'Mulan' to release later in China amid coronavirus surge, Liu Yifei hopes for 'a miracle'

Disney's much-anticipated action drama film Mulan is slated for a worldwide release on March 27. However, the film will reportedly not be released in China owing to the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus epidemic. The movie theaters in China have reportedly been indefinitely shut down because of the virus first detected in Wuhan and is now on the brink of becoming a pandemic. Actor Liu Yifei who portrays the eponymous character Mulan in the Disney film spoke to an international agency and said that she has been hoping for a miracle to end the epidemic before the release of the film a month from now.

Read | 'Mulan' becomes Disney's first live-action animated remake to receive a PG-13 rating

With China as the 2nd largest Box-Office market in the world, a big-budget film like Mulan is likely to suffer in its collections through its worldwide run. The film, made on a budget of $200 million, isn't the only film to suffer due to the coronavirus outbreak as even Robert Downey Jr. starrer Dolittle and Taika Waititi's Jojo Rabbit had to bear the brunt of the epidemic. 

Read | The final trailer of 'Mulan' has villains and an epic battle; watch

Liu Yifei, who lives in Beijing, is originally from Wuhan and stands in solidarity with the decision to delay the film's release in China. She said that even though the situation in China affects her a great deal, she is glad that people are taking the right step to avoid further harm. She said that she has been hoping for a miracle to end the scare among people who have not been getting out of their homes for weeks now. 

Read | Disney releases new poster and trailer of 'Mulan' featuring Liu Yifei as the warrior woman

About the film

The animated film Mulan depicting this story had released in 1998. The 2020 live-action film will feature a celebrated international cast that includes: Yifei Liu as Mulan; Donnie Yen as Commander Tung; Jason Scott Lee as Böri Khan; Yoson An as Cheng Honghui; with Gong Li as Xianniang and Jet Li as the Emperor. The film is directed by Niki Caro from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa - Amanda Silver and Elizabeth Martin - Lauren Hynek based on the folk narrative poem The Ballad of Mulan.

Read | Disney's Mulan trailer is out; 5 enthralling moments loved by the audience loved