Disney's 'Mulan' Live-Action Sets January Filming With Liu Yifei, Director Niki Caro
Production is ready to start this January for Disney's "Mulan" live-action film. Niki Caro will helm the movie that will feature Chinese actress Liu Yifei, also known as Crystal Liu, as the titular character.
Disney rounded up Caro's production crew in the last few weeks. Among those hired to work in the live-action adaptation include Bina Diagler (costume designer), Sean Andrew Faden (visual effects supervisor) and Allan Poppleton (stunt coordinator). The "Mulan" live-action filming will go on location in China and New Zealand.
The studio promised that "Mulan" will feature an all-Asian cast. Aside from Liu, however, there hasn't been any additional casting announcements so far and fans are still waiting to hear who will play Mulan's male lead.
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"Mulan is and will always be the lead character in the story, and all primary roles, including the love interest, are Chinese," a source told Vanity Fair.
Meanwhile, Caro stated that "Mulan" might still feature music from the original version. The director admitted that songs were not discussed while the development of the film came together but it's not exactly off the table either.
Disney released the animated version of "Mulan" in 1998, which became a box office success. The studio announced its plans for a live-action version in 2016 and launched a worldwide audition to find its Chinese lead stars.
The studio confirmed Liu's casting in November. The actress, who is a big star among Chinese viewers, lived in New York from age 10 to 14. She's also a model, pianist, dancer and singer who starred already worked with Hollywood actors Nicolas Cage, Emile Hirsch and Hayden Christensen.
Ming Na Wen, who voiced Mulan in the animated version, expressed her excitement over Liu's casting. The star of "Agents of Shield" congratulated her counterpart on Twitter.
"I'd like to think that the animation 'Mulan' still holds a special place in people's hearts, you know?" Wen said. "I'm very proud of the continued legacy. I hope that they do it justice."
