Considering the success that Disney has had producing live-action remakes of animated films, it's likely that every animated movie ever made by the House of Mouse has at least been looked at as potential remake fodder. However, a new report indicates that that a perhaps surprising choice for a potential remake, Disney's Hercules, may have a lot more than simply potential, as the studio is reportedly moving forward with the project, and is interested in some major names to direct it, including Jon Favreau and the Russo Brothers.
The report comes from The DisInsider, which has dropped early info in the past which has turned out to be reliable, so this is more than just a simple rumor. According to the source, a Hercules remake is an active project that is moving forward. In addition, Disney apparently has several directors that they're interested in seeing come on board the project. The list includes Jungle Book and Lion King director Jon Favreau, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo, and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl director Gore Verbinski. While the movie itself is being reported as fact, what's not clear is that if any of these directors have actually been formally approached about the job or if any negotiations are ongoing.
UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that a Hercules remake is in the works and that the Russo brothers are involved, though they will be producing, not directing. The outlet also mentioned that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings writer David Callaham is writing the Hercules script. The rest of the original story continues below.
Certainly, all of these names seem quite possible under the circumstances. Each of them has struck gold for Disney in the past, so there's every reason the studio would want them back. Jon Favreau specifically has had success with two previous remakes of animated films, so why not keep that streak going? The Russo Brothers may be done with the MCU, but they're going to remain high demand directors following their success there, and Disney is going to want to keep them close to home. Finally, Hercules seems like a movie that could very easily evolve into a franchise if the first movie is a success, and Gore Verbinski has made that work for Disney before. Of course, he also made The Lone Ranger, and that was...less successful at launching a franchise.
And I've got to say of all the Disney remakes that we've seen, and those that are on the way, Hercules is one I'm actually more than a little interested in seeing. The animated film has some interesting elements, Megara is one of the most interesting and fun Disney heroines ever created, and it's got some underrated music. Of course, the plot is sort of a complete mess, but that's exactly why a remake is welcome, it can actually improve on the original rather than simply trying to copy it.
While we certainly won't be seeing a massive production getting underway anytime soon, Disney could meet with potential directors, or even actors, via video conference, so some of these decisions could certainly be made sooner rather than later. And I'd expect that if any agreements are reached, we'll hear about them sooner as well. Announcements of future film projects imply that Disney is confident that things will be getting back to normal, and Wall Street likes to hear things like that.
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