Disney casts Chinese actress Liu Yifei to play titular badass heroine 'Mulan', fans happy
?Liu Yifei?
The actress was chosen among over a 1000 candidates for the role
Disney signed Chinese actress Liu Yifei, who also goes by the name, Crystal Liu to star in the title role of its live-action version of "Mulan".
Walt Disney Studios made the announcement late Wednesday.
Disney's Mulan is based on the Chinese legend by the same name, in which a young woman impersonates a man to take her father’s place in the army. The first adaptation in 1998 was a musicalwhich grossed more than $120 million at the domestic box office and $304 million worldwide. Music from the animated film also earned an Academy Award nomination.
The Chinese actress Liu is popular in her home country as a model and singer. The 30-year-old has appeared in movies like “The Forbidden Kingdom” with Jackie Chan and “Outcast” with Nicolas Cage. She has also starred in this year’s Mandarin-language fantasy adventure movie “Once Upon a Time".
Liu was selected after a careful scrutiny of more than a 1000candidates for the role.
Her selection triggered a happy reaction in social media with people applauding Disney to become racially sensitive and not whitewashing all characters.
The live-action version of "Mulan"will see Niki Caro, who directed “Whale Rider,” “North Country” and Disney’s “McFarland, USA,” coming together to make this a reality.
The movie will be produced byJason Reed, Chris Bender and Jake Weiner with Bill Kong as the executive producer.