Disney Confirms Live-Action MULAN Will Not Feature White Actor as Story's Hero

As BWW reported last week, Disney confirmed that a live-action reboot of the animated classic, MULAN was in the works and that the project has been fast-tracked to hit theaters on November 2, 2018. Jason Reed is expected to produce the film featuring a script by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.

Yesterday, according to Vulture, Disney had allegedly posted a spec script which revealed that the studio was looking to cast a white, male actor described as a "30-something European trader" who will fall in love with Mulan and ultimately save China. Following the report, fans of the 1998 animated film reacted strongly to the idea that a white actor would be featured as the story's hero and savior, rather than Mulan herself.

Disney quickly responded to the controversy, telling Vulture that the spec script was a "jumping-off point" for a new version of the iconic folktale. While they did buy the script in question, they had every intention of changing it. A source close to the film commented, "Mulan is and will always be the lead character in the story, and all primary roles, including the love interest, are Chinese."

Disney's orginal 1998 animated MULAN featured the voices of Lea Salonga, Ming-Na Wen, BD Wong, Donny Osmond, Eddie Murphy, Harvey Fierstein, and many others. The story centers on 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.

MULAN earned $304.3 million worldwide, and went on to receive Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. In 2005, the studio released a direct-to-DVD sequel, Mulan II.

Image courtesy of Walt Disney Studios