Hercules (Live-Action)

[Kyle]

Sounds just as disastrous as Mulan to me so far.

[Disney's Divinity]

We don't know yet if the muses have been cut. The characters can still exist in some way, perhaps as narrators, even without the songs. Also, they will probably cast a Black actor as Hercules like the stage musical did, so I doubt it will get any blowback in this department.

I thought at some point they had already made it clear Hercules would be Black, although they haven't picked the actor. I agree, it was used to misdirect. But I wouldn't be surprised if the Muses are cut altogether. Their function as narrators went in part with the music; without the music, they are an easy cut, I imagine. I wouldn't be surprised at Phil (if Phil even exists in this version) being the narrator. Still, the style of this musical is not like others, and it's probably worth an "offensive" outcry. It's not like any other animated musical is performed primarily by Black voices like this one was. There should be a ruckus over that, but I imagine nobody wants to draw Disney's ire. It took a very long time for the media to finally turn on Mulan after all; it took a steady fire of audience criticism and controversies growing around it to get to that point.

[Sotiris]

There was a rumor a while back they were interested in Michael B. Jordan and Taron Egerton for the role. Of course, that info came from The DisInsider which is far from reliable, especially when it comes to casting. There's no indication yet they are only considering Black actors for the role, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was indeed the case considering they did the same thing with Ariel.

I think Disney will do what they did with Mulan and will obfuscate the fact it won't be a musical until the last minute.

[Disney's Divinity]

I think Disney will do what they did with Mulan and will obfuscate the fact it won't be a musical until the last minute.

Probably.

I actually think Hercules being Black will be powerful, but it doesn't take away from the fact that we're losing 5 Black characters in the process and the only animated musical other than TP&TF that's dominated by Black voices. (And lbr, the Hercules soundtrack has had a bigger impact than TP&TF's... Thanks again to Randy Newman / Lasseter.) How much more powerful it would've been to have a Black hero of the age's story narrated by a group of Black women to the audience. What is interesting though is this will be the first time Disney's actually had the guts to depict an interracial romance in one of their DACs or remakes of DACs where the POC in the relationship is the male character.

[Sotiris]

Interviews with the screenwriter. It looks like they'll be keeping the muses.

Q: How did you team with the Russo brothers for Disney’s live-action Hercules?

Dave Callaham: I had a relationship with them that dated back to somewhere in between Civil War and Infinity War. I had met with them on a different project. I worked on a thing with them that didn’t go anywhere and we just had a good relationship. I think we appreciated one another and the way we all approached storytelling. And then they vanished for two or three years to go shoot those two movies back-to-back. Then they called me two years ago now and said, “We have this thing and we think you’d be great for it. It’s Hercules.” I was hesitant at first. I was eager to work with them, but nervous about how many times Hercules has been attempted in ways that some people might say have not been as successful. I know this is different. I know this is a Disney Hercules and that there’s an existing movie and a thing that people love, but I did struggle for quite some time with, “How would I make a live-action version of Hercules stand out from all the other Herculeses?” When I ultimately told them how I thought I could do that, they were receptive and they championed me and they’ve been great. We are still working on it.

Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 235008572/

Q: Can you talk about what drew you to the project?

Dave Callaham: I'm not going to tell you how old I am. But I grew up on The Little Mermaid and The Lion King. Now that I understand Disney history a little bit better, it's a different era than Hercules Mulan. I wasn't as familiar with them to be honest. It just wasn't my core Disney texts. I got a call from the Russo brothers coming out of Infinity War, I think, or Endgame, one of the two. They said, "We're going to do this thing at Disney. We want to do Hercules.” And I had to revisit the movie actually, to even be a hundred percent sure I remember it well. And we just talked a lot about what was fun about it and what was exciting about the title. I think it's pretty easy to extrapolate why those guys might be great producers or directors for a piece of material like that. Because you could probably guess that a Hercules live action movie will have more action in it than Cinderella, perhaps. So they were the right fit and they brought it to me, and I've wanted to work with them. And I watched the movie with my daughter who loved it, which was not nothing. And we talked about how we might update it and we're still doing that.

Q: Will you have any curveballs up your sleeve?

Dave Callaham: I can tell you that it's been an exciting project, and I have been blown away by the amount of discourse around it at this early stage. Even the moment it was announced. I mean, I've worked at Marvel, I've worked on Wonder Woman 1984, giant titles. And Hercules is by far the most interaction I've ever seen in terms of the minute the project went out. Because suddenly, you're seeing fan casting. And I will say that the Muses are very, very, just critical to that story. And they're very well thought of in the culture. So we've gotten a lot of input on the Muses. It's just been fascinating to see it. I don't take it lightly. I want to respect all of that and do right by everybody.

Q: Oh, yeah. The Lizzo and Cardi B video. People are freaking out.

Dave Callaham: That's basically a not very Disneyfied audition tape to be a Muse, isn't it? I mean, it's awesome. It's great. We should be so lucky.

Source: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/m ... interview/

[Sotiris]

This info is coming from a tabloid so take it with a grain of salt. Hopefully, it's true.

Jennifer Hudson recently made a pitch to Disney for a role in the upcoming live-action remake of Hercules, and it may have worked as she’s now said to be in talks with the studio. A source has now revealed to Metro.co.uk that she’s a favourite with Disney to play one of the five all-singing gospel Muses. The insider told us: ‘The producers are in informal talks with actors and artists they want to appear in the live-action release and are keen on casting The Muses soon. ‘At the moment they are most interested in Jennifer Hudson, The Shindellas, Teyonah Parris and a number of Broadway stars.’

Source: https://metro.co.uk/2021/09/21/jennifer ... -15294213/

[Disney's Divinity]

Wasn't the Lizzo and Cardi B thing posted here? Hmm. But maybe that comparison was already out in the ether. If JHUD and/or Lizzo took the two key Muse roles, I would be ecstatic.

EDIT: If those two panned out, Anika Noni Rose would be perfect as one of the others. For the remaining two, there are so many names that would be great. I would love Beyonce for a full-on Dreamgirls reunion, but I don't think she'd be willing to go for anything but the lead Muse. Alicia Keys and Cynthia Erivo (already working with Disney on Pinocchio) are great ideas, too. If JHUD actually were to come aboard, Ariana as Meg might have a higher likelihood considering Ariana and JHUD have collaborated several times. Ariana wouldn't be a great actress, but probably better than other choices these people would think about. I believe I said it in the past but the actress who played Cruella (I forget her name right off) would have been close to a perfect Meg, imo.

[Patricier21]

Wasn't the Lizzo and Cardi B thing posted here? Hmm. But maybe that comparison was already out in the ether. If JHUD and/or Lizzo took the two key Muse roles, I would be ecstatic.

EDIT: If those two panned out, Anika Noni Rose would be perfect as one of the others. For the remaining two, there are so many names that would be great. I would love Beyonce for a full-on Dreamgirls reunion, but I don't think she'd be willing to go for anything but the lead Muse. Alicia Keys and Cynthia Erivo (already working with Disney on Pinocchio) are great ideas, too. If JHUD actually were to come aboard, Ariana as Meg might have a higher likelihood considering Ariana and JHUD have collaborated several times. Ariana wouldn't be a great actress, but probably better than other choices these people would think about. I believe I said it in the past but the actress who played Cruella (I forget her name right off) would have been close to a perfect Meg, imo.

My favourite actress Emma Stone as Megara? Yeah I can totally see that, perfect personality characteristics and her voice sound similarTo Susan Egan’s

[Disney's Divinity]

Right? She would be fantastic.

[Disney's Divinity]

This is an old interview Jennifer Hudson gave when there was speculation she could play Calliope, the lead Muse, here. She suggested who could be her co-stars, if so:

That said, if it came down to Hudson to choose who’d star alongside her as a muse in the upcoming Disney live-action adaptation of Hercules– in which she’s rumoured to play Calliope, FYI – she says: ‘I’m good at casting, I want you to know!’ Her top picks? Kelly Rowland, Ariana Grande, Lizzo, H.E.R and Normani, of course.

https://www.elle.com/uk/life-and-cultur ... -anything/

Lizzo and Normani (whose name I hadn't heard thrown around for this before, I don't think?) are both perfect choices!! I don't know H.E.R. ( ), but I'm sure she'd be fine and Kelly Rowland would be good, too. Ariana would be a little bit of a weird choice, but I think Ariana was interested in this film before there was the possibility they'd cut the music. If they're smart and keep the music, I think she'd definitely be interested in appearing somewhere in the film. One of the background three Muses wouldn't require much effort on her part. And Ariana did have a part on the B&tB-LA soundtrack, so she's worked with Disney before. But JHUD, Lizzo, and Normani as 3 of the 5 would just be dream casting!! They would knock "Zero to Hero" (and all their songs) out of the freakin' park! Pleasepleasepleaspleaseplease, God, please! But, seriously, please.

[Disney's Divinity]

I was just reading that JHUD has a daytime talk show coming. I can't see it doing as well as Kelly Clarkson's show, but I hope the best for her and I'm glad she's having a mini-comeback in a sense because of Respect. I believe she won the big award at the BET awards for the role, too. I really hope her current star power will convince Disney to wake up, this is an easy knockout decision waiting to be made. Whether or not they racebend Hercules himself, it would be wonderful to have a film with a group of Black women telling the story of a Black hero--on top of having a musical dominated by Black voices for once.

[Disney's Divinity]

Quadruple-posting, but not surprised with this film being so far away. Just wanted to say Disney would be even more insane now not to make the film with JHUD starring, she just became an EGOT at the Tony's a few nights back. Only the third Black woman to have managed that feat, too! A star like that one could lift this film--and it's not like Hercules' chances of being huge were ever as sure as something like B&tB, Aladdin, etc. They would need the extra star power.

[D82]

Just wanted to say Disney would be even more insane now not to make the film with JHUD starring, she just became an EGOT at the Tony's a few nights back. Only the third Black woman to have managed that feat, too! A star like that one could lift this film--and it's not like Hercules' chances of being huge were ever as sure as something like B&tB, Aladdin, etc. They would need the extra star power.

I didn't know that! I'm happy for her. I agree she would be an excellent choice if the Muses are finally in the movie.

[D82]

‘Aladdin’ Director Guy Ritchie Teams With Disney & AGBO On Live-Action ‘Hercules’
https://deadline.com/2022/06/hurcules-g ... 235047935/

EXCLUSIVE: After watching his live-action transfer of Disney’s animated Aladdin become his first film to crack the billion-dollar gross mark, Guy Ritchie is back in business with the studio. This time, he’s overseeing a live-action film based on the Disney animated film Hercules.

The film will be produced by AGBO, the production company run by Avengers: Endgame directors Joe & Anthony Russo. The studio is in the process of hiring writers after Dave Callaham wrote a first draft.

[Disney's Divinity]

I would be happy about that news except I remember Ritchie wanted to nix the songs in Aladdin. The only reason that didn't happen is because Disney put their foot down with that one.

[DisneyFan09]

Well, this ain`t surprising news at all. In fact, it`s a mere synergy for Ritchie after having previously directed Aladdin (another Ron & John film). Still, I`m a little hesitant about Hercules being helmed by him. While his version of Aladdin eventually grew on me at the end, I was initially disappointed by it, because I felt that it served the staple of the typical, souless remake (a placement the Mulan remake took over). Why is why I`m hesitant about him being able to pull Hercules off. Cause truth to be told, I was pretty lukewarm to Hercules when I first saw it, before it grew on me.

[Patricier21]

Interesting could this possibly mean a live action Hercules and the Arabian night crossover movie/event? After all Bob Chapek did say that he wants to focus on brand merging and crossovers……

[Sotiris]

I would be happy about that news except I remember Ritchie wanted to nix the songs in Aladdin. The only reason that didn't happen is because Disney put their foot down with that one.

I hope they learned their lesson after Mulan and they'll keep the songs in this time. But given the producers are the Russos, I'm not holding my breath.

[Disney's Divinity]

I hope they learned their lesson after Mulan and they'll keep the songs in this time.

I hope so. Aladdin, B&tB, and TLK made a billion by keeping close to the originals--whereas Mulan, which removed everything that made the film Disney's Mulan, was a complete disaster at the box office. And the Mulan remake really did have major potential, they just screwed it up royally. If I just knew the film would still have the music / Muses, I'd probably be at peak excitement right now considering I thought Ritchie's Aladdin was the best of the remakes, tbh. (That doesn't mean it was a perfect film, just to be clear--just the best of the remakes...).

Music and a strong female character in Naomi Scott's Jasmine didn't stop Aladdin from being a fun action film. The Muses and music in Hercules wouldn't either, they only make those films better. Who cares if Hercules is race-bent or not, that can't fill the void left by 5 Black female characters--some of WDAS' first--or the first animated soundtrack that was dominated by Black voices. Stars like JHUD and Lizzo especially would make this film much more likely to be a hit.

Interesting could this possibly mean a live action Hercules and the Arabian night crossover movie/event? After all Bob Chapek did say that he wants to focus on brand merging and crossovers……

That would be interesting considering the Hercules-Aladdin series crossover back when.

[estefan]

Disney's Mulan, was a complete disaster at the box office.

Not really fair to label the film a box-office disaster, when it didn't get a theatrical release in most countries and it was released during the height of the pandemic. If you released a movie in theatres in 2020 after March, it definitely lost money (the only exception I can think of is The Croods: A New Age, interesting enough).