Utkarsh Ambudkar and Ron Yuan Joins Disney’s Live-Action ‘Mulan’ Cast

After the box-office success of Beauty and the Beast, Disney continues to bring back their animated classics into live-action films. This time, it’s the 1998 animated feature Mulan. The movie is about this Chinese girl, Mulan, who went beyond what her family expects her to be. Based on the Chinese legend, the story of Mulan revolves in the Han Dynasty. She hides as a man and fights the rise of the Huns.

Mulan as a Live-Action Film

Disney announced Mulan’s premiere in 2018. The release date is on March 27, 2020. It is a full year delayed. The company researched for the perfect characters of the film. However, fans of the original Disney movie rejoiced to the announcement of the confirmed cast list. Chinese actress Liu Yifei will play Mulan. According to an article from Harper’s Bazaar, Yifei rose from more than a thousand actors called for the role. The company also insisted on casting a Chinese native for the role. Yifei’s most notable work includes 2008’s The Forbidden Kingdom with Jackie Chan and 2014’s Outcast with Nicholas Cage.

Meanwhile, Donnie Yen will play the role of Commander Tung, Mulan’s mentor. Gong Li will play an interesting character in the film. In the animated feature, Shan Yu is the leader of the invading Huns. But in the live-action, Li will play as a witch. Her notable work includes the film Memoirs of a Geisha. However, Martial Arts Expert Jet Li is still in the talks with playing the role of China’s emperor.

The film received backlash from the fans in the recent months for excluding a fan-favorite character. In the animated feature, Li Shang is one of Mulan’s colleagues in the military. He falls in love with her until she reveals that Mulan is a woman and not what he thinks of. Disney plans to replace Li Shang with another character. According to an article from Independent, Chen Honghui is Mulan and Shang’s colleague in the military. Instead of Shang falling in love with Mulan, it’s Honghui falls in love with her. Reports also say that Disney will not include some original songs from the animated feature in the live-action film.

Ambudkar and Yuan in the List

According to Deadline, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Ron Yuan both will play essential roles in the film. Ambudkar will become a con artist while Yuan plays a second-in-command of the Imperial Regiment. Before the Disney stint, Ambudkar played the role of an a cappella artist in the hit film Pitch Perfect. He worked alongside Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson as part of their competing group, The Treblemakers. Meanwhile, Yuan’s role in Netflix’s Marco Polo seals his name. He plays Prince Nayan, a descendant of Mongol Genghis Khan.

Bill Kong serves as the film’s executive producer. Meanwhile, Jason Reed, Chris Bender, and Jake Weiner will produce the live-action film as well. Meanwhile, Niki Caro will direct the movie. She reportedly chose this over Marvel’s Captain Marvel. The film will start shooting on August in China and New Zealand.