Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan is going to be a big test for the studio in a number of ways. The $200 million tag is the priciest so far for the redos of animated classics, a strategy which has proven pretty lucrative so far … except in China, or at least not with as much consistency as you might expect; that’s another potential stumbling block. Add to the mix a female director (Niki Caro) who is not Chinese but is overseeing a fundamentally Chinese story for Disney, a studio which does not have Chinese co-production status on this one, and things get a little fuzzier. Then they get positively murky once you factor in the movie’s politically charged star Liu Yifei and the complications of the near-pandemic caused by the 2019-20 strain of the coronavirus, like China shuttering all of its movie theaters.

THR addresses all of that and more in a piece that’s part profile, part kick-off of an apology tour for Liu Yifei and a potentially under-performing Mulan. I wrote about the miasma around the movie a bit in an article for a recent TV spot, one that rekindled the ongoing #BoycottMulan movement. So keep all that in mind in the run-up to the U.S. release of Mulan, the rare Disney PG-13 flick that also stars Donnie Yen as Commander Tung; Jason Scott Lee as Böri Khan; Yoson An as Cheng Honghui; with Gong Li as Xianniang, and Jet Li as the Emperor, arriving in theaters on March 27th.

As for Liu Yifei and her comments on the general goings on in the world regarding the coronavirus and political unrest, THR chose to open with this Stateside sentiment sent to the people in China:

“It’s really heavy for me to even think about it. People are doing the right thing. They are being careful for themselves and others. I’m so touched actually to see how they haven’t been out for weeks. I’m really hoping for a miracle and that this will just be over soon.”

A little later on, THR sandwiched a quote from Liu Yifei about her political posts on social media in between praising her bilingual abilities and childhood/upbringing:

“It would really be a loss for me if I let the pressure overtake my possibilities … I think it’s obviously a very complicated situation and I’m not an expert. I just really hope this gets resolved soon … I think it’s just a very sensitive situation.”

To their credit, THR did mention that she seemed well-rehearsed and more cautious regarding her responses; funny what a big financial commitment and international pressure will do to one’s otherwise outspoken ideologies. Disney president of production Sean Bailey also deflected on behalf of the company’s “ideologically neutral” stance, saying “Yifei’s politics are her own, and we are just focused on the movie and her performance.”

THR also reached out to Dorothy Lau, a professor at the Academy of Film, Hong Kong Baptist University, for context. Lau said:

“Most Chinese celebrities choose to avoid posting such political statements because of the risks to their careers internationally.”

But the pro-China social media post could actually boost box office numbers there, if and when the film finally opens, says USC professor and Chinese politics/society specialist Stanley Rosen:

“At the time, the government came out in various publications supporting the film very strongly … There’s a real impetus on the part of the Chinese government to make this work. I’m sure the government is going to try to show that the boycott has had no effect … Most people outside Hong Kong have likely forgotten about this controversy, but the Chinese government does not forget these things.”

THR has much more on the casting process, the cultural importance of the tale of Mulan and the original animated film itself, and some lingering controversy over whether Caro was the right choice for the film’s director, a subjective choice which will vary whether we’re talking studio demands or fan concerns. There’s also plenty more on the rumor mill that spun up in the early days of Mulan‘s pre-production, if you’re interested.

All of this points to Mulan possibly being a case of a more interesting and dramatic story unfolding behind the screens than the ultimate result on the screen itself, especially since it’s likely to be a relatively tame Disney-fied production.