Rather than recreate the 1997 animated films, The Russo Brothers have new plans for the story in Disney’s live-action remake of Hercules. The animated movie from the Disney Renaissance starred Tate Donovan as the titular son of Zeus, Danny DeVito as his trainer Phil and James Woods as Hades. Last week, Walt Disney Studios announced frequent collaborators, Anthony and Joe Russo, the directors of Avengers: Endgame and other Marvel Cinematic Universe films, would take on the Disney live-action remake of Hercules. The Brothers, vocal fans of the original movie, aren’t interested in a copy or translation, and promise fans to deliver more than a shot-for-shot adaptation.
In such early stages of development, there is no definitive information regarding casting, release date, or even a script yet released. Still, the Russo Brothers managed to tease a few details in a recent interview, such as their desire to include some of the original musical numbers from the iconic soundtrack. The pair are developing the project as producers and not slated to direct. That could change as the film enters production. Undoubtedly, cast rumors will fly until the studio or producers announce the official roster.
During the Russo Brother’s recent interview with Collider, they shared their preliminary thoughts on the project. The pair pitched their interpretation to Disney after a string of successful Blockbusters, which probably made the studios more comfortable signing off. The brother’s company AGBO will produce the film. When asked their intentions, the team stressed the desire to be original, “We’re going to give you a different story. I think we’ll do something that’s in the vein of the original and inspired by it, but we also bring some new elements to the table.” The brothers are adept at taking existing material and adding a unique twist, as proven by their multiple successful forays into the MCU.
![Disney’s Live-Action Hercules Movie Won’t Be A Shot-for-Shot Recreation](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Hercules-Zeus-Hera-e1588899433341.jpg)
Hercules will be another in a long line of live-action adaptations of beloved titles, like The Jungle Book, Dumbo and Beauty and the Beast. The Disney live-action craze kicked off in 2010 with Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland but gained momentum through 2014 and 2o15 with Maleficent and Cinderella. In recent years, the films have leaned more into carbon copies of their animated original, offering little to advance the story audiences know, as with 2019’s The Lion King and Aladdin remakes.
By 2020, some fans were vocal with their “remake-fatigue,” but Disney Studios shows no sign of slowing down, with more than a dozen live-action Disney project in the current works at various stages of production. The key to the success of remakes falls mainly on the creative team and what they come up with to spruce up the story. Given the Russo Brother’s history directing massive budget films and television, like Arrested Development and NBC sitcom Community, audiences will accept their offering and trust in its originality.