Disney really is in the market to bring back those feelings of nostalgia, as over the past few years they’ve brought back “Star Wars,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King.” But the nostalgia trip doesn’t stop there as “Mulan” gets the live-action treatment.
Directed by Niki Caro (“The Zookeeper’s Wife”), the story of a young woman who disguises herself as a male warrior will once again grace the big screen.
It was one of Disney’s more popular animated movies (with an 86% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and so Disney is yet again looking to capitalize on people’s nostalgia as they throw yet another live-action remake at us. But in the hopes to capture a new, younger audience while they’re at it.
The film has been through some controversy after lead actor Liu Yifei (“The Assassins”) shared an image seemingly supporting police brutality in Hong Kong and the social media hashtag #BoycottMulan was trending, but it seems hate towards the Chinese born star has cooled off.
There has also been confusion from fans as to where popular character Mushu will appear in the film. The fiery dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy in the 1998 animated feature will not be present in the remake, instead, we will see Jun Yu playing Mulan’s returning pet cricket, Cri-Kee. While songs from the animated version are also set to miss out, with Caro saying back in 2017 to Moviefone, “no songs right now,” while also describing the film as “a big, girly martial arts epic. It will be extremely muscular and thrilling and entertaining and moving.”
We know this is not going to be a traditional remake that we have been seeing from the House of Mouse, and so it will be interesting to see how the change in formula will do in theaters as we see more action and historical accuracy compared to song and dance numbers.
With Yifei and Yu, there are roles for Donnie Yen (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”) who will play Commander Tung, martial artist turned actor Jet Li also stars as The Emperor as well as others including Li Gong (“Curse Of The Golden Flower”), Jimmy Wong (“The Circle”) and Jason Scott Lee (“Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story”).
READ MORE: ‘Mulan’ Trailer: A Disney Princess Becomes A Kick-Ass, Live-Action Warrior
Here is the synopsis:
When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from Northern invaders, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. Masquerading as a man, Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her inner-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.
“Mulan” will be in theaters Match 27th 2020. Check out the new poster and trailer below.
New poster and trailer for #Disney's live-action #Mulan https://t.co/2nK8GpQdT1 pic.twitter.com/nhiuTnZ5gF
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