Mulan (Live-Action)

[JeanGreyForever]

Apparently you do, otherwise you wouldn't care about when I post what or why. I just thought I'd help your under-foot commentary by giving you more detailed information.

Not really but you can think what you like since you'll do so anyway. I only commented because your post was a not-so subtle jab which was likely going to escalate into a full diatribe à la Cinderella. For whatever reason repetition of topics seems to be a trigger for you.

[Disney's Divinity]

The problem with talking about Cinderella in topics that are not about Cinderella (by the same two people) is that it's off-topic trolling. The problem with talking about whether or not the same movie is a musical three times a page is that it's boring. A basic difference. Pretty narcissistic to consider that a jab at you personally though.

[JeanGreyForever]

Cinderella was barely discussed and in fact, as pointed out various times before to you, most of the time, it was you who brought it up. It was not off-topic because it was talked about to compare to Beauty and the Beast. I'm not regurgitating this conversation though because you lose your wits when Cinderella comes up.

A topic might be boring to you but if it's being brought up so many times, clearly other people are interested in it. You don't have to participate in it rather than try and demonize the people discussing it. And please, most of your comments are thinly veiled attacks at someone in particular.

[Disney's Divinity]

A topic might be boring to you

And if so, it's free reign to say it. Sorry if that offends you, but I'm not going to stop posting my opinion just because of your self-victimization act. YOU ARE NO VICTIM. As to the rest of your pack of lies, save them for someone who cares (there's only one person I can think of who would).

[JeanGreyForever]

Just as it's within my right to call you out on your hypocrisy. I don't know anyone who plays a victim more than you do but I can promise you that I am no victim. Anyway, I bore of this and for once you actually are correct in usage of your favorite line about being off-topic.

From internet presence, it seems people are really dejected over all the changes to this film from the lack of songs, Shang, and Mushu plus the additions of the new military characters, the witch, and Mulan's sister. I wonder if Disney will heavily promote these new additions or decide to not emphasize the changes when time comes to market the movie.

[Disney's Divinity]

Just as it's within my right to call you out on your hypocrisy.

Is that what you're doing? I thought this was just a lunatic hissyfit over an invented slight.

I'm not surprised most people who actually like Disney's Mulan might be disappointed the live-action re-make of Disney's Mulan is little to nothing like Disney's Mulan.

[Sotiris]

Disney is casting New Zealanders of Asian and Arab descent as extras.

A live-action version of the 1998 Disney animated hit Mulan is expected to be partly filmed in New Zealand sometime in the next year. Disney is on the search for actors of Asian and Arab descent with skills in horseriding, martial arts and traditional Chinese calligraphy, to name a few. The casting call out was after people of all ages to play characters of Chinese, Mongolian, Afghan, Turkmen, Kazakh, Iranian, Pakistani and Indian ethnic descents. If you've got extra skills, even better. They're on the look out for folks with specific skills such as blacksmithing, drumming, traditional Chinese or Indian music, dance, traditional Chinese calligraphy, martial arts and horse riding. And people with long hair are also asked to apply. Filming will start at the end of August and go through to December. Disney is promising all roles will be fully paid.

Source: https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/f ... iwi-actors


Sean Bailey talks about the casting process.

In the case of Mulan (2020), it is cast with entirely actors of Chinese ethnicity (with the exception of two Middle-Eastern actors in supporting roles), and many Chinese nationals. There is not a Caucasian face in the movie. The process was fascinating. The infrastructure of agents, managers and lawyers isn't the same in China. So our people learned new skills in terms of hiring Chinese stars, of negotiating in China. We brought on a legendary Chinese producer named Bill Kong to help us navigate. These Chinese stars are really, really busy with their own big franchises and TV series in China, a robust market in and of itself. The baseline from which we're operating is getting bigger and broader, and we're going to continue to do that.

Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists ... d-1205133/

[Sotiris]

Mulan's love interest has been cast.

Disney's Mulan has cast Mulan's love interest: Yoson An, who hails from New Zealand. An will play Chen Honghui, a confident and ambitious recruit who joins Commander Tung’s unit. He becomes Mulan's most important ally and eventual love interest. (This character differs from Li Shang, the Chinese army captain who was the main love interest in the animated film.)

Additionally, THR can exclusively report that Chum Ehelepola has been cast in the role of Ramtish in the film. He and Skatch (Utkarsh Ambudkar) play a duo in the film.

Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat- ... ie-1116949

[Disney's Divinity]

I'm surprised they gave her another love interest at all.

[Raf]

Why didn't they named him Li Shang? It seems to me like they could avoid a lot of backlash that way. Even if it's totally different personality, people would probably be more cool with the totally new version of the character than removing fan-favourite and replacing him with someone else. It kind of worked in Maleficent?

[Sotiris]

^I agree but the issue here goes deeper than a name change. It's the personality of the character that's the biggest problem and how regressive it is. Maleficent was a re-imagining so you expected characters' personalities to differ significantly from the original.

Here's how he's described in the casting call. He's an obnoxious, conceited bully who only starts valuing Mulan after he learns she's a woman.

Chen Honghui: strapping, cocky, and handsome Honghui is another recruit who joins Commander Tung's unit, and he's determined to be the best soldier in human history. Full of himself, with a mean, bullying streak to him, he quickly realizes that Mulan is his chief rival, but he does not realize that she is a woman. Grittily determined to be simply the best at everything, Honghui is increasing peeved by Mulan's ability to match or out-maneuver him. But after learning that his rival is a woman, his intense feelings of rivalry turn into something very different, something like love.

[Raf]

^I agree but the issue here goes deeper than a name change. It's the personality of the character that's the biggest problem and how regressive its is. Maleficent was a re-imagining so you expected characters' personalities to differ significantly from the original.

Here's how he's described in the casting call. He's an obnoxious, conceited, bully who only starts valuing Mulan after he learns she's a woman.

Chen Honghui: strapping, cocky, and handsome Honghui is another recruit who joins Commander Tung's unit, and he's determined to be the best soldier in human history. Full of himself, with a mean, bullying streak to him, he quickly realizes that Mulan is his chief rival, but he does not realize that she is a woman. Grittily determined to be simply the best at everything, Honghui is increasing peeved by Mulan's ability to match or out-maneuver him. But after learning that his rival is a woman, his intense feelings of rivalry turn into something very different, something like love.

Wow, that sounds horrible. I really try to stay positive about Mulan's remake, since I love the animated one so much. But so far everything tells me it may be their worst live-action remake yet.

[Sotiris]

The original songwriters are more than willing to come back and write new pieces. Such a wasted opportunity.

Zippel and Wilder hold nothing but fond memories of their time working on Mulan, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of its release this month. The two have not relinquished the idea of doing something further with the piece. When asked if they might be involved on the forthcoming live-action adaptation of the film, which has conflicting reports as to whether it will include music, they both say they have no idea what’s happening there.

Source: http://ew.com/movies/2018/06/19/mulan-i ... you-story/

[Sotiris]

Ming-Na Wen doesn't like that the remake won't include the songs. We feel ya Ming-Na! I hope they at least give her a cameo but at this point I'm doubting they'll even do that.

“I think Disney is going to do a great job with the live action Mulan. I love what I’ve seen: little bits of Liu Yifei" — the actor who plays the titular character in the remake — "She’s a great choice to be Mulan,” notes Wen when asked about the story’s new iteration during a phone interview with Bustle days before the landmark anniversary.

Wen is uncertain on the specifics about the reimagining, but she assumes some of the decisions probably aim “to make it a little more serious like the original folklore.” But she hopes the live-action rekindles the same magic the original provided for millions of people, even if it's apparently missing some unforgettable original tunes. “I don’t have the script or anything, but at first when they said they weren’t going to even have music and songs in it, that was kind of like, ‘Oh I don’t know about that. ‘I mean it is Disney!” she says emphatically.

Source: https://www.bustle.com/p/heres-what-mul ... r-9426608/

[Sotiris]

Jason Scott Lee has been cast in the movie.

Jason Scott Lee, who is of Chinese and Hawaiian descent, has joined Disney's live-action Mulan as Bori Khan, a warrior leader who is intent on avenging his father's death. He joins Gong Li on the antagonists' side, while the heroine's (Liu Yifei) team includes Donnie Yen, relative New Zealand newcomer Yoson An and Marco Polo's Ron Yuan. Jet Li, Pitch Perfect's Utkarsh Ambudkar, New Zealand actress Xana Tang and comic actor Chum Ehelepola round out the cast.

Jason Reed, Chris Bender, Jake Weiner and executive producer Bill Kong are producing the Niki Caro-helmed film, currently scheduled for a March 27, 2020 release. Executives Tendo Nagenda and Jessica Virtue are overseeing the production for Disney.

Lee is no stranger to Disney, having starred as Mowgli in Buena Vista's 1994 live-action The Jungle Book and voiced a David Kawena in 2002's animated Lilo & Stitch. But he may be best known for portraying the lead in Universal's 1993 biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. His recent credits include Netflix's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny and indie film Burn Your Maps, starring Vera Farmiga and Jacob Tremblay.

Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat- ... ee-1129918

[D82]

^I guess this is the character who replaces Shan Yu in this version, though he's not the main villain here. I didn't know the protagonist of the 1994 live-action Jungle Book was the actor who voiced David in Lilo & Stitch. Indian, Hawaiian, Chinese... he can play any ethnicity they want. Well, to be fair, according to the article he's of both Chinese and Hawaiian descent. But not Indian, I suppose.

[Disney's Divinity]

I have no idea what's going on with this film. At first, this character sounded like Shang (whose father is killed), but he's said to be a villain. Why would they need a second villain along with the witch? Perhaps he's her subordinate? The character's storyline should likely make Mulan somewhat sympathetic to him, considering she joined the army to prevent her father's death.

[D82]

I have no idea what's going on with this film. At first, this character sounded like Shang (whose father is killed), but he's said to be a villain. Why would they need a second villain along with the witch? Perhaps he's her subordinate?

I think the witch will be the main villain and he'll be her subordinate. She'll probably induce him to attack China taking advantage of his desire of revenge. I thought they would announce a character like this, because there's a war in the story and I don't imagine the witch commanding the enemy troops.

[Disney's Divinity]

I think the witch will be the main villain and he'll be her subordinate. She'll probably induce him to attack China taking advantage of his desire of revenge. I thought they would announce a character like this, because there's a war in the story and I don't imagine the witch commanding the enemy troops.

True. I always assumed she might create a fake army from magic or something, but this sounds more likely.

[D82]

I always assumed she might create a fake army from magic or something, but this sounds more likely.

I hadn't thought of that possibility, but yes, I think that even though there's a witch in it, that would probably be too fantastical for the film.