'Star Wars' actor Donnie Yen cast in Disney's live-action 'Mulan'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Donnie Yen arrives at the European Premiere of Star Wars Rogue One at the Tate Modern in London, Britain December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Neil Hall - RTX2UW0U
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” star Donnie Yen is taking on another project: the 54-year-old actor has been cast in Disney’s live-action version of “Mulan,” the Hollywood Reporter said Wednesday.
Yen, who played Chirrut Îmwe in the 2016 sci-fi flick, is reportedly set to tackle the role of Commander Tung, “a mentor” to the title character.
It was announced in 2017 that 30-year-old actress Liu Yifei will play Mulan. The movie has a March 27, 2020 release date.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Yen is known for starring in the martial arts series “Ip Man,” which has already spawned two sequels -- with a third in production.
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The star recently shared an Instagram photo of himself on set.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Second day of filming of #ipman4, I’m back!” he captioned the post.
Yen admitted he had reservations about appearing in “Rogue One” during an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2016.
“It's crazy but I was hesitant about taking this role,” he told the newspaper. “I was flattered but at the same time I didn’t want to leave my family for five months to go to London, because I just got off another movie.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Yen added that he spoke to his kids for their take.
“I turned to my children and I said, 'Do you like baba’s 'Ip Man' series?' — because I’m known to Western audiences for ‘Ip Man.’ 'Or do you want baba to be in 'Star Wars?"' They went, ‘Star Wars,’ of course!” he joked.
He continued, “I said, ‘Wait a minute — there’s something special there.’ Then my friends and family and fanboys, everybody was so excited and I realized, this is not just making a movie. You’re making history here. So that’s how I got involved, and I’m so glad I did.”