Disney's live-action version of "Mulan," which has been earmarked for a Nov. 2018 release, has Ming-Na Wen quite excited. The actress has close ties to the movie because she voiced the character in the 1998 animated version.
"Mulan" live-action is in the middle of casting its leads via a global search for Asian actors. But barring other details to the new film, fans have been wondering -- will Disney also turn this into a musical just like the cartoons?
Ming-Na Wen cites that it is fantastic Disney is doing a live-action take on "Mulan." Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, the actress said that she's excited that the movie will be made because it will push Asian representation in Hollywood further.
"To do an animation that was based on a Chinese folklore and for them to go ahead and greenlight this, I mean, it's all good," the star said. Doing a "Mulan" live-action seems to come at the best time for Ming-Na Wen. "We need to bring our [Asian] stories to life," she added.
When the live-action take on "Mulan" was announced in September, fans immediately hoped Disney won't fail with casting. Reports that Jennifer Lawrence and Zac Efron would play the leads were rebuffed, Mirror reports.
Disney said it will be picking actors of Asian descent for the movie and do away with whitewashing. Project Casting has the details of the lead characters, Mulan and Chen Honghui. It cites that majority of the production will be in China and "most roles will be Chinese." The lead actors "must be able to speak fluent English and Mandarin Chinese" as well.
It's still unclear how Disney will adapt "Mulan" as a live-action movie when the animated film was also partly a musical. Fans note that Disney is doing its "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King" live-action remakes with music, as it is in its animated versions. Following this format, speculations are that there will be songs in the "Mulan" live-action too. The casting notice, however, doesn't indicate anything about the leads knowing how to sing.
The 1998 "Mulan" animation featured Tony winner Lea Salonga as Mulan's singing voice, with Ming-Na Wen as the speaking voice. Christina Aguilera also sang the theme song to "Mulan," entitled "Reflection," for its commercial release.
