'Mulan' director Niki Caro postpones world premiere due to coronavirus pandemic
Walt Disney Pictures including director Niki Caro has come to a decision to delay the release date for the live-actio remake of Mulan due to coronavirus concerns.
The announcement was made via Instagram early Friday morning, March 13 Philippine time.
According to Niki, “Making this film has been one of the most satisfying and exhilarating experiences of my entire career, and I've been so fortunate to be on this journey with some of the best cast and crew in the business -- people who truly embody the attributes of Loyal, Brave, and True.
“We are so excited to share this film with the world, but given the current ever-shifting circumstances we are all experiencing, unfortunately, we have to postpone the worldwide release of Mulan for now.
“Our hearts are with everyone the world over who is affected by this virus, and we hope that Mulan's fighting spirit will continue to inspire those who are working so hard to keep us all safe.
“Thank you for all of your enthusiasm and support, and I can't wait for the day where we will all get to experience this tale of a girl warrior who became a legend together.”
Mulan, starring Liu Yifei is about a Chinese maiden who disguises herself as a male warrior to save her father.
The Hollywood premiere was welcomed on Monday, March 9, without disruption.
According to reports, a total of at least $200 million were spent in making the live-action film making it the most expensive flick ever directed by a female filmmaker.
Coronavirus pandemic
The announcement of the postponement of the film adds to a wave of industry cancellations over the spreading virus that are already too many to count.
Just yesterday, Hollywood actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for the virus.
The Academy Award-winning actor is currently in Australia filming for a movie about the life of legendary rockstar Elvis Presley.
He wrote in a statement, “We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the coronavirus, and were found to be positive.”
A day after, the actor posted a smiling selfie of him and his wife to give an update on his status as a patient.
“Rita and I want to thank everyone here Down Under who are taking such good care of us.
“We have Covid-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else. There are those for whom it could lead to a very serious illness. We are taking it one-day-at-a-time.”
On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) has already declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. It is a global spread of a new disease and is most often associated with new influenza strains. Whereas an outbreak is the occurrence of disease cases in excess of what's usually expected and an epidemic is more than a normal number of disease cases in a community or region, according to WHO.
According to news site CNN, the WHO announced there are now around 118,000 cases and more than 4,000 deaths and the Coronavirus has reached every continent except Antarctica.
More updates on Coronavirus below:
Coronavirus Watch: What does pandemic mean?
Tom Hanks and Rudy Gobert trend on Twitter after testing positive of COVID-19