SALT LAKE CITY — Surprise, that live-action "Mulan" remake is still chugging along, and new details have emerged about the movie’s new villain.
According to io9, actress Gong Li — who was cast last year as a villain in the movie — appeared in an interview on Chinese social media site Weibo. During the interview, she talked about the new Disney villain, a witch named Xian Lang.
Gong said audiences will be able to identify with her character by the end of the movie. Xin Lang roughly translates to “fairy wolf,” and the character can apparently transform into 1,000 eagles.
So who needs 1,000 Hun warriors when you can transform into a thousand birds?
It seems that the animated movie’s villain — Shan Yu, a Hun warlord — won’t get the chance to invade China this time around, but Gong said, “he wasn’t that important.” Instead, she claims her character will “become important” in the movie.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gong was cast alongside action star Jet Li, who is expected to play the Chinese emperor in the movie, taking over for Pat Morita. Xana Tang was also cast as Mulan’s sister and Donnie Yen will play Commander Tung, a mentor to Mulan.
“Mulan” stars Crystal Liu as the title character and will be released on March 27, 2020, according to the Hollywood Reporter.