Disney is trying to do right byMulan— both in front of and behind the camera. The live-action adaptation is based on a spec script byLauren HynekandElizabeth Martinthat’s getting rewrites fromRick JaffaandAmanda Silver, and the Mouse House is actively looking to fill the director’s chair with an Asian filmmaker. One name who was reportedly approached but passed onMulanisAng Lee.
THRmentioned theLife of Pidirector in a report that Sony is also developing a film based on theMulantale. No reason was given for why Lee decided to pass on the project, but maybe it has something to do withThrilla in Manila, hisMuhammad Alifilm which last year was said to be back on track.
There’s already pressure for Disney to get the story ofMulanright. A blog called Angry Asian Man pennedan open letterto the studio over an alleged copy of the screenplay, which suggested the adaptation would be about a white man coming in to help the Chinese army to win the affections of Mulan. A later report clarified that this was just a jumping off point, but then you factor in thebacklashover the casting ofTilda SwintoninDoctor Strange, and the Marvel parent company presumably doesn’t want a repeat of the matter.
Mulanis said to incorporate elements of both the literary ballad the animated Disney film. If it’s anything like the studio’s live-actionBeauty and the Beastwith musical numbers, then perhaps that could’ve been another reason Lee passed. But now we’re getting too far into the realm of speculation when there’s next to nothing to go on.
This is the latest in Disney’s trend of creating live-action interpretations of classic animated movies, includingCinderella,Maleficent,The Jungle Book, andPete’s Dragon. Sony’s version ofMulanis said to be in the early stages of development with a script byJason Keller.
