Disney Mulan live-action remake: Release date, cast and everything we know so far
The film promises plenty of fierce battles and graceful action.
- Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has three times been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
Yifei Liu plays Mulan in Disney's live-action remake, slated to hit theaters in 2020.
Disney is bringing its 1998 animated classic Mulan to life in a live-action remake. Mulan joins a list of other Disney classics getting the live-action treatment, including Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King.
The release of the film, originally scheduled for March of this year, has been pushed back to an unspecified date following the outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by a newly identified coronavirus. Several other films and events have also been postponed or cancelled because of the outbreak.
An early teaser trailer for Mulan shows her being told she must be a "good wife" who is "quiet, composed, graceful, disciplined." She instead becomes a fearless soldier, saying, "It is my duty to fight."
More details about the film will roll out as the new release date approaches, but here's everything we know so far.
Plot and trailers
The film follows the story of a young Chinese woman who disguises herself as a man to fight in the army in her father's place. The remake promises plenty of action and familiar themes and characters.
In December, Disney shared the official poster for the movie.
Check out the official poster for Disney’s #Mulan. Tune in tomorrow morning to watch the brand new trailer! pic.twitter.com/OcokPL8Nti
— Mulan (@DisneysMulan) December 4, 2019
The studio also rolled out a new action-packed trailer for the film. It shows Mulan going into battle guised as a man, saying "Loyal, brave and true. It is my duty to protect my family."
Release date
Mulan was originally slated for a March 27 release in the US and UK, but Disney pulled the film on March 12 amid concerns about the new coronavirus. The studio also said it was pausing production on other live action films. Mulan's new release date hasn't been announced yet.
Initially, the film was set for a November 2018 release but was pushed back in March of that year after Disney reportedly took longer than expected to find an actress for the starring role.
Music or no music?
Some fans of the animated classic were devastated to learn the live-action remake of Mulan reportedly wouldn't feature music, but director Niki Caro later said the team's "still exploring the role that music's going to play in it, but for sure there will be music."
The first trailer for the remake didn't include any singing, which has fans wondering if we'll get signature songs like Reflection or I'll Make a Man Out of You this time around. The movie will reportedly feature instrumental versions of songs from the animated film.
Cast
- Yifei Liu as Mulan
- Donnie Yen as Commander Tung
- Jet Li as The Emperor
- Jason Scott Lee as Bori Khan
- Li Gong as Xian Lang
- Rosalind Chao as Hua Li
- Utkarsh Ambudkar as Skatch
- Tzi Ma as Hua Zhou
- Jimmy Wong as Ling
- Yoson An as Chen Honghui
- Doua Moua as Po
- Ron Yuan as Sergeant Qiang
- Roger Yuan as Duba Tegin
- Chen Tang as Yao
Originally published July 8 and will be updated frequently as more news about Mulan comes in.