.
Walt Disney Pictures has enjoyed a streak of not only commercial success, but also critical success with its recent live-action remakes/re-imaginings of such beloved Mouse House animated films as
Cinderella and
The Jungle Book, as well as a 21st century version of live-action/animated hybrid,
Pete’s Dragon. Next in line to get the live-action treatment is Disney’s 1991 animated film
Beauty and the Beast(which opens in March of next year) and the studio most recently announced that
The Lion King is getting re-imagined for the big screen in the same cutting-edge technological manner as
The Jungle Book (
complete with Jon Favreau calling the shots as director).
Reports of Disney working on a live-action version of
Mulan – the studio’s 1998 animated take on the world-famous Chinese legend – first
emerged back in 2010, though that initial version of the project well by the wayside. A live-action
Mulan re-entered active development in 2015 and it’s safe to say the film is now moving full speed ahead, with Disney having even claimed an official theatrical release date for the movie.
Variety is reporting that Disney has scheduled the live-action
Mulan to hit theaters on November 2nd, 2018. The initial spec script for the film (written by
lesser-known screenwriters Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin) is being rewritten by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver: the husband/wife writing duo who penned
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, in addition to the early script drafts for
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and
Jurassic World (Jaffa and Silver also wrote one of the four
Avatarsequels currently in development). The film currently does not have a director, but the search is underway for a Chinese actress to portray the film’s namesake.
The story of
Mulan revolves around the title character, a young woman living in ancient China who pretends to be a man in order to participate in the battle against the army of Huns invading China. Disney’s 1998 animated version of
Mulan was a sizable critical and commercial success alike, grossing some $304 million worldwide in theaters and landing an Oscar nomination for its music/songs (which include such beloved Disney tunes as “Reflection” and “Be a Man”). Although
Mulan isn’t expected to be a musical in the vein of
Beauty and the Beast (2017), it will probably find a way to work in one or two of the songs from its animated predecessor, as other Disney live-action fairy tale remakes have done.
Developing…
Mulan opens in U.S. theaters on November 2nd, 2018.
