Rebecca Davis editorDisney’s live-action “Mulan” was supposed to be a huge win for under-represented groups in Hollywood. The $200 million-budgeted film is among the most expensive ever directed by a woman, and it features an all-Asian cast — a first for productions of such scale.
Despite well-intentioned ambitions, however, the film has exposed the difficulties of representation in a world of complex geopolitics.
Disney primarily cast Asian rather than Asian American stars in lead roles to appeal to Chinese consumers, yet Chinese viewers rejected the movie as inauthentic and American.
Then, politics ensnared the production as stars Liu Yifei, who plays Mulan, and Donnie Yen professed support for Hong Kong police during the brutal.
Read more on variety.com