No one's dreaming of a white 'Mulan': Our dream cast for Disney's live action remake

Continuing the trend of mining their back catalogue of animated features for brand new live action movies, Disney announced that they’re prepping a live-action remake of “Mulan.”

Disney’s 1998 animated adaptation of the ancient Chinese legend isn’t as universally beloved as some of their other films already slated for the remake treatment (like “Beauty and the Beast” and “Dumbo”), but the story of a young girl disguising herself as a man to battle the Huns seems perfect for an appropriately epic cinematic treatment. And most importantly, Tim Burton probably won’t have anything to do with it.

While the idea of a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster centered on a badass female Chinese action hero would usually be cause for celebration, a lot of people seem worried. Fans of the original, and fans of diversity and equity in general, are justifiably concerned that the new film won’t actually cast an Asian actress in the lead.

Fans have good reason to be nervous. The issue of whitewashing is still a significant problem in Hollywood—sure it’s been fifty years since Mickey Rooney appeared sporting buck teeth and a cartoonishly offensive Chinese accent in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” but just this past year we saw “Exodus: Gods and Kings” spark controversy with its all-white cast in Egyptian roles, and let’s not forget Johnny Depp as Tonto in “The Lone Ranger” (although, that may owe less to racial insensitivity than to the fact that Johnny Depp seems to sincerely believe that through an amusing voice and an outlandish hat, he can transform himself into anybody).

If Disney is wise, though, they’ll steer clear of a “Last Airbender”-esque screw-up, and actually honour the original source material.

Luckily, because social media is doing studio executive’s jobs for them, tons of users are already fan-casting the new Mulan.

Many seem to want the original voice of Mulan, fifty one year old Ming-Na Wen, to reprise her role for the live-action version.  Bizarrely, MTV.com seems to think Vanessa Hudgens should play Mulan. Not to be left out, here is our dream cast for the new Mulan--

Mulan: Ellen Wong

You may remember Canada's very own Ellen Wong as Knives Chau from “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” In “Scott Pilgrim,” Wong proved that she could be both charming and physically tough—whoever plays Mulan is going to have to have both of those qualities in spades.

Li Shang: Steven Yeun

A lot of people online seem to want Steven Yeun to play Li Shang, and it’s had to disagree-- he’s a charming, capable actor whose presence has certainly elevated “The Walking Dead.” Sure, he’s of Korean descent, not Chinese-- but you try saying no to that face. He may have to bulk up a bit to meet the unrealistic Disney physical standard.

The Emperor: James Hong

Yeah, guess what:James Hong is still alive and working. You’ve seen him in pretty much every movie ever made, and he voiced Chi Fu in the original. He would be perfect to take over the role from the late Pat Morita.

Shan Yu: Chow Yun Fat

Johnny Depp. Seriously. Come on Johnny, you think race shouldn’t matter, let’s see if you can play the villainous Shan Yu. Okay, maybe that’s stupid. How about Chow Yun Fat? He’s only 59. Remember when he was in everything? That’s because he’s awesome. He may have to bulk up a little bit to become the terrifying Shan Yu, but hey, we trust him.

Mushu: Eddie Murphy

If they decide to bring back Mushu the dragon (and if they don't: dishonour on them!), presumably in some kind of CGI form, why not just bring back Eddie Murphy? Dragons are racially ambiguous, right? So it hopefully wouldn’t raise any ire to cast Murphy—or even easier, just copy and paste his lines from the original!