After a yearlong worldwide search, the Walt Disney Studios has found its ‘Mulan’.
Chinese actress Liu Yifei, also known as Crystal Liu, is set to star as the title woman warrior in Disney's live-action adaptation of the classic Chinese tale, the studio said on Wednesday.
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 5th century China, says the Hollywood Reporter.
Liu, 30, has previously starred in a number of TV shows and films, including Chinese-American projects like the 2008 action-fantasy The Forbidden Kingdom—which also starred Jackie Chan and Jet Li—and the 2014 film Outcast, featuring Nicolas Cage and Hayden Christensen.
Disney says the story will be inspired by the animated film from 1998 and The Ballad of Mulan. Bill Kong, who has produced films like "House of Flying Daggers" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is executive producing the film.
It is expected to hit theaters in 2019, reports AP.