Disney drops first trailer for live-action 'Mulan'

The first trailer for the live action Mulan was released Sunday and it looks absolutely gorgeous. 

Any doubts that star Liu Yifiei (Forbidden Kingdom) can convincingly handle a sword should be put to rest.

What the trailer doesn't show is any of the characters singing. The production team led by director Niki Caro vacillated between making the movie a straight action drama or to include the popular music that made the 1998 animated version so enjoyable.

When Liu was cast, it was assumed that her singing would be featured in the movie but later comments by Caro seemed to indicate that the production abandoned the idea of using the music associated with the animated Mulan.

The film was originally expected to start production earlier this year with a projected release in December, so it is not known if production was delayed due to working the music in. It is now due for release in March 2020.

Now, according to our friends at The DisInsider, Walt Disney Studios is gearing up to add some of the familiar music from the 1998 hit animated film, as well as Mulan’s faithful sidekick and comic-relief “Mushu,” the fire-breathing dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy in the original. Disney's CGI department did an outstanding job in The Lion King, so Mushu should be a piece of cake.

Unlike some of the other Disney live-action films, however; Mulan may not be adhering as close to the animated source material.

Gong Li, a superstar in China, is playing a brand new villain, and she isn’t the only new character included. Donnie Yen (Rogue One) plays a role of a mentor, and they’re also changing the love-interest. The star-studded, all-Asian and Asian American cast also includes Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Rosalind Chao, Cheng Pei-Pei and martial arts superstar Jet Li.

Mulan is the epic adventure of a fearless young woman who masquerades as a man in order to fight Northern Invaders attacking China. The eldest daughter of an honored warrior, Hua Mulan is spirited, determined and quick on her feet. When the Emperor issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army, she steps in to take the place of her ailing father as Hua Jun, becoming one of China’s greatest warriors ever.

The decision to reprise Mulan's musical roots, and even to add new songs, to the live-action version, may have been influenced by the acceptance and success of another live-action remake of an animated hit, Aladdin, which weaved the popular songs (including "A Whole New World") into the remake.

Any doubts Hollywood may have had about Asian actors and Asian-themed storylines able to attract audiences should be put to rest by the success of Crazy Rich Asians. Disney has been at the forefront of diversifying its casting options. The latest big blockbuster that Disney has benefited from the Aladdin, which went to great lengths to cast culturally appropriate actors for a story that takes place along the Silk Road, linking China, the Mideast and Euruope.

Last week Variety reports that Aladdin, starring Mena Massoud in the title role and Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine with Will Smith as the Genie and  has grossed over $900 million worldwide with no signs of slowing down for the rest of the summer.

Aladdin has been the surprise of the summer becoming one of the studio’s biggest live-action titles ever. It joins Beauty And The Beast, The Jungle Book, Alice In Wonderland and three of the Pirates Of The Caribbean films in reaching the milestone.

Aladdin, directed by Guy Ritchie, is currently the 3rd biggest film of the year domestically and worldwide, and the No. 1 film of 2019 so far outside of the Marvel superhero franchise.

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First teaser for 'Aladdin' released

Mena Massoud and Naomi Smith star in the remake of Aladdin.

THE RELEASE of the first teaser of the live-action Aladdin conjures up the mythical tale that sparked my imagination as a young boy.

The teaser was wonderfully mystical and magical and was as effective as a teaser is supposed to do.

Casting was not easy for Disney, which was sensitive to the fears of whitewashing the characters.

The 2019 Aladdin remake stars Mena Massoud (Jack Ryan) as Aladdin, and Naomi Smith (Power Rangers) as Jasmine, and Marwan Kenzari (Murder on the Orient Express) as Jafar, the evil sorcerer and Will Smith as the Genie.

Today's Aladdin is a remake of the 1992 Disney cartoon version, which was a ripoff of a 1940's film, which was based on an 18th century French translator's story collection, which was a ripoff of a Persian tale, which was a ripoff of a Chinese fable. It is so far removed from its original source material that any controversy surrounding the current telling of Aladdin should be moot.

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A Chinese actor should have been picked to play Aladdin, cast named for movie

Mena Massoud will play Aladdin and Naomi Scott will be Jasmine in the new Disney production.

ALADDIN, should have been cast as a Chinese youth. Now that we've baited you, read on.

Just days after stories came out in the movie industry's trade media that Disney was having a difficult time finding ethnically appropriate actors for its live-action Aladdin, the studio announced they found their Aladdin and Jasmine.

Coincidence? I think the media (including Views from the Edge) were played.

Yesterday, July 15, at Disney's fan conclave, D23 Expo, the studio confirmed that two relatively fresh faces will take the lead roles in the live-action production. Naomi Scott, 24, will play Princess Jasmine and newcomer Mena Massoud will portray the title character in the remake of the 1992 animated classic.

Earlier, Will Smith had signed on to play the Genie, who was voiced by the late comedian Robin  Williams in the Disney's original version, which was itself based on an Middle-eastern tale.

The selection of these two actors - in the context of cultural appropriation. has created a kerfuffle among netizens.

Massoud, whose father is Egyptian, grew up in Canada after immigrating from Egypt where he was born.

After the announcement, he tweeted, “So honored & grateful for the opportunity to help bring this magical story to life once again. Let’s get to work!”

RELATED: Three upcoming movies seek Asian casts

Although relatively unknown, he's not without a resume. Massoud has been working in television and film since 2011, amassing credits on Teen Nick’s Open Heart, The CW’s Nikita, and the Canadian series Saving Hope. But he’s largely remained under the radar — until this new boost to his celebrity stock.

“I grew up in a culturally different household,” he explained in an interview with Defective Geeks. “My parents saw certain things differently than other people. I went to schools that had a significantly large Caucasian population and I feel very fortunate because I was able to compare that perspective with my family’s. It allowed me to create a wider world view on things. Also, though, at this point in my career, being a visible minority in this industry still affects me.

“I can’t compete for roles that require me to be Caucasian or African/American, even if those characters really connect with me and intrigue me," he said. "The competition may be less, some people would say, but the amount of work to be had is less as well. However, I think the industry is growing more and more and starting to support actors of all cultural backgrounds.”

Naming Scott as Jasmine, has raised the hackles of a few netizens because, she is not Middle-eastern descent. The actress is from London. Her mother Usha Scott (née Joshi) is from Uganda and is of Gujarati Indian descent. Meanwhile, Naomi's father, Christopher Scott, is British.

Origin of Aladdin

The 24-year-old was on the television science fiction series, Terra Nova in 2011 and made a Disney movie Lemonade Mouth that same year, in which she was able to display her singing abilities. She might be best known for her role as Kimberly (aka the Pink Ranger) in this year's Power Rangers movie.

Agrabah, it should be pointed out, is a fictional locale despite a poll that says over 30 percent of Republicans would like to bomb it. Many in our pop-culture-centric world believe the original tale is one of the One Thousand and One Nights stories told by the legendary Persian (not Arabic) storyteller Scheherazade. It turns out that's not true.

The story of Aladdin, the magic lamp and genie was not in the original Arabic writings of those stories. That can be blamed on French translator Antoine Galland in the 18th century. The Aladdin story was added to the collection as well as "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves" and the "Adventures of Sinbad." (Interesting that the three most famous stories are not in the original manuscripts.

In the earliest version of the story, Aladdin is a poor youth living on the streets of China and his love interest was not the sweet-sounding Jasmine, but the difficult-to-pronounce Badroulbadour, according to Krystyn R. Moon in Yellowface: Creating the Chinese in American Popular Music and Performance, 1850s-1920s. 

In the original version, Aladdin is no foreigner abroad either: he’s a Chinese boy, not an Arabian youth who’s ended up in China. (Nor is he an orphan: in the earliest versions of the story, Aladdin is not an orphaned street urchin but a lazy boy living at home with his mother.) 

The visuals and storyline of Disney's animated Aladdin are most likely formed by a 1944 adventure swashbuckler, Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves starring Jon Hall and Maria Montez; basically a western vision of the exotic "orient." Unfortunately, it is speaks to the power of movies and its imagery that that was America's predominant view of the Middle East until 9/11. (Watch the trailer below.)

So today's Aladdin is a redo of the 1992 Disney cartoon version, which was a ripoff of a 1940's film, which was a ripoff of an 18th century French translator's story collection, which was a ripoff of a Persian tale, which was a ripoff of a Chinese fable. It is so far removed from its original source material that any controversy surrounding the current telling of Aladdin should be moot.

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Three upcoming movies will feature all-Asian casts

DISNEY

Who can fill these iconic roles? Jasmine, right, looking for Mr. Right - Aladdin.

THREE HOLLYWOOD MOVIES in various stages of production are looking for all-Asian casts.

It took 25 years since the Joy Luck Club before Hollywood had the guts to again cast an all-Asian cast for the movie version of Crazy Rich Asians. The extensive casting hunt was a long-drawn out effort because the producers were unable to find the right actors in the historic all-Asian cast. 

Flash forward to 2017: The Disney live-action productions of Aladdin and Mulan are also seeking all-Asian casts. Sony is also doing the story of woman warrior Mulan with an all-Chinese cast. You would think that we're entering a golden period for Asian actors but all three productions are facing the same problem as Crazy Rich Asians. 

Disney is reportedly trying very hard to avoid the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag or be accused of whitewashing or yellow face, or in the case of Aladdin, brown face. Mulan is set in ancient China and Aladdin in a mythical kingdom in the Middle-east or Southern Asia.

Exacerbating the search, Aladdin is a musical and Mulan, still in pre-productioin planning, might very well become a musical. The box-office success of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast have prompted the studio to look on the live-action projects as musicals. The animated versions of both films had catchy and romantic songs and music associated with them. 

So the actors must not only look the part, but they have to be able to sing or at least carry a tune. Dancing would be a plus.

Aladdiin, further along in production than Mulan, has reportedly had over 2000 actor audition for the two leads of Aladdin and Princess Jasmine. Will Smith has already signed on for the pivotal role of the Ginie. Guy Ritchie is the director.

Some well-known names - Dev Patel and Riz Ahmed - have auditioned but apparently, haven't locked down the role. Ritchie is reportedly looking for a fresh faces to play Jasimin and Aladdin.

Mulan Director Niki Caro (Whale Rider) said that her project will be a "girly martial arts extravaganza." That was initially interpreted that her Mulan would not be a musical. Since she made that statement, she has walked back on it a bit. Apparently, the studio is still leaning towards incorporating the music from the animated version into the live-action remake.

RELATED: Ming-Na Wen seeks role in 'Mulan' remake

She is encountering the same casting problem that faced CRA director Jon Chu and Aladdin's Ritchie. Where are all the actors of Asian descent? The abilityi to speak English eliminates a wide swath of popular actors based in Asia.

Sony is also doing its own version of Mulan. Financed by Chinese - that will also feature an all-Chinese cast and directed by Alex Graves. No cast announcements have been made on that production.

DISNEY

Disney is having trouble finding Asian actors for its live action remake of Mulan. Really?

The motion picture industry is treading lightly on the issue of culturally appropriate casting. Three of four recent productions that had casting controversies tanked at the box office after a social media groundswell of criticism, most of which originated from the Internet savvy Asian/American community.

RELATED: Hollywood has a mostly black and white view of America

Casting bankable stars such as Matt Damon as lead in The Great Wall of China, Emma Stone cast as a hapa in Aloha and Scarlett Johansson as Motoku Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell failed to overcome the whitewashing protests. They lost money in U.S. ticket sales.

Only Dr. Strange, featuring Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One, managed to break even at the box office. However, it should be noted, all of the aforementioned films did well enough in the Asian market to make up for the disappointing showing at the box office in the U.S. 

With that economic argument to justify those casting failures thrown out the window, coupled with recent studies that show diverse casting increases the chances of box office success, Hollywood has had to reconsider its traditional casting choices.

Prior to the 2015 #OscarsSoWhite controversy that ripped off the institutional racism in Hollywood motion pictures and television, a study by the University of Southern California's  Annenberg School of Communications, found that over half of the 400 films and television series studied did not feature an Asian person in a speaking role at all. And most of the roles featuring Asians perpetuated stereotypes.

Asian and Asian/American actors must be breaking down the doors for an audition for these movies. Yet, all three can't find the right actors. Really?

Give Hollywood a helping hand: Who would you cast in these movies?

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