UPDATE
Disney's live-action Mulan has landed two massive Chinese stars, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned.
Jet Li is in final talks to play the emperor of China, who orders the mobilization of troops via the conscription of one male from each household. The titular heroine, Hua Mulan (Liu Yifei), disguises herself as a man in order to spare her elderly father from having to join the military.
The Beijing-born Li is one of China's biggest and most enduring crossover stars. After the martial arts champ became a superstar in Asia on the strength of franchises like Shaolin Temple and Once Upon a Time in China, he made his Hollywood debut in 1998's Lethal Weapon 4, followed by Romeo Must Die opposite Aaliyah in 2000. His other credits include Zhang Yimou's Hero, Peter Ho-Sun Chan's 2007 epic The Warlords and The Expendables series.
Meanwhile, Gong Li is confirmed as the villain of Mulan, a powerful witch (this appears to be a departure from Disney's 1998 animated version, in which the primary antagonist was Shan Yu, leader of the invading Huns).
Gong has long been considered one of China's finest actresses and greatest beauties. A longtime muse of Zhang Yimou since her debut in 1988's Red Sorghum, she also has starred in his The Story of Qiu Ju (for which she won two Best Actress awards at Venice), Raise the Red Lantern, Curse of the Golden Flower and, most recently, 2014's Coming Home. She also earned international acclaim in Chen Kaige's Farewell My Concubine. Gong starred opposite Jeremy Irons in Wayne Wang's Chinese Box and has acted in English in Memoirs of a Geisha, Miami Vice and Hannibal Rising.
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International action star Donnie Yen has been set to star in Mulan, the live action that Disney is basing on its classic animated film and the legendary ballad. Yen will play Commander Tung, a mentor and teacher to Mulan.
The Chinese actress Liu Yifei had previously been set to play the title role. The film will be directed by Niki Caro, who helmed Whale Rider, McFarland, USA and The Zookeeper’s Wife. She became the second female director hired by Disney to direct a film with a budget higher than $100 million, following A Wrinkle In Time’s Ava DuVernay. The film will be is exec produced by Bill Kong, one of the most influential producers in China whose films include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, and Monster Hunt.
Source: Deadline
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