In 2020, Disney has announced the latest in its long line of live-action remakes of beloved animated films. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it appears that Hercules will be flexing his Olympian muscles on screen at some point in the future. And it will have something of a Marvel-ous pedigree attached behind the scenes. Avengers’ Joe and Anthony Russo are on board as producers, with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ writer Dave Callaham attached to write the screenplay.
This is still in the earliest stages of development, so there is no word on whether this will keep the music from the film, or go the Mulan route and ditch the songs for a more action-oriented take. But given that this is one of the most memorable Disney musicals from the post Howard Ashman/Alan Menken collaboration era, I would say the odds are in favor of this one going full musical theater.
Although several years have passed since the initial announcement, there’s been very little movement on live-action Hercules so far. Most recently, in May of 2024, the Russo brothers indicated they are still ” “waiting on a script.” It doesn’t sound promising, but it doesn’t sound dead either.
So who will play the son of Zeus? As mentioned, it is way to early to know, as casting ages away. But when they do start filming, fans are already clamoring for pop diva Ariana Grande to take on the role of Megara, mainly due to her rendition of the film’s song “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” during the Disney Family Singalong. Maybe that was her stealth audition?
Also unknown is whether this one will be theatrical, or go straight to Disney+ like Lady and the Tramp and the upcoming Robin Hood. But given that that this Greek mythology infused tale will probably need a big budget, one would expect Disney to “go the distance” and make sure this one hits theaters before landing on their streaming service.
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