The studio has assured fans that the movie will indeed feature a Chinese male lead, not a white guy, to become the love interest of the legendary female warrior Hua Mulan.
- Oct 12, 2016
AceShowbiz - Disney is on a fast track to make the live-action adaptation of "Mulan", but an open letter recently emerged, demanding the studio to not cast a white actor as the love interest of the titular female warrior. The anonymous letter posted on Angry Asian Man stated that a "script spec" leaked and the movie would feature an "European" trader "defeating the primary enemy of China," not Mulan.
1998's Mulan was revolutionary because it was a narrative that was centered on a woman that didn't need a man to succeed. #MakeMulanRight pic.twitter.com/4SW2sdvaEa
— Benjamin To (@benjitoes) October 10, 2016
Mulan didn't need someone to come save her. SHE is the one who saved her friends, her father, and the whole damn country. #MakeMulanRight pic.twitter.com/DJLUqNnzOn
— Kim Horcher (@kimscorcher) October 10, 2016
However, the studio has assured fans that the movie will indeed feature an Asian male lead just as fans hope. "The spec script was a jumping-off point for a new take on the story that draws from both the literary ballad of Mulan and Disney's 1998 animated film," a source with knowledge of the movie told Vulture.
The insider added, "Mulan is and will always be the lead character in the story, and all of the primary roles, including the love interest, are Chinese." Additionally, the studio confirmed that casting has been underway for a Chinese actress to play the legendary female warrior Hua Mulan.
Thank Buddha!! I applaud @Disney @DisneyStudios for going in the right direction with #Mulan! ����������������#staytruetothelegend https://t.co/7IYkcxcn29
— Ming-Na Wen (@MingNa) October 11, 2016
Director has yet to be announced for the movie which is set for a November 2, 2018 release in U.S. theaters. Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver ("Jurassic World", "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes") are attached to pen the screenplay.
"Mulan" follows a young woman who disguises herself as a man so she can take her father's place in the army and go to war. With the help of her trusty dragon sidekick Mushu, she becomes a skilled warrior and, eventually, one of the country's greatest heroines.
