Video game
A Windows, Macintosh, and PlayStation point-and-click adventure interactive storybook based on the film, Disney's Animated Storybook: Mulan (titled Disney's Story Studio: Mulan on PlayStation), was released on December 15, 1999. The game was developed by Media Station for computers and Revolution Software (under the name "Kids Revolution") for PlayStation.[110][111] The game was met with generally positive reception and holds a 70.67% average rating at the review aggregator website GameRankings.[112]
Live-action adaptation
Walt Disney Pictures first expressed interest in a live-action adaptation of Mulan in the 2000s. Zhang Ziyi was to star in it and Chuck Russell was chosen as the director. The film was originally planned to start filming in October 2010, but was eventually canceled.[113]
In 2015, Disney again began developing a live-action remake.[114] Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek's script treatment reportedly featured a white merchant who falls in love with Mulan, and is drawn into a central role in the country's conflict with the Huns.[115] According to a Vanity Fair source, the spec script was only a "jumping-off point" and all main characters will in fact be Chinese.[116] Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Jurassic World screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver are to rewrite Hynek and Martin's screenplay with Chris Bender, J. C. Spink and Jason Reed producing.[117] In February 2017, it was announced that Niki Caro will direct the live-action adaptation of the 1998 animated film.[118]
The casting process of a Chinese actress to portray the heroine began in October 2016. The film was originally scheduled to be released on November 2, 2018, but it was later taken off the release schedule with The Nutcracker and the Four Realms taking its old slot.[119][120] On November 29, 2017, Liu Yifei was cast as the titular character.[121] The film had its Hollywood premiere on March 9, 2020.[122] Disney originally scheduled the film to be released in theaters on March 27, 2020; however, this was pushed back to July 24, and then August 21.[123][124] The film's theatrical release was canceled in the United States and would instead have its premiere for a premium fee on Disney+ on September 4, 2020. It will still be released theatrically in countries where theaters have re-opened, such as China, as well as in other countries that do not have Disney+.[125]
Donnie Yen was cast as Commander Tung, a mentor and teacher to Mulan.[126] Following him, Jet Li joined the film as the emperor of China, Gong Li was cast as the villain, a witch, and Xana Tang was announced to play Mulan's sister.[127] The next month, Utkarsh Ambudkar was cast as Skatch, a con artist, and Ron Yuan was cast as Sergeant Qiang, the second in command of the Imperial Regiment.[128] In June, Yoson An was cast as Chen Honghui, "a confident and ambitious recruit" who becomes Mulan's love interest.[129] In July, Jason Scott Lee joined the cast as Bori Khan, a secondary villain and warrior seeking revenge.[130] In August 2018, Tzi Ma, Rosalind Chao, Cheng Pei-Pei, Nelson Lee, Jimmy Wong and Doua Moua were added to the cast.[131][132]
References in Disney media
Although Mulan isn't royalty by either birth or marriage (her husband is merely a high-ranking military officer), she is part of the Disney Princess media franchise. Mulan was the last addition to the lineup until Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog was added in 2009, 11 years later.[133] In the film Lilo & Stitch, Nani has a poster of Mulan in her room.[134] Mulan is also present in the Disney and Square Enix video game series Kingdom Hearts. In the first Kingdom Hearts and in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Mushu is a summonable character,[135] and in Kingdom Hearts II, the movie is featured as a playable world named "The Land of Dragons"; in the first chapter, the film's plot is changed to accommodate the game's characters (Sora, Donald and Goofy) and Mulan (both as herself and as "Ping") able to join the player's party as a skilled sword fighter, while the second chapter covers Organization XIII member Xigbar as a spy in black and Mulan's determination to stop him with Sora's help.[135] Actress Jamie Chung plays a live-action version of Mulan in the second, third, and fifth seasons of the ABC television series Once Upon a Time.[136] The video game Disney Magic Kingdoms includes some characters of the film and some attractions based on locations of the film as content to unlock for a limited time.[137][138][139]
