Mulan is an upcoming American epic action drama film directed by Niki Caro, with the screenplay by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin, and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is based on the Chinese folklore “The Ballad of Mulan” and is a live action adaptation of Disney's 1998 animated film of the same name. The film stars Liu Yifei as the eponymous character, alongside Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Gong Li, and Jet Li in supporting roles.
Plans for a live-action Mulan remake began in 2010, but the project never came to fruition. In March 2015, a new attempt was announced and Caro was hired to direct in February 2017. Liu was cast in the title role in November 2017, following a casting call of 1,000 actresses, and the rest of the cast joined over the following year. Filming began in August 2018 and lasted through November, taking place in New Zealand and China.
Mulan is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on March 27, 2020.
Premise
When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Chinese Army to defend the country from Huns, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. She is spirited, determined and quick on her feet. Disguised as a man by the name of Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her innermost strength and embrace her true potential. It is an epic journey that will transform her into an honored warrior and earn her the respect of a grateful nation…and a proud father.
— Walt Disney Pictures
Cast
- Liu Yifei as Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of Hua Zhou who defies both tradition and the law by disguising herself as a man in order to enlist herself in the Imperial Army in place of her ailing father
- Donnie Yen as Commander Tung, the high ranking leader of the Imperial Army and a mentor to Mulan
- Jason Scott Lee as Bori Khan, a Hun warrior leader intent on avenging his father's death.
- Yoson An as Chen Honghui, a confident and ambitious recruit who joins Commander Tung's unit, and becomes Mulan's ally and love interest.
- Gong Li as Xian Lang, a powerful witch with shape-shifting abilities and an ally of Bori Khan.
- Jet Li as The Emperor of China, a wise benevolent ruler of China who orders the mobilization of troops via the conscription of one man from each household to fight the Hun army.
- Tzi Ma as Hua Zhou, Mulan's father and a famed war veteran, who is now recalled to the Imperial Army despite his frail health.
- Rosalind Chao as Hua Li, Mulan's mother and Zhou’s wife.
- Xana Tang as Hua Xiu, Mulan's younger sister
- Ron Yuan as Sergeant Qiang, the fiercely loyal second in command of the Imperial Regiment
- Jimmy Wong as Ling, a recruit who joins Commander Tung's unit
- Doua Moua as Chien-Po, a recruit who joins Commander Tung's unit
- Chen Tang as Yao, a recruit who joins Commander Tung's unit
- Nelson Lee as The Chancellor
- Cheng Pei-pei as The Matchmaker
- Utkarsh Ambudkar as Skatch, a con artist and friend of Ramtish
- Chum Ehelepola as Ramtish, a con artist and friend of Skatch
- Arka Das as Red Fez
- Jun Yu as the voice of Cri-Kee, Mulan's pet cricket.
Production
Development
Walt Disney Pictures expressed interest in a live-action adaptation of the 1998 animated film Mulan starring international star Zhang Ziyi, with Chuck Russell chosen as the director. The film was originally planned to start filming in October 2010, but was canceled. On March 30, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Disney had restarted development of the live-action adaptation with Chris Bender and J. C. Spink producing, while Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek would be writing the screenplay. On October 4, 2016, it was announced that Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver would rewrite the script, combining the Chinese ballad and the 1998 animated film, while Jason Reed would be producing the film along with Chris Bender and Jake Weiner.Casting
Liu Yifei will be playing Mulan in the remake.
On November 29, 2017, Chinese-American actress Liu Yifei was cast in the film to portray the titular role of Mulan. Many celebrated this as a win for diversity in Disney films. Further cast announcements for Donnie Yen, Gong Li, Jet Li, and Xana Tang were made in April 2018, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Ron Yuan in May, Yoson An and Chum Ehelepola in June, Jason Scott Lee in July, Tzi Ma, Rosalind Chao, Cheng Pei-Pei, Nelson Lee, Jimmy Wong and Doua Moua in August, and Chen Tang in September.
Director
Disney originally sought an Asian director. Disney first considered Ang Lee, Taiwanese film director and two-time Academy Award winner for Best Director. The Hollywood Reporter mentioned that Lee was approached but declined on October 12, 2016. According to the report, published on November 22, 2016, he said that he would like to see an Asian director leading the film, but he himself had to decline because he was still obliged to promote his film Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. Next, Disney met with Jiang Wen for the position; finally on February 14, 2017, Niki Caro was hired as the director of the film, which made Mulan the second Disney film with a female director and a budget above $100 million following A Wrinkle in Time.Filming
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Post-production
The visual effects are provided by Sony Pictures Imageworks, Weta Digital, Framestore, and Image Engine, with Seth Maury and Andres Langlands serving as visual effects supervisors and Sean Andrew Faden serving as production supervisor.Music
In March 17, 2018, director Niki Caro revealed that the remake won't feature any songs from the original film. It was reported in June 30, 2019, that the film will feature instumental versions of the original film's songs. In January 13, 2020, Caro explained that the songs were deleted because she felt it didn't fit with her realistic vision of the film, though she still tried to "honour the music from the animation in a very significant way".In August 22, 2018, it was reported that Harry Gregson-Williams, who previously worked with Caro on The Zookeeper's Wife, is set to compose the film's score.
Marketing
The film's official teaser trailer and the official teaser poster were released on July 7, 2019, during the broadcast of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Final. The teaser trailer was viewed 175.1 million times in its first 24 hours, including 52 million from China, making it the seventh most viewed trailer in that time period. On September 30, an exclusive photo featuring Liu as a soldier in the Imperial Army was released on Empire's upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker issue. On November 4, a video clip filmed during a Toho cinema preview was leaked online, featuring new shots of Mulan as a warrior battling fiercely and taking off her hair band. On November 6, Liu was featured as one of the 25 stars of Next Gen Talent 2019 nominated by The Hollywood Reporter with two new studio stills released concurrently. On November 20, the Japanese theatrical poster was released online. On December 5, the official trailer was dropped with dual versions: the Chinese Weibo debuted a shorter one with different cut and a few shots that were not featured in the US one.[citation needed]Release
Mulan is scheduled to be released in the United States on March 27, 2020. It had been originally set for a November 2, 2018, release, and then the film was delayed, with The Nutcracker and the Four Realms taking its old slot.Controversy
A call to boycott the film began when lead actress, Liu Yifei, reshared an image posted by Chinese newspaper People's Daily. The image included a quote from an anonymous Chinese reporter who worked for the Global Times and was subsequently assaulted by violent protesters during the 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests: "I support Hong Kong police. You can beat me now. What a shame for Hong Kong." This sparked international controversy, with Liu being accused of supporting police brutality. The hashtag, #BoycottMulan, has since started trending supporting a boycott of the movie. In response to the controversy, Liu was not present at the 2019 D23 Expo, which gave fans an exclusive sneak peek of the film.Thank you for Reading
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