Chinese actress Liu Yifei, also known as Crystal Liu, is set to star in Disney’s live-action adaptation of the classic Chinese tale Mulan. Niki Caro is directing, and Chris Bender, Jason Reed, and Jake Weiner are producing the pic. The movie is eyeing a 2019 release.
The English-language version of the original Mulan (1998) featured the voices of Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, Miguel Ferrer, and BD Wong, while Jackie Chan voiced Chinese dubs of the movie. The film grossed $304.3 million worldwide.
Jurassic World and Avatar sequel scribes Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver came on board in 2015 to rewrite the spec by Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin.
In its search to find the film’s star, the studio was determined that the actress was young and of Chinese decent. Disney auditioned thousands of individuals for the role. The newcomer will star as Hua Mulan, who disguised herself as a man to take her father’s army conscription in fifth-century China.
The studio’s emphasis on live-action reboots follows the successes of Maleficent, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, and, most recently, Beauty And The Beast, which is currently 2017’s biggest box office hit. The studio is now shooting Dumbo, with Tim Burton directing and Colin Farrell starring. – Reuters
