"Whereas many of Disney’s recent live-action remakes have been faulted for sticking too closely to the source material, Russo says “Hercules” will be “a little bit more experimental in tone, a little bit more experimental in execution.”
“I think they’re excited to see what we can all bring to it in a way that isn’t just a reinterpretation of the animated film,” Russo adds.
Ritchie is currently working on his own pass of the screenplay from David Callaham (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”).
“Guy is perfect for it because he has penchant for experimentation,” Russo says.
The original “Hercules,” directed by “The Little Mermaid” filmmakers John Musker and Ron Clements, reimagines the legend of the Greek demigod as a story of a rising celebrity who becomes famous due to his acts of heroism. As was the case for all of Disney’s animated films in the 1990s, it’s also a musical, largely sung by a quintet of Black women serving as a Greek chorus.
Russo says the live-action “Hercules” will also be a musical — and share the original’s unconventional approach."
“There are questions about how you translate it as a musical,” Russo says. “Audiences today have been trained by TikTok, right? What is their expectation of what that musical looks like and feels like? That can be a lot of fun and help us push the boundaries a little bit on how you execute a modern musical.”
In this week’s cover story for Variety, filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo are clear that their dedication to their own independent studio, AGBO, means the directors of “Avengers: Endgame…
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