Asians across the globe, rejoice! While there has been no official announcement from Disney (yet!), a live-action version of Mulan is in the works. According to the The Hollywood Reporter, the studio bought a script by writing team Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek that centers on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, the female warrior who was the main character in Disney's animated film. Chris Bender and J.C. Spink (We’re The Millers) will be producing the new project. The animated film brought in more than $304.3 million at the worldwide box office in 1998, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, and nabbed two Golden Globe nominations.
No release date or casting has been announced for the in-development project of my favorite Disney heroine, but the Internet is abuzz with casting predictions and dream cast ensembles. Kat Rosenfield at MTV is convinced the role of Mulan should go to Vanessa Hudgens, which is the equivalent of advocating for Rashida Jones to play Tiana in a live-action version of The Princess and the Frog. It’s no secret that Hollywood has a serious diversity problem. No nonwhite actors were nominated for this season's Academy Awards and the barriers remain steep. This is an incredible opportunity for Asian actors and actresses, who are usually reduced to playing nerds or exchange students, to be cast in leading roles in a major Hollywood production and she thinks it would be a good idea to cast an already famous actress to play the role because she’s half Filipino? Makes sense. If you’re smoking crack. BuzzFeed writers, Sam Stryker and Matt Ortile, on the other hand, have it right with advocating for Richmond-native Constance Wu to play our favorite crossdresser.
Disney is also making a live-action retelling of Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens. A new version of The Jungle Book starring Cate Blanchett and Benedict Cumberbatch, and the sequel to Alice in Wonderland will be released in 2016. In addition, a live-action version of Dumbo, which will be helmed by Tim Burton, is also in the works.
This is incredibly exciting and I can’t wait to read and share details as the project develops. In the meantime, here's a video that will get you even more pumped up for this movie if you aren't already.
