HAIKU — Homegrown Maui boy turned Hollywood success story Destin Daniel Cretton can’t talk about his new gig as Marvel Studios’ Asian American director for its first Asian superhero film.

Early on in movie production, big contracts keep most directors mum.

But his mom, Janice, can. After all, he got the Asian from his mama.

“He looks the part, right?” she said. “That’s so cool.”

Marvel Studios picked Destin to direct “Shang-Chi,” its first superhero movie with an Asian protagonist. Dating back to Marvel’s 1973 comics, the character Shang-Chi is a skilled martial artist (known as the Master of Kung Fu) who grows up to learn that his China-based humanitarian father isn’t who he has claimed to be.

“Deadline” broke the news about Destin last month, which circulated among small and large state and national media outlets. The screenplay will be written by Chinese-American Dave Callaham of DC Warner Bros’ “Wonder Woman 1984” and Sony’s animated “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2.”

Some reports said Marvel Studios is eyeing Sydney, Australia, for the production, which is expected to cost $150 million.

Coming on the heels of Oscar-winning “Black Panther,” the first African and African American film with a nearly all-black cast, Marvel continues to highlight diversity and inclusivity.

“The goal here is to do a similar thing: introduce a new hero who blends Asian and Asian American themes, crafted by Asian and Asian American filmmakers,” according to “Deadline.”

It makes sense, then, that Marvel’s new “Shang-Chi” director would come from the most ethnically diverse state in the nation.

“It’s like chop suey here!” said 71-year-old Janice, the well-loved Okinawan/Japanese matriarch of six Haiku-raised home-schooled kids, all of whom are now adults, some with their own kids, in Hawaii and in California. She lives on the same property where Destin grew up with husband Dan, who has a mix of European races.

“Hawaii Asian is different,” she said, because it blends all kinds of ethnic groups — Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Filipino — just like the plantation days when everyone would combine their bentos, which became Hawaii food, and their languages, which became pidgin English. The fusion found in Hawaii helps its people learn empathy, she explained.

Sitting outside her Haiku B&B, Bamboo Heaven Maui, and eating sushi, kimchi and other snacks, Janice said Friday that she doesn’t have specifics about Destin’s new project other than what she’s seen in the news.

“I don’t know too much about it; it sounds like it’s a big thing,” she said. “This will be a very different experience for him. He’s so creative. It will be interesting and fun to see what he does with it.”

Janice said she has pictures of young Destin and older brother Denim in superhero costumes.

“They would act like they’re jumping off the dog house,” she said, laughing.

Destin learned to film at age 10 when his mom reluctantly let him use his grandmother’s camcorder. Brothers and sisters served as cast and crew. The sprawling Haiku outdoors and humble home indoors had all the stages and sets the kids could want.

Janice said she “no way” knew that Destin would grow up to be the accomplished filmmaker he is today. “He didn’t know either! I thought they were cute and they were playing around.”

Destin, who graduated from Maui High School in 1996, started generating film festival acclaim during his college years. He received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Point Loma Nazarene University, then went on to attend film school at San Diego State University.

Directorial highlights include “The Glass Castle” and award-winning “Short Term 12,” both of which star Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson. He is currently working on “Just Mercy,” led by Larson and Michael B. Jordan.

“One thing about Destin is that he treats everyone the same,” Janice said, adding that he is the same down-to-earth son she has always known despite the Hollywood fame. “Everyone loves him, because he respects and honors each one of his colleagues. Have you seen his Facebook? He lifts up each one.”

She said she is looking forward to seeing what Destin’s next movie holds, especially because he comes from the colorful pot of “chop suey” people found in Hawaii.

“Isn’t it nice that one race isn’t superior to another?” she asked. “We’re a mixture. That’s why God made us all different. It makes us more loving, more kind, more accepting. Hawaii is so perfect. It’s a melting pot of the world.”

* Kehaulani Cerizo can be reached at kcerizo@mauinews.com.