Disney has had so much success with its live-action versions of its animated classics like “Beauty and the Beast”, “Aladdin”, and “Cinderella”, Disney is developing a brand live-action version of “Hercules” with “Aladdin” director Guy Ritchie.  The new film is going to be produced by AGBO, which is a production company that is run by Joe and Anthony Russo, who are behind the Marvel Studios mega hit, “Endgame”.

In the original animated film, which is available to stream on Disney+, Hercules is taken from the gods as a newborn and adopted on Earth, where he becomes an awkward teenage pillar of strength. While trying to fit in, he discovers that his dad is Zeus and he could live on Mount Olympus—if he can move from “zero” to true hero. Hercules teams with babyhood pal Pegasus, the flying stallion, and Phil, a feisty personal trainer, for the mission. But it’s no easy task, as he must match wits with Grecian beauty Meg and a sinister hothead named Hades. With the help of comical sidekicks Pain and Panic, Hades plans to rule the Universe…with only Hercules standing in his way.

During a recent interview with Variety, Joe and Anthony Russo shared some new details on the new “Hercules” film.  They explained why the new film will not be a scene-for-scene remake of the original animated film, with Joe Russo saying:

“We have an amazing relationship with them that we’ve built over a decade.  I think we have a point of view on how they can stretch the limits of their IP moving forward, rather than playing IP management.”

He added that Russo says “Hercules” will be “a little bit more experimental in tone, a little bit more experimental in execution.”

“I think they’re excited to see what we can all bring to it in a way that isn’t just a reinterpretation of the animated film.

The original “Hercules,” directed by “The Little Mermaid” filmmakers John Musker and Ron Clements, reimagines the legend of the Greek demigod as a story of a rising celebrity who becomes famous due to his acts of heroism. As was the case for all of Disney’s animated films in the 1990s, it’s also a musical, largely sung by a quintet of Black women serving as a Greek chorus.

The original film is well known for its music, and Joe Russo has confirmed that the new film will also be a musical, but will be a little different.

“There are questions about how you translate it as a musical.  Audiences today have been trained by TikTok, right? What is their expectation of what that musical looks like and feels like? That can be a lot of fun and help us push the boundaries a little bit on how you execute a modern musical.”

While the idea that the new Hercules film is being influenced by TikTok might sound a little odd, but the idea of looking at what today’s viewers are enjoying, to incorporate something like that into the movie, does make some sense.

During the interview, the brothers also said that fans shouldn’t expect to make another movie with Marvel Studios any time soon.

“We won’t be ready to do anything with Marvel until the end of the decade.”

“Hercules” currently hasn’t been officially announced by Disney, and no other details have been revealed about the project, such as who will be appearing in the film, when it might be released or if it will be heading directly to Disney+.

What do you think of Disney remaking “Hercules”?

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Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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