Disney Announces 'Mulan' Live Action Remake

Following the runaway success of Disney’s live action remake of Cinderella, classic animation revivals are all the rage at the minute, and the studio is banking on repeating those successes with the announcement that they are to revive Mulan on the big screen.

Telling the story of Chinese war heroine Hua Mulan who disguises herself as a man in order to take her father’s place in the army and go to war, it was originally a hit back in 1998 for Disney. In addition to earning $304.3 million worldwide, it also received a host of Golden Globe and Oscar nominations.

In 2016, Disney is scheduled to release a new version of The Jungle Book and a sequel to Alice in Wonderland, whose 2010 reimagining grossed a stunning $1.02 billion worldwide. It’s understandable that they should want to capitalise on the trend for live action remakes – recently, Tim Burton was unveiled as the director for a remake of Dumbo.

And, of course, the current success of Cinderella, starring ‘Downton Abbey’s Lily James and directed by Kenneth Branagh, is another reason for Disney to expand in this direction. It debuted at the top of the box offices in the US and the UK, and has earned over $330 million worldwide.

More: ‘Beauty And The Beast’ live-action remake confirmed for 2017