Like myself, it turns out that The Weinstein Co. loves the Asians. The brothers are in final talks to ink a three-picture deal with top Chinese thesp Ziyi Zhang, the first being a live-action version of Mulan.
Zhang and Weinstein for Live-Action Mulan
According to Variety, TWC has picked up the famous Chinese actress, Ziyi Zhang, to take the lead on multiple Asian films including Mulan and then a remake of The Seven Samurai.
Mulan is set up as one of the debut pictures out of the new Meridian Pictures stable being established by Chinese multi-millionaire David Dong.
Written by Wang Hui-ling (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Mulan draws on a Chinese folk tale of a female resistance fighter who disguises herself as her father to take his place in battle. Disney made "Mulan'' into an animated pic in 1998, but the tale was first put on the big screen in a 1956 Chinese production.
New Chinese-language pic's budget is pegged at $20 million, with production scheduled for February.
The Weinstein's love for Asian films continues to grow with other projects including Dragon Tiger Gate and Ong Bak 2. You can't really blame them, however, considering the success they have found with films such as Hero.
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