It has been several months with no new news about Disney’s Live-Action Mulan, but the film is moving right along towards its expected 2020 release. Now, a new rumor suggests that not only is a trailer likely coming soon but that the film is looking to add Kevin Hart to give fan-favorite character Mushu a voice.
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According to The DisInsider, the live-action Mulan film has wrapped production, but as the film goes into the editing process, Disney is still looking for a voice for Mushu with Hart being their top choice.
In the original 1998 Mulan animated film, Mushu is a small, kind of scrawny red Chinese dragon who happens to be not just a cheeky source of humor in the film, but also serves as Mulan’s closest companion. Eddie Murphy provided Mushu’s voice in the film, though Mark Moseley took over voicing duties for the 2004 direct-to-video sequel, Mulan II. Thus far, Mushu has not appeared in any official information about the live-action film — including the full synopsis which was revealed last August.
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.
However, last September, The DisInsider reported that the live-action Mulan would feature not only feature some of the music of the 1998 animated classic, but that Mushu will indeed appear. If that is the case, it’s a little interesting that the film has not get given the dragon sidekick a voice yet and if Disney really is seeking out Hart for the role, it’s a move that could be met with some backlash. Back in December, Hart stepped down as the host for the 2019 Academy Awards following old tweets in which he made derogatory remarks about the LGBTQ+ community came to light.
Hart apologized for the tweets in his announcement about stepping down from the hosting duties, but during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in January where he again apologized, Hart spoke about what he felt the intent of the tweets surfacing again was to “destroy” him, comments that didn’t necessarily sit well with some members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“This was to destroy me,” Hart said. “This was to end all partnerships, all brand relationships, all investment opportunities, studio relationships, my production company and the people that work underneath me. This was to damage the lives that have been invested in me.”
Even with the controversy, Hart has long been a fan-favorite choice to voice Mushu should he appear in the live-action film. Numerous “fan casting” lists have included the comedian as the ideal voice for the dragon, especially considering the character’s comedic personality and energy. For the moment, though, it’s just a rumor and hopefully there will be official news soon.
Mulan is directed by Niki Caro (Whale Rider, McFarland USA) from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver (Jurassic World, In the Heart of the Sea) and Elizabeth Martin & Lauren Hynek based on the narrative poem The Ballad of Mulan. The producers are Jason T. Reed (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Chris Bender (A History of Violence) and Jake Weiner (Criminal) with Barrie M. Osborne (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), Bill Kong (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Monster Hunt) and Tim Coddington (Crazy Rich Asians) serving as executive producers.
Disney’s Mulan is set to hit theaters on March 27, 2020.
