The upcoming live-action remake of Disney’s 1998 classic, Mulan, will at last officially see a theatrical release, per Variety. Disney announced on Monday that the film, which stars Liu Yifei in the titular role, will be released “soon” in China. This is a promising sign for the future of the global theater industry, which has been met with catastrophic closures and delays of films due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The full announcement reads like a piece of Mulan-esque fantasy itself: ““When the magnolia blossom opens, it lives up to its reputation and arrives as promised,”… [‘Mulan’’s] import is confirmed and it will soon burst into bloom in theaters; looking forward to meeting you!” This news is especially fitting, as Mulan takes place in imperial China and is based on a piece of traditional Chinese folklore.
The release of the remake has been delayed a number of times due to the pandemic. Having a theatrical release anywhere bodes well for the future, yet it will be interesting to see if theaters reopening will perpetuate the spread of the virus.
The new Mulan was directed by Niki Caro (McFarland, USA), with a screenplay by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Elizabeth Martin, and Lauren Hynek. Before Mulan, leading lady Yifei has garnered quite the critical and fan reputation for her work in Chinese films.