Disney’s live-action remake of the beloved 1998 animated classic Mulan has been controversial from the very beginning. One of the biggest pet peeves fans had with the upcoming movie was the absence of fan-favourite character and Mulan’s love interest, Captain Li-Shang.

Not only was he handsome and captivated the hearts of many, but Li-Shang was also responsible for one of the most iconic songs in all of Disney, ‘I’ll Make A Man Out Of You’. He was an integral part of what makes 1998’s Mulan so great.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVcLIfSC4OE&w=560&h=315]

According to Mulan producer Jason Reed, the reason why there won’t be Li-Shang in the live-action Mulan movie is because of the Me Too movement that sparked in 2017 with the rise of sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood’s Harvey Weinstein.

Yes, really.

He said (via Collider):

“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.”

Reed goes to clarify that there will still technically be two Li-Shang-type characters in the Mulan movie, as the character has been split into two different characters.

“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 Chen Honghui (Yoson An) who is [Mulan’s] equal in the squad.”

It looks like Mulan will probably be falling in love with this Honghui guy, though it won’t be the same for fans of the animated classic.

New Zealand actor Yoson An (who portrays Chen Honghui) describes his character’s relationship with Mulan:

“They start off on the wrong foot, really.

As they progress through the training together, they kind of have this unspoken bond about it because they recognize each other’s warrior spirit.

That’s how they kind of build their friendship up to begin with, through the training and acknowledging each other.

I see this film as a different variation from the animated version and the original story of The Ballad of Mulan.

I kind of took a different angle from Li Shang’s character.

I can’t really say to a lot of how that will come across but there is a multi-dimensional layer to him and the audience will be able to see that when they watch the movie.”

Disney’s Mulan is slated to premiere on 27 March 2020. In the meantime, check out the latest trailer below.