First Look: Liu Yifei in Disney’s Live-Action Remake of ‘Mulan’

So this is how Liu Yifei looks in Disney’s Mulan, which started production last week.

Liu, who also goes by Crystal Liu, is stunning in the snapshot but we’re more curious about how she’ll look as a bloke. In case you don’t know the story, Mulan is a Chinese maiden who disguises herself a male warrior to save her father. Let’s face it, to pass off as a he, her appearance has to undergo a very radical transformation.

The movie is based on Disney’s 1998 animated feature, where Ming-Na Wen (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) voiced the cross-dressing heroine. Liu, 30, won the coveted part after casting directors spent a year auditioning nearly 1,000 candidates from around the world. Other actresses who reportedly read for the part include Taiwan’s Hu Ting-Ting, The Mermaid’s Jelly Lin Yun and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny’s Natasha Liu Bordizzo.

The production, said to be budgeted at US$290 million (S$398 mil), will be filmed in New Zealand and China, with Niki Caro (Whale Rider, North Country) as director. It also stars Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Gong Li, Jason Scott Lee, Cheng Pei-Pei and Rosalind Chao. (Spot The Joy Luck Club connection?)

Another quick question: since this Mulan is based on the animated feature, will Mushu the dragon make an appearance?

Mulan will open in cinemas in 2020.

Main photo: Disney