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| Walt Disney has released the first Korean poster for the live-action remake of 1998 animation Mulan, Monday, and announced its premier in March. Courtesy of Walt Disney Korea. |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Walt Disney has unveiled Korean poster art for the live-action film Mulan, Monday, and announced that the film will make its local premiere this March.
Directed by Niki Caro ― the director of "The Zookeeper's Wife" ― the action blockbuster follows the journey of a fearless young woman, Mulan, disguised as a man to become a warrior during the Northern Wei dynasty (386―534).
The animation of the first Asian Disney heroine in 1998 was a hit towards the end of a decade-long Disney Renaissance, grossing over $304 million worldwide in the box office.
Its live-action remake drew much attention from the public since the lead casting of Chinese actress Liu Yifei (Crystal Liu) who won the role by beating over 1,000 candidates in auditions in 2017. Along with Liu, actors Donnie Yen and Jet Li also took leading roles.
However, the high anticipation of Mulan fans around the world hit a setback when Liu made a remark in favor of police brutality in the Hong Kong protests in August 2019. She shared a post from the state-backed newspaper People's Daily and added "I also support the Hong Kong police," on Chinese social media Weibo.
Her comment on the political turmoil caused a huge backlash, which lead to the "#boycottmulan" movement online. People continued to show criticism even months after when the film's first trailer was released in December.
The film's U.S. premiere has been set for March 27, but its local release date has not been fixed yet.
