Disney has slowly been giving the live action remake treatment to all their classic animated films over the last decade. Everything from Cinderella to The Lion King have received this treatment so far, but now we know of the next Disney classic that will be getting a live-action film. Reported exclusively by Deadline, Disney’s Hercules is the next in line and will be directed by Guy Ritchie. The remake will be produced by Joe and Anthony Russo’s production company AGBO.
That is all we know about the film so far. There are no actors attached to the project or a release window yet, but Dave Callaham has written a first draft and Disney is currently in the process of hiring writers for the remake. The original 1997 film was one of the last Disney Renaissance era pictures, an era which started with 1989s The Little Mermaid, that left a lasting impact on the hearts of animation fans. Disney’s version followed the classic hero’s journey of Hercules and had a ton of memorable songs like “Zero to Hero” and “Go the Distance”. The voice cast also featured heavy hitters like Danny Devoto as Phil the satyr, James Woods as Hades, and Tate Donovan as Hercules.
Ritchie is best known for his unique snappy storytelling and visual style found in modern genre classics like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, The Man From U.N.C.L.E and Sherlock Holmes. The director has been on a hot streak lately with the hit film The Gentlemen and last year’s underrated thriller Wrath of Man. While Ritchie is more known for his action heavy, dark comedy offerings, his remake of Aladdin in 2018 proved he could handle any genre thrown at him.
At the time, people questioned why Disney would hire Ritchie for a remake of a family friendly musical, but the director managed to capture the heart of what made Aladdin fun while bringing Ritchie’s own sense of style to the project. It’s definitely the director’s most accessible film, but regardless, it was extremely entertaining, the cast was great, and the music was spot on. This remake was also Ritchie’s first billion dollar film which must have made Disney really eager to work with him again. The director’s next film will be the spy action comedy Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, which was supposed to come out in March, but was pulled off the schedule and still does not have a new release date.
With how much Ritchie’s Aladdin stuck to the original animated film’s source material, expect Hercules to be in that same vein, music and all, rather than something more experimental like Cruella. Until we learn more about this exciting upcoming remake, you can watch the original Hercules on Disney+ right now.
