Here's Why You're Seeing Simu Liu Everywhere In 2023

    If you feel like you're seeing him everywhere, that's not an accident!

    Will Hunt
    by Will Hunt

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    You might know Simu Liu best as "Shaun" aka Shang-Chi from Marvel's 2021 blockbuster Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

    Simu Liu in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings"
    Marvel Entertainment / Via youtube.com

    Some of you might recognize him more as Jung, Janet's charming older brother from Kim's Convenience.

    Simu Liu in "Kim's Convenience"
    Netflix

    Maybe you just saw him in the season premiere of Worth It, where he takes Andrew and Steven on a food tour of Toronto.

    Three men wearing gloves start grabbing a tower of lobster
    About To Eat / Via youtube.com

    View this video on YouTube
    youtube.com

    He also just hosted the Juno Awards, which is essentially the Canadian Grammys.

    Dale Macmillan / Getty Images

    Wherever you know him from, you might be curious why he's popping up everywhere. Or you're obsessed with him (hey, no judgement). Either way, I'm here to tell you why 2023 is about to be a huge year for the Canadian actor.

    Next month, he'll be starring alongside Phillipa Soo and Luke Bracey in One True Loves, based on the bestseller by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

    The Avenue, BuzzFeed Studios / Via youtube.com

    He plays Sam, a man who gets thrust into a love triangle when his fiancé's missing-and-presumed-dead husband returns.

    Taylor Jenkins Reid – who also wroteThe Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and many more twisty smash hits – is not only the queen of BookTok, but has three major adaptations in progress, including Prime Video's Daisy Jones & The Six which premiered earlier this month.

    You can watch One True Loves in theaters April 7 and on digital April 14. This film was produced in association with BuzzFeed Studios! 

    Watch the trailer here:

    View this video on YouTube
    The Avenue, BuzzFeed Studios / Via youtube.com

    In May, you can catch him as rogue coder Casey in sci-fi thriller Simulant

    Simu Liu in "Simulant"
    Vertical Entertainment, Mongrel Media / Via youtube.com

    In Simulant, the world is filled with humanlike androids called simulants who behave like humans but have restraints in their programming for humans' safety. Casey is presented with a simulant who appears to have human memories from the person he was based on, a man named Evan who died in a car crash, so he decides to eliminate Evan's restraints...

    Simulant also stars Robbie Amell, Jordana Brewster, Alicia Sanz, and Sam Worthington. 

    Watch the trailer here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Vertical Entertainment, Mongrel Media / Via youtube.com

    Simulant will be available exclusively on DIRECTV On Demand on May 5, followed by a day & date release on June 2.

    Later this summer, he appears in Greta Gerwig's long-awaited Barbie movie

    Men dance in matching outfits on a pink and blue background
    Warner Bros. Pictures / Via youtube.com

    There is MUCH HYPE around the very first live-action Barbie adaptation in Mattel history. The details of the upcoming film have been kept under wraps, but we know that Margot Robbie stars as the titular Barbie, Ryan Gosling costars as Ken.

    Liu joins Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa, Issa Rae, and Hari Nef (possibly among others...?) as different variations of Barbie and Ken. 

    The only other thing we know about Liu's character is that he had to get a full-body wax for the role. Do with that information what you will. 

    Watch the teaser here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    Barbie hits theaters July 21.

    That's not all! He has already wrapped production on two other major projects.

    Monica Schipper / WireImage

    He's set to play the antagonist in Netflix's Atlas with Jennifer Lopez and Sterling K. Brown. He'll also appear in Arthur the King as Liam, based on the 2017 nonfiction book Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed The Jungle To Find A Home. 

    Also confirmed and in development: he'll be starring in and executive producing Prime Video's adaptation of Seven Wonders by Ben Mezrich. 

    Deadline just confirmed he'll lead Paul Feig's new action-comedy Grand Death Lotto with John Cena and his Shang-Chi co-star Awkwafina.  

    While Shang-Chi's appearance isn't confirmed, Marvel has a lot more projects releasing this year, and when your movie ends with you meeting The Hulk, Captain Marvel, and Sorcerer Supreme Wong, who knows where you might pop up next...

    David M. Benett / Dave Benett / WireImage

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels hit theaters May 5 and November 10 respectively.

    Not to mention Secret Invasion, Loki Season 2, What If...? Season 2, Ironheart, Echo, and Agatha: Coven of Chaos all potentially releasing on Disney+ this year. 

    Shang-Chi is bound to appear in at least one of them...right?

    That's all we know...for now!