Faithful readers (all five of you, hi, mom, I'll bring the grandkids by later this week) will recall my ambiguous feelings regarding Mulan what with the Disneyfication and all.

Well, Hollywood is kicking it up a notch. The gorgeous Zhang Ziyi (last seen being pretend-Japanese in Memoirs of a Geisha) has signed on to play Hua Mulan with big-shot producer Harvey Weinstein, who made Lord of the Rings and Kill Bill happen. And she's also agreed to play, uh, the disguised woman warrior in a remake of Seven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai). You don't remember the disguised woman warrior in Seven Samurai? Or in the Western remake The Magnificent Seven? Or the sci-fi remake Battle Beyond the Stars (as written by John Sayles)?

Neither do I, but I'm guessing it's the Toshiro Mifune part.

From the china.org.cn report:

The deal between Harvey Weinstein and the Beijing-based City Glory Picture, calls on the partners to split the US$20 million cost of Mulan.

Staff with City Glory said that is the first time Weinstein has invested in a Chinese production.

Hua Mulan, a legendary Chinese heroine, is the protagonist of a folk tale that has been told for centuries in China. She was a young woman who disguised herself as a man to take her father's place in battle 1,500 years ago.

The story was first put on the screen in a 1956 Chinese production, 50 years before it was adapted into a cartoon film by Walt Disney Inc.

"Mulan enabled Walt Disney Inc to rake in US$300 million, which no doubt left an indelible impression on Weinstein," said a City Glory staff member who asked to remain anonymous.

A famous Taiwan scriptwriter wrote the script four years ago with encouragement from Malaysian-Chinese actress Michelle Yeoh, who starred in the Oscar-winning film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

"We got the script with the help of Michelle Yeoh," the City Glory staff said, adding that the script "was hot property among overseas film makers."

Both Yeoh and Chinese mega-star Zhang have been courted by other producers who have for several years attempted to put together a live-action Mulan production.

"We will select the right cast and crew for Mulan from among the most popular stars and directors," the City Glory staff said, stressing that the original Mulan story will be preserved.

Shooting is expected to begin next February.

Besides signing on for Mulan, Zhang also has signed on for two other movies to be produced by Weinstein, including a remake of Japanese classic The Seven Samurai, a news report said.

Zhang confirmed she would star in the three movies when she met Weinstein at Cannes, the Chinese-language news website Sina.com reported last Friday.

and, to reiterate...

n the remake of The Seven Samurai, Akira Kurosawa's 1954 classic, Zhang will play a villager who dresses as a man to protect herself from bandits, Sina.com said.

Given her role as a disguised vigilante in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo hu cang long, and as the disguised however-many-multiple agent in House of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu), I wonder if she's in danger of being typecast in possibly the most unusual reprised role in cinema history. I'm not sure if I'm ready to put money on her being in disguise in her role in the upcoming Hamlet remake, The Banquet (Ye yan), but I sure wouldn't want to bet against it.

P.S. -- you have no idea how tempting it is to use this mysterious photo as an illustration, except it would make no sense without the caption.