When Disney announced that there will be a live action remake of Mulan, many of us lots our minds. With the recent releases of live action remakes, it was only a matter of time before Mulan joined the trend. Once the trailer was released, our excitement grew even more. However, recent news regarding the character of Li Shang being replaced has some of us scratching our heads.
Li Shang Gets Replaced
Yes that’s right, the iconic character who plays the stern and tough general as well as Mulan’s love interest has been axed. Instead, his character has been split into two new characters for the film.
The decision to replace Li Shang is attributed by producer Jason Reed to the #MeToo movement. It seems that during such this time of feminism and the fight for equality, a male commanding officer who is also a love interest would be very uncomfortable and inappropriate. His words, not mine.
However, Li Shang is still somewhat in the live action film. He will instead be portrayed by two characters. Firstly, Commander Tung who is played by Donnie Yen serves as her surrogate father and mentor. Meanwhile, the second character is Hong Hui, played by Yoson An, who is her equal in the squad.
Hong Hui will more or less follow the story and character growth of Li Shang. In the beginning, he and Mulan start off on the wrong foot. As they progress through training they begin to form an unspoken bond. From there they build a friendship that grows as they continue to train and acknowledge each other.
Basically, he’s like Li Shang but he’s not in charge and they don’t fall in love.
What’s The Big Deal?
Moving on, the move to remove him has been met with mixed reactions. Some netizens are pointing out that the character’s story holds tremendous growth. This is because he learns to understand that women can be just as strong and tough as the men. Therefore, it has been pointed out that boys and men alike can learn from him.
Furthermore, he has been labeled as a bisexual icon due to his attraction to Mulan when she was a man and after her reveal. In addition, he never used his position as her commanding officer to pressure her into a relationship.
Do you think it was the right move to replace him?
