AceShowbiz - Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige regrets failing to stick to the "Doctor Strange" comics and not hiring an Asian actor to play The Ancient One after facing backlash over Tilda Swinton's casting.

Producers were accused of whitewashing the role after Swinton landed the key part in the 2016 movie, but they stood by the decision at the time, arguing the title of The Ancient One was held by numerous characters of different backgrounds in comic book lore.

Now, five years on, as Marvel officials prepare to launch their first Asian-focused superhero blockbuster, "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", Feige admits they were wrong in their handling of the situation.

"We thought we were being so smart, and so cutting-edge," he told Men's Health magazine. "(We thought), 'We're not going to do the cliche of the wizened, old, wise Asian man.' "

"But it was a wake-up call to say, 'Well, wait a minute, is there any other way to figure it out? Is there any other way to both not fall into the cliche and cast an Asian actor?' And the answer to that, of course, is yes."

Actor Simu Liu will lead the mostly-Asian cast of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", which is set to launch in September (21).

In the upcoming movie, Sang-Chi must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.