Following his standout performance as Chirrut Îmwe in Lucasfilm's
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Chinese actor and martial artist Donnie Yen has once again been called upon by the House of Mouse — this time for a role in the live-action adaptation of the1998 animated film
Mulan.
As reported by Deadline, Yen will play Commander Tung, a mentor and teacher to Mulan. It's unclear if Disney is replacing Li Shang (voiced by Donny Osmand), the Chinese army captain who helped train Mulan along with a group of rag tag recruits in the animated film, with Commander Tung in the live action adaptation. In any case, Donnie Yen should excel in the role, as he boasts quite the resume. Aside form acting in
Rogue One, Yen has also had a starring role in the
Ip Man series.
Donnie Yen joins Chinese
actress Liu Yifei who has been cast to play the title role.
Mulan is being directed by Niki Caro, who helmed
Whale Rider, McFarland, USA and
The Zookeeper's Wife. It's
currently set for release on March 27, 2020.