LIFE

If you haven't heard the *amazing* news, Mulan, the animated Disney flick from 1998, is getting a live-action remake. The musical follows Mulan, a young woman who goes undercover as a man so that she may take her father's place in war, and, in the end, she saves China. The girl power element alone is enough reason for us to be head-over-heels for the film, but what's even more amazing is that the remake will reportedly feature an all-Asian primary cast.

You're probably thinking: "Uh, yeah—but what's so special about that?" Well, it's actually a pretty big deal. In the past, some films have cast Caucasian actors and actresses in roles that were meant for Asian talent (such as: Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell and Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange). This is, to put it lightly, a bummer. When casting directors decide to cast non-Asian talent for Asian roles, it takes opportunities away from Asian actors and actresses to make their mark on the television and film industries. In turn, it leads to a lack of representation of Asians in the media, meaning that if you are Asian, you are less likely to see yourself reflected on screen—this is a *huge* issue. Check out the chart below from Mic. that shows the disparaging difference between the amount of Asian talent that is represented in entertainment as opposed to Caucasian talent.

This data was collected in films from 2007 to 2014, but it's still an issue today. This is something a graphic designer set to point out when he created a movement called #StarringJohnCho earlier this year. In #StarringJohnCho, designer William Yu replaced Caucasian actors on movie posters with Asian actor John Cho. Below, he swapped out actors Jason Sudeikis and Sam Claflin for John.

It's not that Jason and Sam have done anything wrong in their roles in Mother's Day or Me Before You, the designer is simply trying to prove how infrequently Asian actors and actresses are cast in leading roles. It's not for a lack of amazing Asian talent in the entertainment industry, either. There's Glee's Jenna Ushkowitz, Karan Brar of Bunk'd, Lance Lim from School of Rock so many more.

We're *so* glad that Disney is sticking to the roots of the musical and we can't wait to see the film when it's released on Nov. 2, 2018. 

What about you—do you like the original Mulan? Will you catch the live-action version when it premieres in a few years?

Photo credit: William Yu, fanart.tv

by Sydney Adamson | 10/16/2016