Ancient China has found its hero in Liu Yifei.

The Chinese actress, who also goes by Crystal Liu and is called “Fairy Sister” by her Chinese fans due to her soft, sweet appearance, has been cast as Mulan in the live-action remake of the 1998 animated Disney film. Yifei starred in the Chinese romance films For Love or Money and The Third Way of Love, as well as the action films Outcast, in which Hayden Christensen and Nicolas Cage were the leads, and The Forbidden Kingdom, which featured martial arts superstars Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

The film was originally written by Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin, but Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver morphed the initial script into its current state. Chris Bender, Jason Reed, and Jake Weiner will act as producers, Bill Kong will serve as executive producer, and Niki Caro will direct. Caro’s directing résumé includes The Zookeeper’s Wife, which was released earlier this year, Whale Rider, North Country, and McFarland, USA.

Mulan will be released in 2019.

What do you think of this casting? Are you excited for the live-action Mulan?

Edited by: Hannah Wilkes