Jan de Bont Will Direct Zhang Ziyi’s Live-Action Mulan
It’s been awhile since director Jan de Bont’s name has been attached to any project whatsoever. He hasn’t made a picture since 2003′s TOMB RAIDER 2, and, taking into account that the 2 movies he made before that one were THE HAUNTING and SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL, it’s easy to see where that string of flicks may have killed his career. But he still does have the original SPEED and TWISTER to his credit, not to mention he was the cinematographer on DIE HARD, so that has to count for something.
Well, clearly someone took that early part of his directorial run to have greater value than the rest, because de Bont has been chosen to helm Zhang Ziyi’s live-action version of MULAN. Chuck Russell had previously been attached to direct the film, but that arrangement seems to have fallen through.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, MULAN would be independently produced, with William Morris Endeavor handling the North American rights, which would eventually be sold to a major studio for distribution. Contrary to prior reports, Walt Disney Pictures has no hand whatsoever in the direction of the film and is not funding it in any way, but that doesn’t mean they might not be interested down the line, if they like what they see. After the debacles of PRINCE OF PERSIA and THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE this summer, it might be in their best interests to get involved on a property that already has some name value for them. However, I get the sense this is going to be far more serious and perhaps more violent than they’re used to, so it wouldn’t surprise The Kidd one bit to see them pass.
I’m a big fan of Zhang Ziyi, partly for her performance in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, and partly because she’s a hot Asian… so, if she’s a major part of this, I’ll definitely see it. What other reason do you think I would have had for watching RUSH HOUR 2. And, as far as de Bont goes, his last 3 movies may have bee spectacular pieces of shit, but his first 2 made for some solid entertainment. I continue to hold SPEED in very high regard, and, even though the ending of TWISTER is retarded, I still enjoy watching that drive-in get torn to pieces (not a big fan of the flying cows). Therefore, we can expect some big, monumental, action set pieces on the film, and, if the script holds up well, this might be something worthwhile. On the bright side, at least it won’t have Eddie Murphy. That’s always a plus.
