Simu Liu Under Fire for Twitter Joke Following 'Batgirl' Cancelation
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Right idea, wrong execution.
Marvel’s Simu Liu, star of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is under fire today for a tweet that many commenters are deeming insensitive in the wake of ‘Batgirl’s’ cancelation.
“I'm sorry to inform you guys that Disney has decided to scrap the Shang-Chi Holiday Special due to quality control concerns. I had already filmed the entire thing. I even designed an all-gingerbread Ta Lo. RIP Shang Chi and the Legend of the TEEEN GOLDEN RIIIIINGS,” the actor wrote on Twitter early on August 5.
Some commenters didn’t realize he was joking, expressing confusion over the announcement or mourning the loss of a special that they weren’t even aware of, with a few even calling for a boycott of Disney.
Many caught onto the joke, though, most didn’t find it very funny.
“Simu, I love you. But please delete this, it's not a pleasant situation for the entire creative team behind these projects at Warner. Apology video immediately,” wrote one user.
“Praying for Shang Chis cancellation as we speak now, just to return the joke of course,” another user said, following in the thread with, “Like it’s crazy for Simu to make such a huge deal about Asian representation in film when Shang chi was releasing and now it’s haha funny jokes when a black woman led film that’s done was cancelled last second.”
“dude it’s not cool to joke about this when so many of your fellow industry peers’ hardwork has been thrown down the drain,” wrote a third.
“I love you but this isn’t something to make light of. People got their dreams crushed for corporate greed. Every actor should be concerned,” warned one user.
“Some people lost their years working on Batgirl and all you have to worry about is trolling?” it continued.
Others saw Liu’s tweet as a statement.
“People. Simu is dragging the ridiculousness of WB’s decision to cancel a $90 million movie. He’s not dragging the cast, crew or fans. I get there’s valid outrage but you’re directing it at someone who likely agrees with you,” said producer Wilson Cleveland.
“Or, you know, he knows his friends and everyone except maybe you understands nuance, and cant tell this is a dig at WB Discovery,” another response agreed.
“The replies did not pass the vibe check, this is such a harmless joke that is clearly throwing shade at Warner Bros. Come on guys 😂,” someone else followed up.
It's a worthy criticism to throw at WB, but as someone else pointed out, "Sometimes, jokes can be worded inappropriately and be poorly timed. This is such a situation. It's best not to joke about a film that got shelved after filming was complete and it was in post-production. What if this happens to Simu Liu someday? Should others poke fun at that?" Perhaps next time a direct callout would be better.
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