Disney has confirmed that it will be pushing forward with the live action treatment of "Mulan." A 2018 theater date has been set by the studio and pre-production is underway, beginning with the casting call. The movie is said to be looking for a Chinese actress to play the lead role.
NBC News reports that Disney has launched a worldwide casting call for "Mulan" to find a Chinese actress for the titular role. The news comes as a petition was filed on The Petition Site asking Disney to carefully choose the cast to lend authenticity to the movie and discourage whitewashing.
The term whitewashing is indicative of the practice where Caucasian actors are cast for non-white characters. It's no secret that this has been perpetuating in Hollywood, according to Huffington Post.
Of recent controversies, Emma Stone was cast for a character who is supposedly Asian/Hawaiian in the recently-released film, "Aloha." Scarlett Johansson was also cast for another Asian role in the live action version of the anime "Ghost in the Shell" because the film couldn't find an A-list female Asian star, The Wrap reports. But Disney's move to go with a Chinese lead actress should assure fans that the company is listening to the criticisms and pleas.
Disney has released "Mulan" as an animated movie in 1998, which featured Asian actors Ming-Na Wen (speaking voice) and Lea Salonga (singing voice) for the lead role. The live screen remake will take points from the said movie, but it will also feature new material from the ballad of Hua Mulan, according to Deadline.
Adapting the screenplay for "Mulan" will be scribes Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, who have worked on "Jurassic World" and "Avatar." Producers of "Mulan" include Jason Reed, Jake Weiner and Chris Bender. Disney is still scouting for a director. "Mulan" set for a big screen launch on Nov. 2, 2018.
