‘Mulan’ to get live-action treatment at Disney

“Mulan,” the 1998 Disney movie about a young Chinese woman who disguises herself as a man to take her father’s place on the battlefield, is the latest of the studio’s animated tales being redeveloped as a live-action film.

The project is based on a script by Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek that centers on Hua Mulan, the Chinese folk heroine who inspired the original Disney movie, The Times has confirmed.

The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.

Directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, the animated “Mulan” starred Ming-Na Wen in the title role, Eddie Murphy as her dragon sidekick, and B.D. Wong as her army captain and potential love interest. The film grossed $304 million at the worldwide box office and spawned a direct-to-video sequel in 2004.

Disney has had plenty of success lately retelling its animated hits as live-action movies, including Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” “Maleficent” with Angelina Jolie and Kenneth Branagh’s “Cinderella.”

The studio also has live-action versions of “The Jungle Book,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Dumbo” and an “Alice” sequel in the pipeline.

A number of Chinese movies have also told the story of Mulan over the years, most recently Jingle Ma’s 2009 live-action film “Mulan: Rise of a Warrior.”

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