Mulan: Here's Why Li Shang Won't Appear in Live-Action Disney Remake


There is little doubt that some people are not happy with how the live-action remake of Mulan is changing a lot of things. For instance, you won't find a little dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy nor will the characters suddenly burst into song. However, there's one thing that fans are truly concerned with: What happened to Li Shang?

In the 1998 animated classic, Hua Mulan is trained by Captain Li Shang, who eventually becomes her love interest. However, the character has been conveniently removed from the upcoming reboot. So what happened to the hot captain voiced by BD Wong? According to producer Jason Reed, he's still in the remake although he's been split into two.

"We split Li Shang into two characters. One became Commander Tung who serves as her surrogate father and mentor in the course of the movie. The other is Honghui who is [Mulan's] equal in the squad," Reed told Collider.

Commander Tung is played by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story actor Donnie Yen and his role is pretty similar to Li Shang. However, he also appears to be a little too old for Mulan. But that's where Yoson An's Honghui comes in because he's young and handsome and looks a little like Li Shang.

But why change the character? Some believe that Disney didn't want to show a male mentor getting romantically involved with a woman pretending to be a man. Unfortunately, this means we'll have to say goodbye to Li Shang, who has been considered the bisexual icon of Disney.

Mulan will hit theaters on March 27.

Related: New Mulan Poster Explores Two Sides of One Hero

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