Disney is ready to dive back into the world of Roman mythology as they have announced they are developing a live-action remake of their 1997 hit Hercules with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings writer Dave Callaham set to pen, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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The original film, which starred Tate Donovan (Rocketman) in the titular role, was a musical retelling of the iconic Hercules legend in which the son of Zeus is stripped of his immortality by Hades in an effort to ensure he would be able to conquer Mount Olympus in 18 years’ time. His plans don’t go as successfully as he intended as Hercules is left with his superhuman strength intact and the hero goes on a journey to protect his home along with humanity.
The animated film is notable for going through constant retooling over the many years of development, with 18 credited writers contributing to the final product and Ron Clements and Jon Muker directing. The cast for the original film also included Danny DeVito (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), James Woods (Videodrome) and Susan Egan (Steven Universe).
Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo are attached to the upcoming remake to produce via their AGBO banner but not direct, with the new film being in early development and not having any other producers or directors attached at this time.
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There have been casting rumors in recent weeks regarding the project, somewhat inspired by Ariana Grande’s performance of “I Wont Say I’m in Love” from the film in The Disney Family Singalong, which sparked the creation of a petition on Change.Org. Other names being thrown into contention by fans and enthusiasts of the project include Idris Elba (Fast & Furious Presents Hobbs & Shaw) and Ryan Gosling (The Nice Guys).
Hercules joins a growing list of animated films from the Disney catalog to be getting the live-action treatment from the studio, including the upcoming Mulan, which is currently slated for a July 24 release. Last year saw two box office smash adaptations in Aladdin and The Lion King, with sequel and spin-off projects currently in development on the former.
