Shang-Chi Helmer Pays Tribute to Film’s Late Stunt Coordinator

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now in theaters, the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film thrilling fans — and set to nearly triple the Labor Day box office record — with its incredible stunts and action sequences, including the bus fight that was such a huge part of the film’s marketing. Sadly, the film’s stunt coordinator and second unit director who made that scene and others come to life, Brad Allan, died in August before Shang-Chi hit the big screen. Now, Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton pays tribute to Allan, talking about how much of a joy it was to watch him work.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Cretton spoke about how Allan was very in tune with the storytelling needs of the stunts and action sequences the film needed, something that set him apart from others.

“The thing that I found unique and special about Brad, which I know he talked about learning in Jackie Chan‘s camp, is that the team was not just trained to be martial artists. They’re not trained to fight and punch and do backflips and crazy stunts; they’re trained to be filmmakers,” Cretton said. “So they come in knowing that story is the most important thing to a fight sequence. I typically tune out in action movies because explosions don’t do anything for me and just a bunch of kicking and punching doesn’t do anything for me. But the storytelling that Brad Allan was constantly striving for was exactly what this movie needed. What are the character beats? How does every punch, kick or twirl move our character forward or tell us something about the conflict between two characters? So that was always the most important thing that Brad was asking, striving for, and trying to create. And it was really such a joy to watch him work and to see the amazing fight sequences he created for us.”

He also explained how the bus fight, which was part of his original pitch to Marvel, was something that he never thought would make it into the movie, but once handed off to Allan, it was off to the races.

“That initial idea I never thought would ever actually make it into the movie, but we took that idea and handed it over to Brad Allan and his incredible team. That fight in itself was perfect for them because they were trained on Jackie Chan’s stunt team,” Cretton said. “That style of Buster Keaton-like physical comedy, mixed with setups and payoffs, and stakes rising and rising to almost ridiculous levels, was something that was perfect for them. I had so much fun developing it, going back and forth, and turning it into what it became.”

Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and produced by Kevin Feige and Jonathan Schwartz, with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Charles Newirth serving as executive producers. David Callaham & Destin Daniel Cretton & Andrew Lanham wrote the screenplay for the film, which is now in theaters.