Cho Chang is Mulan?!
(August 10th, 2006)
Source: Cinematical

Man, all this stuff about more Mulan movies is confusing the hell out of me. It seems pretty solid that the Weinsteins are at least considering making a live-action film (listed in the IMDbPro as a 2008 release) about the Chinese folk hero (already brought to screen by Disney, albeit in animated form), and there's been talk that they've got Zhang Ziyi in mind to play the title role. In addition, though, there's also a China-based production in the works, that one under the direction of Stanley Tong. Where it all gets a bit muddled is in the reports about Zhang being asked to star in Tong's version, as well. So, is this a case of Tong trying to steal some Weinstein thunder, or of people in the media getting confused and assuming the films are one and the same? Your guess is as good as mine on that one.

That said, however, it now sounds as if the whole thing might be moot, because there are now other names in the mix for the starring role in the Tong film. Get this: First, it was reported that Li Yuchun, the wildly popular winner of a recent, girls-only American Idol-type show in China, would play Mulan. But now the speculation about Li has fallen quiet, and her name has been replaced by that of ... Katie Leung. That's right, the girl of Harry Potter's dreams -- the Scottish one -- is going to play Mulan. According to the Chinese press, anyway.

Don't like the news? Not to worry -- at this rate a new name will be connected to the part by Monday.

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