Disney Casts THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM’s Liu Yifei As MULAN

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney has found the lead for its live-action remake of Mulan: Liu Yifei, who you might recall from 2008's The Forbidden Kingdom.

Says THR:

"A team of casting directors visited five continents and saw nearly 1,000 candidates for the role, which requires credible martial arts skills, the ability to speak English and the most ineffable requirement of all: star quality. In deference to cultural accuracy, the studio focused on locating an ethnically Chinese young woman to play Hua Mulan, who disguised herself as a man to take her father's army conscription in fifth-century China."

Sounds like a pretty exhaustive casting process, but worth the effort: Disney really needed to land the right actress for this role, particularly in the wake of some of the criticisms lodged against the studio's casting for the live-action Aladdin remake.

As you know, The Zookeeper's Wife director Niki Caro is helming Mulan, and the film's being targeted for a 2019 release. Stay tuned for more updates on this one as they become available.