Had things gone according to plan earlier this year, Disney would have released its Mulan remake towards the end of March, and we’d probably be able to buy it digitally by now. But the global health crisis has resulted in a lot of movies being delayed, and while that led to in Mulan being pushed to the end of next month, the Mouse House has announced its pushing the movie back a little further.
Rather than release Mulan to the masses on July 24, Disney has decided to slot the remake for August 21. So for those of you who’ve been eager to see the live-action adaptation of the studio’s animated Mulan from 1998, you’ll have to wait a little over a month longer… assuming the movie doesn’t get pushed back again, which is certainly a possibility.
Here’s what Alan Horn, Walt Disney Studios co-chairman and chief creative officer, and Alan Bergman, Walt Disney Studios co-chairman, had to say about Mulan’s latest delay (via THR):
While the pandemic has changed our release plans for Mulan and we will continue to be flexible as conditions require, it has not changed our belief in the power of this film and its message of hope and perseverance. Director Niki Caro and our cast and crew have created a beautiful, epic, and moving film that is everything the cinematic experience should be, and that’s where we believe it belongs – on the world stage and the big screen for audiences around the globe to enjoy together.
This news follows Warner Bros’ decision to push Tenet back to August 12. So rather than have Mulan come out first in July and have the latest Christopher Nolan flick follow a week later, the order of the two movies has flip-flopped for August. Again though, don’t discount that both Mulan and Tenet could be pushed back again in these uncertain times.
While various movies, including Trolls World Tour, Scoob!, The Lovebirds, The King of Staten Island and Artemis Fowl, shifted from big screen releases to VOD or streaming offerings, Disney is clearly still intent on showing Mulan in a theatrical setting rather than just make it available to digitally rent or throw it onto Disney+ right now. Those options will be available down the line, but only once audiences have flocked to see Mulan in theaters.
Mulan follows the same basic premise as its animated predecessor, i.e. a young woman disguising herself as a man to take her father’s place in the Imperial Army. However, in contrast with most of Disney’s modern remakes, Mulan is taking a lot of creative liberties, including most of the supporting characters being brand-new (sorry, folks, no Mushu in this one) and the story not being a musical. Along with Liu Yifei playing the eponymous protagonist, the cast includes Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Le, Yoson An, Gong Li, Tzi Ma, Rosalind Chao and Jet Li, among many others.
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates concerning Mulan, and be sure to look through our comprehensive guide detailing all the other movies that have been delayed over the last several months.
