Disney has found the lead for their highly-anticipated live-action adaptation of Mulan.
Chinese actress Liu Yifei, also known as Crystal Liu, will play the role.
Liu Yifei is nicknamed “Fairy Sister” by the Chinese public and is known for her work in a number of television dramas from the last decade, as well as The Forbidden Kingdom with Jackie Chan and Jet Li in 2008 and Outcast with Nicolas Cage and Hayden Christensen in 2014. She’s also known for starring in The Chinese Widow opposite Emile Hirsch, which opened at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June.
Mulan, released by the studio in 1998, adapted the ancient Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, a female warrior who disguises herself as a man in order to take the place of her aging father in the military.
According to comingsoon.net, Disney spent a year looking for the right actress to play the role and she had to be trained in martial arts. They searched five continents and found the right fit in Yifei.
The live-action version of Mulan is expected to open in theaters in 2019. Stay tuned for more details as they’re released.