With Kenneth Branagh’s live action Cinderella currently topping the global box office ($335m and counting), Disney has decided to add another remake to its schedule.
The 1998 adventure Mulan will be joining Beauty and the Beast, which hits cinemas in 2017, in its roster of live action takes on classic kids’ movies. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a script has been purchased from writing team Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek that focuses on warrior Hua Mulan, who was the lead character in the original movie.
The film will be produced by Chris Bender and JC Spink, who have been typically known for more adult comedies, such as The Hangover trilogy and We’re the Millers.
The story follows a young woman who disguises herself as a man so she can go to war. The original featured music, which will likely be excised, and a voice cast that included Eddie Murphy and Ming-Na, who has most recently been starring in Agents of SHIELD. The actress tweeted about the announcement last night:
Wow, so many tweets to @Disney announcement for a live-action #Mulan. Thank U4 wanting me 2B in the film! Tweet @DisneyPictures about it! xo
— Ming-Na Wen (@MingNa) March 30, 2015
The original made $304m worldwide and also received a straight-to-DVD sequel.
As well as the success of Cinderella, Disney has had hits with Alice in Wonderland, which made over $1bn worldwide and last year’s Maleficent which made over $750m. Its forthcoming take on Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson, will also be joined by an Alice sequel, a new version of The Jungle Book and Tim Burton’s take on Dumbo.
