Somethings in life are inevitable – one of these things is the announcement of a new Disney live-action film.
And now, we have news of the latest one – Disney’s Hercules.
According to TheDisInsider, the film is being primed for theatrical release, with Jeffrey Silver (The Lion King, Tron: Legacy) and Karen Gilchrist (The Lion King, The Mandalorian) tapped to produce. Like Aladdin and The Lion King, not only will the songs from the original animated version return, but new ones will also be added.
According to the article, two prominent former Disney directors are rumored to be under consideration for helming Hercules. One of these is Jon Favreau, who found great success directing The Jungle Book and The Lion King remakes. The other is Gore Verbinski, who directed the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, which proved to be highly successful critically and commercially.
Although the Coronavirus situation has made things awkward, once a director has been chosen, the studio will search for their lead stars and will meet with the creative team via Zoom.
Released in 1997, Hercules is Disney’s animated adaptation of the ancient Greek legend Heracles. Revolving around a demigod with incredible strength, the movie had a box office draw of $252.7 million on a budget of $85 million. Garnering 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, the consensus is that the movie is “Fast-paced and packed with dozens of pop culture references, Hercules might not measure up with the true classics of the Disney pantheon, but it’s still plenty of fun.”
The film starred Tate Donovan as the titular character, Danny Devito, as Phil and James Woods as Hades. Both Tate Donovan and James Woods would go on to reprise their roles in the spin-off animated series a year later, which followed Hercules through his teenage years.
Are you looking forward to a potential Hercules remake? Share your thoughts in the comments below.