 "Mulan first look: Disney reveals Liu Yifei as sword-wielding warrior in upcoming live-action remake")
Along with announcing the start of production of its highly-anticipated live-action adaptation of the 1998 classic Mulan, Disney also revealed the first look of actress Liu Yifei . Dressed in red, Yifei looks fierce as the sword-wielding Chinese warrior Hua Mulan. The 30-year-old actress, who is also known as Crystal Liu, is a well-known Chinese model, actress and singer. She has appeared in films like The Forbidden Kingdom with Jackie Chan and Outcast with Nicolas Cage.
The official synopsis describes the film as “the epic adventure of a fearless young woman who masquerades as a man in order to fight Northern Invaders attacking China. The eldest daughter of an honored warrior, Hua Mulan is spirited, determined and quick on her feet. When the Emperor issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army, she steps in to take the place of her ailing father as Hua Jun, becoming one of China’s greatest warriors ever.” The cast of Mulan includes Donnie Yen (of Star Wars: Rogue One) , Jet Li (Shaolin Temple, Lethal Weapon 4), Utkash Ambudkar (Pitch Perfect), Yoson An (The Meg), Rosalind Chao (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Cheng Pei-Pei (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Chum Ehelepola, Jason Scott Lee (of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny), Nelson Lee, Gong Li (Memoirs of a Geisha), Tzi Ma (Arrival) and Ron Yuan (Marco Polo). Niki Caro will direct (of The Zookeeper’s Wife and North County fame) from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hyneck. It is based on the narrative poem The Ballad of Mulan. It was earlier reported that the film, unlike the original animated feature will not be a musical , but Caro had mentioned that the film would be “a big, girly martial arts epic”, adding, “It will be extremely muscular and thrilling and entertaining and moving.” A release date for Indian cinemas has not been announced by the studio yet, however, it will open in US theatres on 27 March, 2020.