Disney finds its Mulan, casts Liu Yifei in title role

Casting directors auditioned almost 1,000 actresses in five countries to find an actress with martial arts skills who can speak English and has what the Hollywood Reporter called a "star quality."

Disney looked specifically for an ethnically Chinese woman to play Mulan, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Liu lived in Queens as a child.

Liu has been on television dramas since the mid-2000s and has been in "The Forbidden Kingdom," "Outcast" and "The Chinese Widow."

She has also been a brand ambassador for Dior, Garnier and Pantene, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The story of Mulan was first animated by Disney in 1998 with Ming-Na Wen voicing the daughter who disguised herself to fight in her father’s place in fifth-century China.

The live-action Mulan is slated to hit theaters in 2019 and will combine the original ballad of Hua Mulan with the Disney-created story from 1998, Deadline reported.