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EXCLUSIVE: International action star Donnie Yen has been set to star in the live action Mulan based on Disneys 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 Zookeepers 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 Times Ava DuVernay. The film will be exec produced by Bill Kong, one of the most influential producers in China whose films include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, and Monster Hunt.
This will be Yens second big-budget Disney outing after he co-starred in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Disney is casting up the Chinese film now and has set a release date for March 27, 2020. Script is by Lauren Hynek, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver and Elizabeth Martin. Chris Bender, Jason Reed and Jake Weiner are producing.
Yen, who just began filming Ip Man 4, is repped by CAA, Bullet Films and Kristoffer Winters.
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