Disney Developing Live-Action 'Mulan' Film

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. 
 

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Watch The First Full Trailer For 'Tomorrowland'

Walt Disney Pictures released the first full trailer for Brad Bird’s super secret project, Tomorrowland, yesterday afternoon. The official synopsis is as follows:

“Bound by a shared destiny, former boy-genius Frank (Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as “Tomorrowland.” What they must do there changes the world—and them—forever. Featuring a screenplay by “Lost” writer and co-creator Damon Lindelof and Brad Bird, from a story by Lindelof & Bird & Jeff Jensen, Tomorrowland promises to take audiences on a thrill ride of non stop adventures through new dimensions that have only been dreamed of.”

You wanted to see "Tomorrowland"? Here it comes. Well, on May 22.
 

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Get A First Look At Disney's 'Avatar Land' In Animal Kingdom

Disney has unveiled a first-look preview of James Cameron's Avatar at its Florida theme park, Animal Kingdom. Ground was broken for the construction of Pandora: The Land of Avatar in January 2014, three years after Disney signed an exclusive contract with the director.

“This project is really pushing the boundaries of what is possible,” wrote Bruce Vaughn, Walt Disney Imagineering’s chief creative executive, in a Disney Parks blog post last Thursday. 

“Since we first broke ground last year at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we’ve been looking forward to welcoming guests into Pandora, the mythical land based on the blockbuster film ‘Avatar,” he said. “We’re having a lot of fun dreaming up ways to bring to life the land’s iconic elements from the magnificent floating mountains to the interactive bioluminescent forest, and even to the soaring banshees.”

Vaughn called the creative process in developing the park with Disney and James Cameron’s Lightstorm, “one of the most dynamic and collaborative ones we’ve ever undertaken.” 

“I think one of the things that people loved about the movie is that they felt as if they had visited Pandora,” said James Cameron in a statement about his tour of the attraction. “Thanks to Disney’s amazing Imagineers, people are going to truly experience Pandora firsthand. From the details in the plants to the production and design, extraordinary thought and care has gone into this entire world.”

“The teams have really created something special, and it’s not going to be like anything else.” 

Pandora: The Land of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the largest expansion of Animal Kingdom in the park’s history, is expected to open in 2017 to coincide with the release of Cameron's Avatar sequel. Avatar 2 will be released on Christmas Day in 2017, with two more sequels to follow through 2019. The original film's stars Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, and Zoe Saldana are all slated to return.

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