Marvel Actor Cancels, Jumps Into Opposing Studio’s R-Rated Movie | Popgen Tech

A new movie featuring the troubled actor has earned a huge R-rating.

Over a year ago, Marvel Studios released Daniel Cretton’s Destin Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). The film, which featured the first appearance of Marvel Comics’ Master of Kung Fu in Kevin Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, broke box office records, landed a sequel, and also put Cretton in the director’s chair for the upcoming fifth Avengers movie, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2025).

Related: MCU Star Apparently Confirms His Return For ‘Avengers 5’

New Marvel hero Shang-Chi sees Simu Lui make his MCU debut, and is joined by Awkwafina as Katy — a role originally created for the live-action adaptation. In addition to the two leads, Tony Leung (Xu Wenwu AKA The Mandarin), Michelle Yeoh (Ying Nan), Ronny Chieng (Jon Jon), Meng’er Zhang (Xu Xialing), Fala Chen (Li), and Ben Kingsley ( Trevor Slattery), as well Doctor StrangeBenedict Wong (Wong) also starred in (2016). Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Tim Roth also appears, returning as the Abomination 13 years after playing the antagonist in The Incredible Hulk (2008); the post-credits revealed Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner discussing a new mission with Wong, Shang-Chi, and Katy.

Awakwafina, born Nora Lum, has a solid career in Hollywood. From coming out to the likes of John Chu Crazy Rich Asians (2018) to the critically acclaimed The Farewell (2019) and voices Sisu in The Walt Disney Company’s Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), the actor has several major credits to his name. He currently plays a fictionalized version of himself in Awkwafina is Nora from Queens on Comedy Central.

But, despite a seemingly steady stream of work, the actor faced criticism during his tenure in the entertainment industry. Awakwafina has been accused of using “Blaccent”, a form of cultural appropriation to further her career, something that angered many considering her own words on the Asian experience in the film. He used to say:

“I refuse to do accents. I’m not OK with someone writing an Asian experience for an Asian character. I make it very clear, I don’t ever go out for auditions where I feel like I’m making a minstrel out of our people.”

This resurfaced interview from 2017 is back as hype for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings went on to build that many were saying they planned to boycott the movie so they didn’t have to sit through two hours of Awkwafina. Despite the backlash, the MCU film performed well at the box office, breaking records on Labor Day.

In September, Awkwafina addressed the issues with her with a “Blaccent”, saying that she is “open to dialogue” and that the situation is something “multi-faceted” and “layered”. At the same time, it was announced that the boycotted Marvel actor was set to appear in Chris McKay’s Renfield (2023) with Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult as Dracula and the titular Renfield. Awkwafina will play the role of Rebecca Quincy.

Since Renfield is a horror-comedy, the rating could go either way, and many expect PG-13. Now, it has been revealed that the film will be an R-rated experience. Comic Book Movie notes:

Bloody Disgusting has learned (via FearHQ.com) that the MPA gave Renfield an R-rating for “Bloody violence, some gore, tongue-in-cheek and some drug use.”

Related: Resurgence of Marvel Star’s Controversial Comments May Upset ‘Shang-Chi’ Release

Renfield is slated for release by Universal Pictures on April 14, 2023. As for Awkwafina, she will also star as the seagull Scuttle in the live-action remake The little mermaid (2023), based on the Disney classic animation of the same name.

The controversial actor is still making waves in Hollywood, and can be expected to appear in Marvel Phase Five and Phase Six as Katy Chen.

will you meet Renfield next year? Let us know in the comments below!