In September, speculations about the live action remake of Mulan has been the in the headlines for days. The rumor, which included Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence being cast as the main protagonist, has not been favored by most Disney fans.
It all started when a fake parody account on Twitter with the username 'Unreel News' tweeted about Disney allegedly eyeing Jennifer Lawrence for the role. Additionally, the account also tweeted that High School Musical star Zac Efron will play the love interest of Mulan, Li Shang. It was obvious later on that there is no truth behind the speculations, but some Disney fans did not take this as a joke.
Hollywood's whitewashing has been the issue since the speculation has started appearing. According to Salon, Casting a Caucasian actor as a character of color, regardless of reason has a direct and harmful impact not just on the movie itself, but the audience and the members of the acting community as well.
The speculations even led to angry fans and viewers signing a petition asking the studio to cast an Asian actor as Mulan and is closing on 100,000 signatures. This is because they have seen how white superstars are casted as Asian characters in a number of major motion pictures released.
Now, eventhough the rumors about Lawrence's Mulan lead cast has finally slowed down, Disney fans once again found out another reason to be disappointed. According to Movie News Guide, Disney is reportedly planning on giving the upcoming film a unique twist from the original classic story.
Angry Asian Man had apparently got a hold of the early draft for the upcoming live-action film, and the blog mentioned that the film will involve a white male love interest. Li Shang's character will allegedly be modified into a European merchant that helps the Chinese Imperial Army after seeing Mulan. What infuriates the fans more is that this character's role allegedly appears to be more center to the plot than that of Mulan's.
There is no confirmation yet if the new speculations are true or not. But fans surely hope that the upcoming live-action film will not disappoint them.
Mulan is rumored to be released in 2018.
