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Over the past few years, Disney has made a habit out of producing live-action remakes of its animated blockbusters. This trend started with Maleficent, with the House of Mouse continuing this trend with Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. Plus cutting-edge visual effects brought to The Lion King, Jungle Book, and Lady and the Tramp to life. The studio recently announced plans for a live-action version of Hercules, and Glee star Amber Riley is already campaigning for a role.
Amber Riley was first introduced to audiences playing Mercedes in Ryan Murphy's musical comedy Glee. She's since gone on to become a recording artist, and theatrical actress, winning the Laurence Olivier Award for playing Effie White in the West End revival of Dreamgirls. Riley has also lent her talents to some live musical events, and now she's got her eye on playing one of The Muses in the new Hercules movie. She made her intentions known on social media, posting:
Well, that was honest. Amber Riley has her eye on the prize, and is ready to belt it out alongside her fellow Muses in Hercules. The group of five singers help to narrate the story of the 1997 animated blockbuster, and were voiced by a stellar group of vocalists. Riley seems like a great choice to play one of those characters, so we'll just have to wait and see if Disney takes her up on the offer.
Amber Riley made her intentions about Hercules known over on her personal Twitter page. Social media quickly blew up when Disney revealed its plans for a live-action remake of the beloved movie. Fan casting soon started up, which is around when Riley tweeted out her hopes of getting a call by the House of Mouse. She's certainly got the talents and experience to pull of such a role.
Disney fans can re-watch Hercules on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.
Disney hasn't made any indications regarding the movie's casting, as it's still in the very early stages of development. While social media blew up with possible casting choices including Amber Riley and Ariana Grande, the collective consciousness made one thing clear: Danny DeVito needs to reprise his role as Philoctetes/Phil. Because who could possibly fill those shoes? Or in this case, hooves.
The live-action Hercules movie is going to need to find five killer singers to bring The Muses to life on the big screen. And while the original cast of beltresses got to voice the character, the new group will be also be able to appear in live-action. Amber Riley has proven her talents for musical theater in her stage career, while also appearing in The Wiz Live!
Before Hercules become a reality, we'll first be treated to the live-action version of Mulan. But Niki Caro will be making some serious changes to the story, and cutting out the musical numbers from the 1998 film. But smart money says Hercules will keep its original music. Because who can get through the story without "Zero to Hero" or "I Won't Say I'm in Love"?
Mulan is currently set to arrive in theaters on July 24th, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
