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MSN Today claims that Zhang Ziyi has signed up for three new movies, including a live action film of 'Mulan'

Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi has signed on for three movies to be produced by Harvey Weinstein.

These include a film about Chinese folk heroine Hua Mulan and a remake of Japanese classic The Seven Samurai.

Zhang's roles in both movies will involve her playing women disguised as men.

As Mulan - a well-known Chinese folk heroine who became the subject of Disney's animation of the same name - she will play a young girl who goes to battle in place of her ailing father.

I just thought this may interest some people on here.

Taken from MSN TODAY

http://newsbox.msn.co.uk/article.aspx?a ... ndows-1252

That seems awesome!!

This is great news. I was lookin' for a live-action Mulan film, since it's my favorite animated classic. And I think Zhang Ziyi will do a good job on playing Mulan. She's such a great actress.

Weinstein making a live-action Mulan? I don't know, maybe it's too many years of Katzenberg, but I can't help but

-Aaron

AwallaceUNC wrote:Weinstein making a live-action Mulan? I don't know, maybe it's too many years of Katzenberg, but I can't help but

-Aaron

Why?

The Weinstein produced-movie will probably have nothing in relation to the Disney film. There has yet to be a definitive film of the Mulan story, and it's one worth cinematizing.

This...is going to be interesting, to say the least.

I just hope it'll better than Disney's take on the legend. Otherwise I'm sticking to the 1964 Hong Kong version, Chinese opera style and all.

I think i can see her pulling this off....

Horrible news...

Live-Action Version of Mulan Coming
Source: The Hollywood Reporter October 14, 2008

A $30 million live-action version of "Mulan," the legend of a heroic Chinese girl-warrior popularized by the Disney's 1998 animated movie, will be among the first films made by Xinhua Media Entertainment in partnership with the state-run China Film Group.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Hollywood-China co-production with MoviePlus and Arclight is set to begin shooting in China in the spring.

Christopher Brough, head of MoviePlus Canada, and Stephen Waterman, of MoviePlus in Los Angeles, will produce with XME managing director David Lee, former head of the Weinstein Co.'s Asia film fund.

Actually, this could be good. If they don't screw it up.

How is this horrible news? This isn't even a Disney production, it's a Chinese one. It's not like Disney has exclusive ownership on the entire epic poem or anything. And even so, why should people immediately pounce on a film that's got the same source material as a Disney one? Seriously, is The Lion King that much better than Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet? (it isn't) And does 1953's Peter Pan have to be the definitive and only-acceptable version? (it doesn't)

albert

Escapay wrote:How is this horrible news? This isn't even a Disney production, it's a Chinese one. It's not like Disney has exclusive ownership on the entire epic poem or anything. And even so, why should people immediately pounce on a film that's got the same source material as a Disney one? Seriously, is The Lion King that much better than Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet? (it isn't) And does 1953's Peter Pan have to be the definitive and only-acceptable version? (it doesn't)

albert

It's horrible news because in my opinion, Mulan is one of the weakest Disney films in the canon. I don't like the story, and a live action film with a similar story doesn't sound interesting whatsoever.

Yeah, I can definitely see how an entirely different studio, cast, and creative team using the wisps of a story that were also used to make an animated movie you dislike is a guaranteed bust...

SpringHeelJack wrote:Yeah, I can definitely see how an entirely different studio, cast, and creative team using the wisps of a story that were also used to make an animated movie you dislike is a guaranteed bust...

it's not an interesting story in my opinion... the story of Mulan... not the Disney version... but the story in general.

if you think it will be good, great ! i respect your opinion. there is no reason for you to speak condescendingly towards me just because you don't respect mine.

*This post has been reformatted by a moderator*

JDCB1986 wrote:in my opinion, Mulan is one of the weakest Disney films in the canon. I don't like the story, and a live action film with a similar story doesn't sound interesting whatsoever.

So you're going to immediately dislike one adaptation of a story just because you disliked an earlier adaptation? What a horrible way to think about movies.

JDCB1986 wrote:it's not an interesting story in my opinion...
the story of Mulan... not the Disney version... but the story in general.

If you had made that clear in the beginning, instead of making it sound like you hated Disney's Mulan, so you won't like any other version, then it would have made more sense.

You're making it sound like a separate live-action non-Disney version of a Disney film will be bad because you thought the Disney film was bad. And that is so not the case. Their version of Robin Hood is not WDFA's finest outing (even if it is in my top 10 list of favorite DACs) but that doesn't mean that all versions of Robin Hood suck. The Errol Flynn one is a classic, the Michael Praed/Jason Connery series is not to be missed, the Mel Brooks parody has its moments but is still better, and the new BBC series is good family fun.

Brendan wrote:Yeah, I can definitely see how an entirely different studio, cast, and creative team using the wisps of a story that were also used to make an animated movie you dislike is a guaranteed bust...

Your words are like gold, Brendan.

albert

ETA: Since the topic at hand is not as Disney related as we were led to believe (as the new movie is not related at all to Disney), could a mod move this thread to the Movies, Music, & TV forum?

Okay since this is in the Disney Discussion section...and has nothing to do with a Live Action Disney Movie...perhaps it should be moved to the Movies, Music & TV discussion....

like xxhplinkxx said... This could be good...I mean Even if Disney isn't making it....

though who's willing to bet Jet Li and/or Jackie Chan will be in it as Jackie Chan did sing the Japanese song of the I'll Make a man out of you for the either Chinese version or the Japanese cut of the Disney Animated Film even though this has nothing to do with the Disney Cut at least Chan is bound to be familiar with the story of Mulan..not that Jet Li wouldn't be good..or heck maybe Jet Li could play the evil Hun and Chan could play the love interest of Mulan...which could be Ming Na but I think it could also be either an unknown actress or Sandra Oh

Its like people hating sequels without even seeing them!!!

$ 30 million? That's low budget. Dragonball has more budget than that(100 million)

Considering Disney American-ized it, I would like to see how the Chinese adapt their own tale. What Disney did was essentially if China took the American tale of Paul Bunyan and adapted it. Yes, Disney kept pretty respectful to the ways of the Chinese culture, but Mushu was very American and a distraction.

And I think it can be on a low budget. I don't think the story of Mulan really requires a lot of CGI, Chinese actors are cheap to hire (usually). Though I wonder how the war scene will be done. But the battle wasn't a big aspect of the original poem anyways. The poem's message at the end was more about how Mulan could do the same things as men. But really popular movies have been made on shoestring budgets. Wasn't Saw low budget?

Escapay wrote:

JDCB1986 wrote:it's not an interesting story in my opinion...
the story of Mulan... not the Disney version... but the story in general.

If you had made that clear in the beginning, instead of making it sound like you hated Disney's Mulan, so you won't like any other version, then it would have made more sense.

You're making it sound like a separate live-action non-Disney version of a Disney film will be bad because you thought the Disney film was bad. And that is so not the case. Their version of Robin Hood is not WDFA's finest outing (even if it is in my top 10 list of favorite DACs) but that doesn't mean that all versions of Robin Hood suck. The Errol Flynn one is a classic, the Michael Praed/Jason Connery series is not to be missed, the Mel Brooks parody has its moments but is still better, and the new BBC series is good family fun.

You shouldn't have assumed that I was talking about the Disney version and this misunderstanding never would have happened. I feel like you are taking this Disney forum a bit too serious for your own good.

Personally, I'm not against it at all. I'll want to see it.

Back in 2005, Nippon TV, a close affliate of Studio Ghibli released a live-action TV movie of Studio Ghibli's Grave of the Fireflies to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. It was quite good. It followed the original movie's plot but also showed the aunt's side of the story so you could understand why she became cold and selfish.