flying creature named Morris in our movie. We made a deal that if Morris made the final cut, Dave would add him to his personal tattoo collection. So happy to know that Morris will be around for many years to come. Tattoo art by @scragpie. @marvelstudios," Cretton wrote on Instagram. You can check out a video of Callahan getting his tattoo below:

It was recently announced that Cretton will be helming a Shang-Chi sequel with Liu returning to play the hero. Hopefully, Morris will be back, too! Not only did Shang-Chi have a record-breaking opening weekend at the box office, but it also earned the highest audience score of any Marvel Cinematic Universe film on Rotten Tomatoes (it's now tied with Spider-Man: No Way Home). The movie was met with positive reviews from critics, earning a 91% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes after 331 reviews, and it also earned an impressive 98% audience score after 10,000+ reviews. ComicBook.com gave the movie a 4.5 out of 5, calling it "one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's best origin stories to date."

Back in March, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings took home the award for "Character Animation, Live Action" at the Annie Awards. At the 2nd Annual Critics Choice Super Awards, Shang-Chi also scored five nominations. The Marvel movie was up for Best Superhero Movie, Best Actor in a Superhero Movie (Tony Leung), Best Actor in a Superhero Movie (Simu Liu), Best Actress in a Superhero Movie (Michelle Yeoh), and Best Villain in a Movie (Tony Leung). Shang-Chi also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Achievement in Visual Effects. The movie ended up losing to Dune. 

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now streaming on Disney+. 

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