fryinpan1

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=14869

Ziyi Zhang is the Live-Action Mulan
Source: Variety June 6, 2006

The Weinstein Company is in final talks to sign a three-picture deal with top Chinese actress Ziyi Zhang, the first being a live-action version of Mulan. Second up with Zhang, the Weinsteins are planning a remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 film The Seven Samurai.

Mulan is set up as one of the debut pictures out of the new Meridian Pictures being established by Chinese multi-millionaire David Dong.

The movie is written by Wang Hui-ling (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and forthcoming John Woo project The Battle of Red Cliff). It draws on a Chinese folk tale of a female resistance fighter who disguises herself as her father to take his place in battle.

Disney made Mulan into an animated movie in 1998, but the tale was first put on the big screen in a 1956 Chinese production. The new Chinese-language film's budget is pegged at $20 million, with production scheduled for February.

Fincher Fan

Okay, I'm officially intrigued...

Zodiac_Speaking

A live action Mulan could be great, but not a Seven Samurai remake though.

clemente

When John Sturges remade it, it sucked plenty!

I honestly don't have a problem with it, it could prove to be interesting.

Kal-El

I'd be interested in a live action Mulan. I think Ziyi's a little too cute to pretend to be a guy though.

Supermallet

A remake of the Seven Samurai? Won't work. Maybe if they made it a western, though...

lukewarmwater

Seven Samurai is my all time favorite movie and I really hope they don't remake it. There isn't a filmmaker today that is half as good as kurosawa. I can't think of a director today who would deserve such a great story.

I wouldn't mind if they re-interpreted it though, like they did with the magnificent seven.

Hopefully they'll get at least japanesse actors, and not chinese, oh wait spoke too soon.

FantasticVSDoom

Why would that matter in the least?? I agree that a remake is a shit idea, but I dont get this idea that for some reason in movies, Japanese actors should only play Japanese roles and Chinese actors only play Chinese roles.

Abob Teff

. . . a western? Hell no! I'm thinking bugs . . .

NatrlBornThrllr

Quoting an Outlaw Vern review of Le Cercle Rouge:

"One thing I like, the movie really doesn't take sides. The crooks and the cop are shown with equal emphasis and respect. It really doesn't seem like the movie is rooting for one team or other. It's just showing what happens when they go head to head. Here it is, you can watch. I heard John Woo loves this movie, which makes sense because in his old good movies he used to make, he had the same approach to the ol' 'good guys and bad guys' nonsense. Turns out Woo is planning a remake of LE CERCLE ROUGE as his next movie. Bad idea if you ask me but I'm not scared because I remember when Woo was gonna do a thief movie with Chow Yun Fat, then a movie where Chow Yun Fat is building the train tracks, then he was gonna do karate turtles and then He-Man and then a gangster musical starring Huge Ackman and then The Rock driving a magic spy car. And now LE CERCLE ROUGE. You know what John Woo it's one thing to SAY you're gonna make a movie and it's quite another thing to make one, so you don't scare me motherfcker. You can 'remake' LE CERCLE ROUGE all you want as long as you don't actually ever film or release it."

Haha. Yeah. John Woo. Silly bastard, that guy.

-JP

starseed1981

Mulan is ok. Ziyi does look like a boy without make-up.
But I'm way against the Seven Samurai remake.

mndtrp

Where are they going to find a talking dragon? That's going to be pretty tough.

I'm a big fan of both movies, so this idea is at least interesting.