A New Zealander has been cast in Disney's live action remake of its animated movie Mulan.
Yoson An, 26, who hails from New Zealand is set to take on the love interest role in Disney's live action remake of Mulan. Photo: Supplied/Auckland Actors
Yoson An will play Mulan's love interest, Chen Honghui, in the film which is being directed by another New Zealander Niki Caro.
Disney's animation film Mulan, originally released in 1998, is an adaption of the ancient Chinese legend of Hua Mulan. It tells the story of a female warrior who disguises herself as a man in order to take the place of her ageing father in the military.
The original version starred Eddie Murphy and B.D Wong and brought in $US304.3 million ($NZ431.8 million) at the global box office and also earned Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations.
With the addition of An, who is of Chinese descent, along with several other Chinese stars, Disney has made good on its plan to cast a primarily Chinese cast for the film.
An, 26, will play Chen Honghui, a confident and ambitious recruit who joins Commander Tung's unit. He becomes Mulan's most important ally and eventual love interest.
The character differs from Li Shang, the Chinese Army captain who was the main love interest in the animated version.
The role is said to be a breakout one for An who began his acting career in 2012, according to IMDB.
He's appeared in international feature films The Meg, Mortal Engines, and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, as well as lead roles in local films Mega Time Squad and cult classic Ghost Bride.
He's also starred in the HBO Asian mini-series Grace, and most recently secured the series lead 'Charlie' in SBS TV's crime thriller Dead Lucky.
An is reportedly fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin, and a skilled martial artist. He holds a black belt in karate, and is also strong in kick boxing, ninjutsu, power lifting and Olympic weight lifting.
Mulan is part of a raft of new live action adaptations of classic animated features at Disney including The Lion King, The Jungle Book 2, Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, The Little Mermaid and The Sword in the Stone.
Filming is due to start in August in China and New Zealand and set for release on 27 March, 2020.
