Disney’s Live-Action Film Remake Finds Its Director

Disney’s upcoming live-action Hercules remake has found its director in a familiar face.

Guy Ritchie, who also directed Disney’s Aladdin remake in 2019, is set to helm the upcoming project per Variety. Ritchie most recently finished filming an action thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal and previously directed Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre, which is pending release.

In addition to Ritchie, Disney has hired Dave Callaham (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) to write a first draft for the film, which is promising given Callaham’s expertise in action films. Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo are attached to the upcoming remake to produce via their AGBO banner.

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The original film, which starred Tate Donovan (Rocketman) in the titular role, was a musical retelling of the iconic Hercules legend in which the son of Zeus is stripped of his immortality by Hades in an effort to ensure he would be able to conquer Mount Olympus in 18 years’ time. His plans don’t go as successfully as he intended as Hercules is left with his superhuman strength intact and the hero goes on a journey to protect his home along with humanity.

The animated film is notable for going through constant retooling over the many years of development, with 18 credited writers contributing to the final product and Ron Clements and Jon Muker directing. The cast for the original film also included Danny DeVito (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), James Woods (Videodrome), and Susan Egan (Steven Universe).

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Hercules joins a growing list of animated films from the Disney catalog to be getting the live-action treatment from the studio, including Mulan, Aladdin, and The Lion King.