Disney dropped the first trailer for the live-action “Mulan” remake, which featured an all-Asian cast but seemingly no Mushu.
Like many of Disney’s past live-action remakes, “Mulan” will follow the 1998 animated version which itself was loosely based on the Chinese story “Hua Mulan” created by Guo Maoqian.
According to the official movie synopsis, Hua Mulan, played by Chinese-American actor Liu Yifei, will masquerade as a man who will be “tested every step of the way and must harness her inner-strength and embrace her true potential.”
During the sneak peek – which was shared during the Women’s World Cup Final -- a woman can be heard saying, "quiet, composed, graceful, discipline, these are the qualities we see in a good wife. These are the qualities we see in Mulan.”
The trailer shows the character in full warrior garb and getting down to business to defeat the Huns, who the synopsis refers to as “Northern invaders.”
Martial arts legend Jet Li will star as the Emperor, Jason Scott Lee as Böri Khan, and Yoson An as Cheng Honghui.
While fan favourite Captain Li Shang won’t be in the film, a mentor-like character appears to be be played by Donnie Yen’s Commander Tung.
While the 1998 film featured the voice of comedian Eddie Murphy as Mushu the dragon guardian, there were reports the character won’t appear in the film. That same report said there also wouldn’t be any classic songs.
Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Elizabeth Martin, and Lauren Hynek wrote the screenplay inspired by "The Ballad of Mulan" poem. And, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the film's director Niki Caro is only the second woman at the studio to direct a film with a $100 million budget, after filmmaker Ava DuVernay.
“Mulan” fans will be waiting until next year to see all the action since the film is set to be released on March 27, 2020.
