Last week, it was officially announced that Disney is developing a live-action remake of their 1997 animated take on the Greek myth of Hercules. Whenever one of these is greenlit, fans wonder whether it will end up being a close match to the original – like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast – or something that’s a bit looser with the source material – like Dumbo or the upcoming Mulan. Well, producers the Russo brothers have now teased that Herc will be an example of the latter.
While speaking to Collider, the filmmakers were asked whether their Hercules will change things up somewhat and Anthony Russo promised that they will definitely serve up “some new elements,” as they did with their Marvel films.
“Well, 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. 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.”
But will one of those changes be throwing out the awesome gospel-themed soundtrack of the first movie? The Russos can’t say for certain, as the project is still at its beginnings, but it sounds like there’s a good chance that the old songs will be back. “We can’t say one way or the other,” said Anthony before noting, “Music will certainly be a part of it.”
As for why they’re spearheading the remake, Anthony revealed that it’s something they fought to do as they’re such big fans of the 1997 flick.
“Both us and our kids are Hercules fanatics,” added 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.”
The Mouse House is reportedly hoping to land some big names to star in the project, and there’s certainly room for a lot of talent in there, from the titular hero himself to Zeus and his pantheon of gods. Fans have various ideas about the rest of the cast, but everyone’s in agreement that Danny DeVito has to come back to play Phil the satyr. Ariana Grade is also a popular choice for Megara, Herc’s lady love.
Tell us, though, are you excited for the new Hercules? Sound off in the usual place below.