After earning billions in the box office with live action adaptation of popular Disney characters, the studio has released plans of developing more films in the same vein, such as Mulan. The latest title added to the conversation was Mulan with Chris Bender and J.C. Spinks already named as producers. The duo, along with Jake Weiner makes up the production company Benderspink that produced popular films like "The Hangover" and "The Ring".
The trio is currently working on a TV project with a working title "Mr. Postman" which was announced as a crime series. How this will affect the production of the new Mulan movie is yet to be seen.
While the producers have been named, Disney is yet to announce anything major when it comes to casting. This has not stopped one Natalie Molnar from starting a petition to ensure that the live action adaptation of the 1998 animated film "Mulan" would feature actors and actresses of Asian descent. The petition is against "whitewashing" which is the alleged practice by studios casting Caucasian actors for "characters of colors". Disney has not responded to the petition.
The issue of "whitewashing" is by no means a recent one. The movies "Pan" and "The Last Airbender" have been criticized for casting Caucasian actors for roles that have been portrayed in the original story to be of different race.
The 1998 animated movie "Mulan" features a young girl who disguised herself as a man to join the army in place of his ailing father. The story was set in China with the story revolving around the Mongolians' attempt to raid and conquer the country in its early days. The movie was a big success in the box office earning more than $300 million worldwide. It was also lauded by critics as it earned a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination.
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