Hercules is widely considered to be one of Disney's most underrated animated adventures, and a new report from The Disinsider claims that the Mouse House is currently in early development on a live-action adaptation of the 1997 Greek Mythology-inspired tale.
Jeffery Silver (The Lion King, Tron: Legacy) and Karen Gilchrist (The Lion King, The Mandalorian) are reportedly on board as producers, and the project is being developed as a theatrical release, not a Disney+ original like the recent Lady and The Tramp. This new take will also be a musical, and feature songs from the original along with some new tunes.
Several directors are also said to be in the mix to helm the movie, but the source cautions that these are just names he's heard the studio might be interested in, and no formal discussion have taken place. Those filmmakers are: Jon Favreau (The Lion King), Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) and none other than Joe & Anthony Russo (Avengers: Endgame).
Best not to get too excited at the idea of a Russo Brothers Hercules movie just yet, but it's certainly an intriguing prospect.
Once a director is secured, Disney is expected to begin meeting with actors via Zoom. The animated movie features the voices of Tate Donavan as Hercules, Danny DeVito as Philoctetes, and James Woods as Hades.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.