Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Marvel's first film featuring a Chinese superhero, portrayed by Simu Liu, was a box office sensation in 2021, raking in an impressive $432.2 million globally on a budget of $150-200 million.

Simu has recently illuminated the prospects of a sequel to the blockbuster movie in a conversation with Times of India, stating: "A lot of it is above my pay grade, but it's definitely happening. So just very excited to kind of work on it, and it's going to be amazing.

"I really can't say anything beyond that," he added, keeping details under wraps.

The narrative of Shang-Chi revolves around the titular character grappling with his history as he and his sister Xialing are pulled into a quest for a legendary village by their father Wenwu, the head of the Ten Rings terrorist group.

The film marked a milestone for Marvel Studios, being directed by Asian filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton and featuring a predominantly Asian ensemble cast including Awkwafina as Katy, Meng'er Zhang as Xu Xialing, Fala Chen as Ying Li, and Florian Munteanu as Razor Fist, reports the Mirror.

Eager fans have been clamouring for a sequel, flooding Reddit with comments and appeals for Marvel to greenlight the follow-up.

One ardent fan voiced their desire on the platform, saying: "I want the outcry for the sequel to be so loud Marvel can't ignore it."

One disgruntled individual remarked: "There will be a sequel, but at this rate it's too late to fast track one ASAP, the earliest we would see it is 2026."

A different user expressed: "It's nice that they're doing a sequel but Shang-Chi should have appeared in other films so people can get attached to him."

Dismayed, another fan stated: "Marvel have lost the plot. Why is it taking soo long to bring the great characters back in, far too much focus on new characters."

Following his stint as the titular hero in Shang-Chi, Simu Liu's stardom has ascended dramatically, leading him to land roles in major Hollywood projects.

He has taken roles in the smash-hit Barbie film, joined Jennifer Lopez in Netflix's sci-fi offering Atlas and recently featured in Prime Video's comedy Jackpot! alongside John Cena and Awkwafina.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is available to watch on Disney+.