Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Casts Jason Scott Lee As The Villainous Khan
A former Disney hero will soon become the next Disney villain.Jason Scott Lee, who played Mowgli in the 1994The Jungle Book, has been cast as a villain in Disney’s live-action adaptation ofMulan.
Jason Scott Lee joins theMulancast as the villainous Bori Khan, a warrior leader who is intent on avenging his father’s death, according toThe Hollywood Reporter. He’ll be teaming up withGong Li’s Big Bad, described as a “a powerful witch.”
They’ll present an intimidating front to our heroine Mulan, played by Chinese starLiu Yifei.The rest ofMulan’s star-studded cast includesJet Lias the emperor of China,Donnie Yenas Mulan’s mentor, and relative New Zealand newcomerYoson Anas Mulan’s love interest, who is sadly not Shang.Marco Polo’sRon Yuan,Pitch Perfect’sUtkarsh Ambudkar, New Zealand actressXana Tangand comic actorChum Ehelepolaround out the cast.
This is not Lee’s first rodeo with Disney — in fact the actor is a frequent collaborator with the House of Mouse. Apart from starring in the 1994 live-actionJungle Bookas an adult Mowgli, Lee also voiced David Kawena in twoLilo & Stitchmovies. A talented martial artist, Lee is probably best known to general audiences for playing Bruce Lee in the 1993 biopicDragon: The Bruce Lee Story.
Niki Carodirects the live-actionMulan, which is just the latest in Disney’s string of live-action adaptations of its animated classics. After Tim Burton’sAlice in Wonderland,Robert Stromberg’sMaleficentand Kenneth Branagh’sCinderelladid gangbusters at the box office, Disney struck more gold with last year’s record-breakingBeauty and the Beast,and the remake train has not stalled since.
But while many of the Disney live-action remakes have been stilted shot-for-shot retreads of the beloved animated films, Caro seems to be taking some welcome creative license withMulan. Apart from the title character and the promise ofmusical numbers, nearly all the plot details and supporting characters have been changed — which is a good thing. And with two villains gunning for our beloved heroine,Mulancould be a refreshing change of pace from the slew of Disney live-action remakes about to hit our theaters.
