Ziyi Zhang - Zhang Ziyi To Star As Mulan

ZHANG ZIYI is bringing Disney heroine MULAN to life in a new, live-action adaptation of the ancient Chinese legend, according to reports.

The actress, who will also produce the film, has been leading the drive to secure funding and is said to have personally approached bosses at Disney, who agreed to invest $100 million (£67 million) in the project.

Zhang will take on the title role of the brave female warrior, who disguises herself as a man to join an all-male army in her elderly father's place to fight off an invasion of her homeland.

The Mask director Chuck Russell has come on board to helm the English-language 3D film, which follows Disney's 1998 animated version.

Production is scheduled to begin in China in October (10), reports ChannelNewsAsia.com.