According to Deadline, Chinese superstar Donnie Yen (Ip Man franchise, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) is set to take a starring role in Disney’s new live action version of Mulan! Yen will portray Commander Tung, a mentor and teacher to Mulan, who will be played by Chinese actress Liu Yifei (also known as Crystal Liu). Yen is about to begin filming Ip Man 4.
Mulan, released by the studio in 1998, adapted the ancient Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, a female warrior who disguises herself as a man in order to take the place of her aging father in the military.
Mulan is part of an ambitious slate of live-action adaptations of classic animated features at Disney. That slate includes The Lion King, The Jungle Book 2, Cruella, Maleficent 2, Dumbo, James and the Giant Peach, Winnie the Pooh, Pinocchio, Genies, Night on Bald Mountain, The Little Mermaid, and The Sword in the Stone. A live-action Tinker Bell movie starring Reese Witherspoon is also in parallel development to a live-action Peter Pan directed by Pete’s Dragon writer and director David Lowery.
Lauren Hynek, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver and Elizabeth Martin are providing the screenplay for Mulan, which has Chris Bender Jason Reed and Jake Weiner producing.
Mulan will hit theaters on March 27, 2020.
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(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
