The live-action adaptation of Mulan now has its warrior princess. The title role will be played by Liu Yifei—also known as Crystal Liu—a Chinese actress previously seen in Hollywood fare like The Forbidden Kingdom and Outcast.




Word of the casting comes via The Hollywood Reporter, where it’s also noted that Liu spent part of her younger years in Queens, NY. There’s been some concern about what the casting make-up of the live-action Mulan might look like, but putting Liu in the main role should allay some of those fears.

The live-action Mulan is being directed by Niki Caro and follows Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Maleficient as yet another adaptation of an animated classic. Liu’s done a bunch of action-centric roles in the past, so the martial arts and swordfighting elements of Mulan probably won’t be a problem for her. She’s also released two albums of music in the Asian market, so it’s likely that she’ll be singing during the movie’s musical numbers, too.


Mulan’s expected to start filming sometime next year.