Producers for the Live-Action Remake of Disney’s Mulan revealed that the #MeToo movement was responsible for their decision to cut a key character from their new version.
According to Yahoo, Li Shang, the barrel-chested captain in the Chinese army, who trains and later falls for Mulan, won’t be in the new feature.
“We split Li Shang into two characters. One became Commander Tung (Donnie Yen), who serves as her surrogate father and mentor in the course of the movie. The other is Honghui (Yoson An), who is [Mulan’s] equal in the squad,” producer Jason Reed said.
Reed revealed that the #MeToo movement and its lasting effect was the primary reason for the change.
“I think particularly in the time of the #MeToo movement, having a commanding officer that is also the sexual love interest was very uncomfortable, and we didn’t think it was appropriate,” he explained.
The character of Li Shang was already a bit controversial in the original for a different reason- in the 1998 animated movie, the male commander falls for Mulan before he realizes she’s a woman, causing some to revere the character as a “BI-Icon.”
