Thread by @jfwong

Excited about #Mulan? Well, take a seat, hit that Retweet, and let me tell you about this amazing project and the incredible supporting cast/crew that made it happen.

Mulan arrives on March 27, 2020, but the project started years earlier when Niki Caro joined in 2017.

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Niki Caro is the perfect choice to direct this movie. Seriously. One look at her resume is all you need to understand:

Whale Rider, North Country, The Zookeeper's Wife. Notice a pattern?

This is a badass female director that knows how to tell a story driven by strong women.

Whale Rider star Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated for Best Actress, and then Charlize was nominated for the same award for North Country.

History's being made here. Niki, deservedly so, is the fourth woman to ever solo-direct a live action film with a budget over $100 million.

Ok, back to #Mulan. This movie is a live-action adaptation / re-imagining of the animated film by Disney which came out back in 1998, almost 22 years ago! The world around us has changed a LOT since then, and a lot of that sensibility is reflected in this modern adaptation.

One of the key elements is paying better homage to the Chinese culture that this film is based on.

That begins with one of the more contentious parts of the new film - Mushu is replaced by a much more culturally accurate Phoenix.

So what's the significance of this bird?

The Phoenix, aka Fenghuang in Chinese, is found all across East Asian mythology, and is seen as a feminine entity. Guess what its male counterpart is? The Dragon.

The Phoenix represents heavenly power, and households with it meant the people living inside were loyal and honest.

Speaking of loyal and honest, you might have heard "Loyal, Brave, True" in the trailer. These characters are inscribed on #Mulan's father's sword she takes with her:
忠 - Zhōng
勇 - Yǒng
真 - Zhēn

These words are the core of what drives our hero and what our Phoenix represents.

#Mulan's family is of the utmost importance. Filial piety is an absolutely fundamental aspect of Chinese culture, which is the virtue of respect for ones parents, elders, and ancestors.

Her father is played by @tzima8, her mother by @rosalindchao, and her sister by Xana Tang.

Our story, as we all know by now, kicks off when the Emperor issues an edict to gather one man from every family to fight off northern invaders.

That Emperor, is the one and only JET LI. Nuff said - this is one of the greatest martial artists in the history of movies. Legend.

The northern invaders are Rourans, a historically accurate invading nation who were the first to don the title of Khan. Our main villain is Böri Khan played by @jasonscottlee - another living legend.,

And this time around? A REAL bad guy - no weird grey skin and yellow eyes.

You might remember the original villain Shan Yu had a sidekick falcon that flew by his side. This time around, we have a real breathing character with magical powers - and her character has agency and badassery abound: Gong Li plays the shapeshifting witch Xianniang.

A quick aside about Gong Li - she is considered one of the greatest actors of ALL time in China starring in the films Raise the Red Lantern, Farewell my Concubine, Memoirs of a Geisha, and frequently collaborating with director Zhang Yimou. #Mulan casting is NOT messing around!

When #Mulan arrives to begin her army training, we get to meet the leaders who will make a man out of each and every one of us. The cast? Psh, just @DonnieYenCT as Commander Tung and @RonYuan as the fearless Sergeant Qiang. Both are incredible actors and storied martial artists.

Speaking of army, hey, it's me - Ling! I'm joined by Po (@douamoua) and Yao (Chen Tang), as well as a couple other soldiers we haven't seen much of... yet ;)

The 'squad' as we deemed ourselves are right there by #Mulan's side as we begin our vigorous training for the war ahead.

You can't see much of us in the #Mulan trailer, but the squad is featured sucking at some bow and arrow training, where I quite over confidently send this arrow... straight to the ground.

Please. Feel free to meme this. You can download the gif here:
bit.ly/LingArrow

Finally, so much respect and kudos to the production team that made this movie as epic and beautiful as it is. And you've only seen a TINY slice of it so far!! Let's marvel at the cinematography of DP Mandy Walker and intricate costume work by Bina Daigeler.

Just stellar work.

We filmed Mulan for over half a year in New Zealand with additional footage from China and other parts of the world. These mountains, landscapes, and sunsets are REAL!

I rarely saw a greenscreen on set - we were constantly in awe of the scale and magnificence of our locations.

#Mulan is historic and game changing in so many ways. Please - don't ever discount the THOUSANDS of people who worked for years, tirelessly studying and paying respect to the source material and culture. @DisneysMulan represents my heritage in a way I can be absolutely proud of.

#Mulan comes out on March 27th, 2020!

You would bring honor to us all by joining me in supporting a project with this level of Asian representation when it arrives in theaters. <3

Thanks for tuning in! Follow me for more behind the scenes as we get closer to release date!

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