Draft:Hercules (upcoming film)

Hercules is an upcoming American fantasy comedy film based on the 1997 animated film Hercules, directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Anthony and Joe Russo.

Development
On April 29, 2020, it was reported that a live-action remake of Hercules was being developed by Walt Disney Pictures, with Jeffery Silver and Karen Gilchrist, who previously produced the CGI remake of The Lion King, set to produce the film. The film was expected to feature songs from the original film. Joe and Anthony Russo would also serve as producers on the film, while Dave Callaham was set to write the script. On May 7, 2020, the Russo brothers said that the remake wouldn't be a "literal translation" as they want the film to have new elements yet still being "something that's in the vein of the original and inspired by it".

In June 2022, it was reported that Guy Ritchie would direct the film, having previously directed Disney's 2019 live-action Aladdin remake. It was also reported that Callaham has exited the project, with the producers looking for a new writer to work on the screenplay. Speaking to GamesRadar+ at a recent press event, the Russo brothers discussed their intentions behind creating the live-action adaptation of the film. Joe explained that they are approaching the tale from a "more modern" angle, but that they still plan on honouring the original story and elevating some of the humour from the animated movie in a way that dials it up from zero to hero levels of laughter. In an interview with Variety, the Russo brothers acknowledged criticisms of some recent Disney remakes, notably on how safe these adaptations play out with little deviation from the original films. When speaking about their vision, Joe Russo said their Hercules remake is "a little bit more experimental" in tone and execution; saying:

"'Audiences today have been trained by TikTok, right?' Russo asks Variety. 'What is their expectation of what that musical looks like and feels like? That can be a lot of fun and help us push the boundaries a little bit on how you execute a modern musical.'"

Casting
In August 2023, Taron Egerton and Ariana Grande were in talks to portray Hercules and Megara respectively, while Danny DeVito was in talks to play Phil again from the original film.