Disney is going to hold a worldwide open casting call for the lead role of Mulan.
Disney has confirmed that they will be moving forward with the live action treatment of Mulan. A 2018 movie theater release has been set by the studio and pre-production is underway, starting with an open casting call. The movie is said to be looking for a Chinese actress to play the lead role.
NBC News reports that Disney has launched an open casting call to find the actress to play the the lead role.
This news comes after a petition was filed asking Disney to carefully choose the cast and discourage whitewashing of the movie’s cast.
According to the Huffington Post, the term whitewashing is indicative of the practice where Caucasian actors are cast for non-white characters. And It is no secret that white washing has become commonplace in Hollywood. Recently, Emma Stone was cast for a character who is supposedly Asian/Hawaiian in the recently released feature film, Aloha. Scarlett Johansson was also cast for another Asian role in the live-action version of the anime Ghost in the Shell because the movie couldn’t reportedly find an A-list female Asian actress. But Disney’s move to go with a Chinese lead actress should assure fans that the company is listening to fans, criticisms and petitions.
Disney was released in 1998, which featured Asian actors Ming-Na Wen and Lea Salonga for the lead role. The live screen remake will reportedly take points from the 20 year old animated movie, but it will also feature new material.
Stay tuned for casting call updates and open casting call details. For the latest Disney auditions, click here.
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