Disney has decided to hire Niki Caro to helm the adaptation of the story of Chinese heroine Mulan.
The new film will be a live-action remake based on the 1998 Disney animated feature, the Hollywood Reporter said. It will make Caro the second woman to direct a movie with a budget over US$100 million at Disney, after Ava DuVernay's "A Wrinkle in Time."
Caro previously worked with Disney on the sports drama "McFarlane, USA," and she was also on the short list to direct Marvel superhero flick "Captain Marvel" for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. However, as she's on board with "Mulan," so she assumably cannot direct "Captain Marvel" anymore.
Previous reports suggested Disney tried to find Chinese directors for "Mulan," reaching out to Ang Lee and Jiang Wen. Lee revealed in November 2016 that he turned down the offer as he was busy with his own "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk," but he hoped at that the film could still be directed by a Chinese director.
Disney also hired legendary Hong Kong producer Bill Kong as executive producer. Kong is the man behind China's biggest domestic hits such as "Hero," "House of Flying Daggers," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Monster Hunt," "Wolf Totem" and "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons."
The director and the studio will be collaborating closely with Chinese cultural consultants and its own China-based team to ensure that the details are authentic and correct.
There was early controversy when a spec script initially purchased by Disney said that the first draft features a "30-something European trader" who helps defend China after falling for Mulan. Disney has clarified that, "Mulan is and will always be the lead character in the story, and all primary roles, including the love interest, are Chinese."
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" and "Jurassic World" screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver are rewriting Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek's screenplay.
The studio is having a casting search to find Chinese actors in China.
"Mulan" tells a story of Hua Mulan, a legendary woman warrior from the Southern and Northern Dynasties period (420–589) of Chinese history, who was originally described in a ballad known as the "Ballad of Mulan."
In the legend, Hua Mulan takes her aged father's place in the army, pretending to be a male soldier, as women were not allowed to be soldiers. She fought for twelve years and gained high merit, but she refused any reward and retired to her hometown instead.
There are many film and TV adaptations about the story. One of the most famous was Disney's animation in 1998, which grossed US$304 million worldwide and earned Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations as well as winning several Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature.
The new "Mulan" is set for release on Nov. 2, 2018, 20 years after Disney's animated version hit theaters. But it will have a rival project, as Sony Pictures will also do their own "Mulan" film with "Game of Thrones" director Alex Graves.
Source: china.org by Zhang Rui
