'Mulan' Live-Action Criticized For White Director Choice, Asian Actress Judy Lei Gives Her Take On Hollywood's Whitewashing

The live-action take on "Mulan" has been riddled with controversy ever since its announcement. Two studios -- Disney and Sony -- are doing different versions of the life of the legendary Chinese character and both companies have been on the receiving end of the fan outrage. Judy Lei, an Asian-American actress and writer, sounds off on the controversy.

For both studios doing a "Mulan" live-action, moviegoers have been clear about wanting authenticity. They demand no whitewashing on "Mulan," which means that the films, regardless of which studio makes it, should be led by Asian actors.

The Wrap reports that fans launched an online petition to ascertain studios are aware of this demand. In response, Disney announced it will be launching a worldwide search for Asian leads for its "Mulan" live-action cast, as Parent Herald previously

While Sony has not yet released details about its cast, the studio did hire white director Alex Graves to helm their take on "Mulan." This was also met with criticisms from moviegoers. Heat Street cites different reactions from Twitter users who thought the choice for director was a mistake.

Walt Disney Pictures has tapped Mulan as their next Disney animated character to remake into a live-action movie pic.twitter.com/VrEZttnLcx

— Disney Memories (@DisneysSecrets) November 2, 2016

Asian-American actress Judy Lei understands the outrage all too well and she's also a strong critic of whitewashing. Though she wished Sony's "Mulan" was directed by someone with Asian descent, she concedes that what's more important is how the story is written and the Asian face behind the character of Mulan. "If they do it right and the director is willing to learn the story behind Mulan, that is still okay," Judy Lei said, via Newsweek.

"Mulan," the animated version from Disney, was released in theaters in 1998. It featured Asian actors Ming-Na Wen and Lea Salonga as Mulan's voices. It also had a mostly Asian voice cast, but Eddie Murphy voiced the Chinese dragon Mushu.

Disney's live-action version, which has been scheduled for a 2018 release, will supposedly follow the animated movie. Thus, it will also include music and songs. On the other hand, Sony's take will be of a darker and more serious tone. The studio has not yet announced when their "Mulan" live-action will hit theaters.