The Weinstein Company is currently in talks with actress Ziyi Zhang to star in three films, the first of which will be a new version of Mulan. The Weinsteins are also planning a remake of the1954 Akira Kurosawa film, The Seven Samurai. Mulan is expected to be the debut film of the Meridian Pictures company, which has been established by multimillionaire David Dong. The movie is written by Wang Hui-ling (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and forthcoming John Woo project The Battle of Red Cliff). It draws on a Chinese folk tale of a female resistance fighter who disguises herself as her father to take his place in battle. Disney made Mulan into an animated movie in 1998, but the tale was first put on the big screen as a Chinese production in 1956. The new Chinese-language film's budget is pegged at $20 million, with production scheduled for February. | 
