Disney's live-action adaptations of its animated classics have been somewhat hit-or-miss, with a handful of solid efforts (The Lion King, Peter Pan & Wendy, and last year's The Little Mermaid, for example), and more than a few let-downs (Pinocchio instantly springs to mind, as does the Maleficent sequel and Dumbo).
Still, there's been a great deal of excitement for Hercules, especially with Aladdin director Guy Ritchie at the helm and Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo overseeing the project as producers. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings writer, David Callaham, has been tapped to write the script and was thought to be hard at work on that before the WGA strike began earlier this year.
Beyond some wild casting rumours - last we heard, Ariana Grande (Wicked) and Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service) are being eyed for the roles of Hercules and Meg - it's been a while since any updates about the project have been shared.
Unfortunately, it seems like Hercules has hit something of a roadblock after losing director Guy Ritchie. The news comes our way from scooper Daniel Richtman and has been backed up by the team at The DisInsider Show.
It appears he's too busy to make the movie and has shifted his focus to other projects. Don't start getting excited about Aladdin 2, though, because the site cautions it's probably still a while off (we've heard that the Prince Anders spin-off starring Billy Magnussen is a priority instead).
Last year, Ritchie shared his thoughts on a possible Aladdin sequel and that may be the Disney project he'd rather focus on moving forward.
"I'd very much like to [make that]. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed that experience. It was a great experience," the filmmaker said. "That whole Disney thing, as you can imagine, is such a professional outfit. Just from that perspective, it was so much fun. I would very much like to, we'll wait and see."
"We have been kicking some ideas around for some time now, but it'd be great to do, it would be great to go back there."
Hercules was released by Disney in 1997 and earned positive reviews. It earned $252.7 million worldwide and followed the story of Hercules, a son of gods, who was snatched as a baby by Hades and forced to live among mortals as a half-man, half-god.
As a teenager, the demi-god needed to perform a rite of passage on Earth to prove himself worthy of living with the gods on Mount Olympus. From there, with his plucky satyr sidekick, Phil, along for the ride, Hercules learned how to use his strength to defeat a series of evil creatures, falling in love with Meg and battling the evil Hades.
Who do you think should step behind the camera to direct Hercules?