Last July it was announced that Brett Ratner was looking to direct a new film about the Greek legend of Hercules for producer Avi Lerner. But instead the Rush Hour director chose to make Tower Heist with Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck and Matthew Broderick, a comedy heist movie with Noah Baumbach‘s name on script. Yes I know how odd that sounds. However, Vulture reports that Ratner is now circling a completely new Hercules project called Hercules: The Thracian Wars. The film is set up at MGM and is based on Steve Moore‘s graphic novel of the same name, with Ryan Condal behind the script.
Here is the synopsis of the novel:
Nearly 3,200 years ago, a tormented soul walked the Earth as neither man nor god: Hercules, powerful son of the god-king Zeus, and for this he received nothing but suffering. After 12 arduous labors and the loss of his family, this dark, world-weary soul turned his back on the gods, finding solace only in bloody battle. Over the years, he warmed to the company of six similar souls, bonded by their love of fighting and the presence of death – never questioning where they go or who they fight, just how much they will be paid. Now the King of Thrace has hired these mercenaries to turn his men into the greatest army of all time, which means training them to be as bloodthirsty and ruthless as their own reputation. It is time for this band of lost souls to finally have their eyes opened to how far they have fallen – and the narrow, perilous path to their own redemption.
I hold no truck with Brett Ratner, I think he is a hack and a complete no talent who needs to step from behind the camera and let other people do better work. He has a habit of placing himself in good company, great crafts people like cinematographer Dante Spinotti and good actors, yet still the movies turn out to be complete dog’s dinners. I even hated Red Dragon, which everyone else loved but I felt was just a unnecessary re-adaptation of a novel done better by Michael Mann. So yeah can’t say my hopes are high, what do you reckon? Does a Brett Ratner-Hercules movie sound good to you?