After persistent rumors, we finally got confirmation that Disney was officially moving forward with a live-action remake of Hercules last year, with Aladdin director Guy Ritchie set to helm the project and Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo on board as producers.
Aside from some casting rumors, updates have been few and far between since, and we're still waiting to find out which actors are going to bring life to the main characters.
Now, scooper Daniel Richtman (via Toonado.com) is reporting that the project has undergone an extensive overhaul, and will now play out from the perspective of the villainous Hades - which may actually turn out to be the title of the movie.
Taron Edgerton and Ariana Grande were previously said to be up for the roles of Hercules and Meg, and we've also heard that pop megastar turned actress Dua Lipa might be a contender to play the latter. No actors have been mentioned as being in contention to play Hades, who was voiced by James Woods in the animated film.
The Russos explained how they became involved with the project in a recent interview, noting that they had no intention of doing a "literal translation" of the original.
"Both us and our kids are Hercules fanatics," said Anthony. "And we had heard that Disney was interested in revisiting it and we’re in love with the original. And we made a case as to why we felt we would be right to produce that film and here we are."
"I think you always have to bring something new to the table because from our perspective as storytellers, it’s not compelling for us to do a literal translation. We’ve already done that with our Marvel films," added Joe. "We don’t do literal translations of the comics because we feel like if you want that story you can go read that story. We’re going to give you a different story. I think we’ll do something that’s in the vein of the original and inspired by it, but we also bring some new elements to the table."
A report did the rounds last year that Ritchie had parted ways with the movie, but that's yet to be confirmed.
What do you make of this rumor? Be sure to let us know in the comments section down below.
Disney tackles Greek mythology in this animated feature. Hercules (Tate Donovan), a son of gods, was snatched as a baby by Hades (James Woods) and forced to live among mortals as a half-man, half-god. Now a teenager, Hercules needs to perform a rite of passage on Earth to prove himself worthy of living with the gods on Mount Olympus. With his plucky satyr sidekick, Philoctetes (Danny DeVito), along for the ride, Hercules must learn how to use his strength to defeat a series of evil creatures.