Guy Ritchie, who already directed Disney’s live-action version of Aladdin back in 2019, has now signed on to return and helm the studio’s new version of Hercules.
This will be a live-action adaptation of the 1997 animated film. Joe and Anthony Russo‘s AGBO is producing the film for Disney, who have hired action specialist Dave Callahan to write a first draft.
The original Hercules was directed by animation legends Ron Clements and John Musker, who coincidentally also helmed the original Aladdin.
It retells the traditional Hercules myth in musical form, and features the voice acting talent of Tate Donovan, Susan Egan, James Woods, and Danny DeVito. It made $252 million at the box office.
Ritchie’s 2019 version of Aladdin made over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. While a lot of that success can be attributed to the power and ubiquitous nature of the Disney brand, the studio must have been happy with Ritchie’s work to bring him back into the fold.
The director most recently filmed an untitled action thriller with Jake Gyllenhaal, and also wrote and directed Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre for STX Studios that was originally scheduled for an early 2022 release, before being postponed. Right now the film doesn’t have a release date, so it’s completely in limbo.
Other upcoming Disney live-action remakes of their animated classics include Robert Zemeckis‘ Pinocchio and Rob Marshall‘s The Little Mermaid, along with sequels to their already-released live-action versions of The Lion King and the aforementioned Aladdin.
The Russo brothers are currently gearing up for another big movie – the release of Netflix blockbuster The Gray Man with Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas. That arrives on Friday, July 15.
#Peace.Love.Hercules
