Disney is working on a live-action remake of its animated Hercules adaptation. Released in 1997, the Mouse House's animated Hercules re-imagined the tale of the titular mythological hero (and son of Zeus) as a zany musical fantasy-adventure, complete with memorable tunes like "Zero to Hero" performed by a group of wise-cracking Muses and Danny DeVito voicing Herc's cantankerous trainer, the satyr Philoctetes (call him Phil). While it was less successful financially than other Disney Animation Renaissance movies from the '90s, it was still a box office hit and went over well with critics. If anything, the film's reputation has only continued to improve in the years since then.
With classic '90s Disney animated movies like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King having been re-imagined as billion dollar-grossing live-action tentpoles over the past few years (and Mulan expected to follow suit when it reaches theaters, even after being delayed by the coronavirus pandemic this spring), many have been waiting - and hoping - for Hercules to get a similar treatment. Sure enough, that's exactly what's happening, and with some top-level talent involved behind the scenes.
Screen Rant has confirmed that Disney is developing a live-action Hercules retelling, with Dave Callaham (The Expendables, Godzilla 2014) writing the screenplay and Avengers: Endgame directors Anthony and Joe Russo producing. The news about a Hercules live-action remake was first reported by The Disneyinsider.
Callaham is a particularly interesting choice to write the live-action Hercules. He's recently become a go-to collaborator for superhero blockbusters, having co-written such upcoming films as Wonder Woman 1984, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and the untitled Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequel. With Callaham crafting the script, it seems the Hercules re-imagining could end up being a full-blown action-adventure, similar to Disney's Mulan retelling. His experience writing Marvel and DC comic book movies should also come in handy, considering the tale of Hercules is basically a superhero origin story with ancient mythological characters. That goes double for the Russo Bros. producing on the heels of their monumental run with Marvel Studios. The duo are probably too busy to direct, but are said to be big fans of the '97 movie (hence their involvement).
Keeping all that in mind, it's entirely possible Disney's live-action Hercules will abandon its animated predecessor's musical elements (again, much like Mulan is doing). If so, that will undoubtedly prove controversial with fans of the '97 movie and its songs, including the Oscar-nominated "Go the Distance". Then again, the live-action Aladdin still found ways to include all the musical numbers from the animated version (plus a brand-new one) while playing out as an otherwise straightforward fantasy-adventure, so it's best to not assume anything just yet. If nothing else, here's hoping the live-action Hercules allows the Muses to serve as the film's tone-setting Greek Chorus, much like its predecessor did.
Source: The Disneyinsider