Guy Ritchie, who directed Disney’s “Aladdin” in 2019, is set to direct the next live-action adaptation of the 1997 film “Hercules.” Variety confirmed.
As Variety Previously reported, “Avengers: Endgame” directors Joe and Anthony Russo are producing the film, which is being developed by Disney, which has hired action guru Dave Callaham to write an early draft. AGBO is in the process of hiring additional editors.
Ritchie recently filmed an untitled action thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal. He wrote, directed, and executive produced STX’s “Operation Fortune: War Ruse,” which was slated for release in the early months of 2022 but has since been pushed back without an official release date. be fixed.
The deal was made by CAA. Ritchie left the agency last month for WME. His attorney is Matt Saver.
The original “Hercules” animation was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker as a musical retelling of the legend of Hercules, with music by Alan Menken. Tate Donovan voiced the lead role, alongside Susan Egan as her love interest Megara and James Woods as Hades, who kidnaps demigod Hercules as a baby and forces him to live alongside mortals. Hercules is assisted by the satyr Philoctetes (Danny DeVito), who teaches him how to use his superhuman strength to prove himself worthy of living among the gods of Mount Olympus.
Disney’s original “Hercules” movie had an $85 million budget and earned $252 million at the worldwide box office. It joined Disney’s predecessors, including 1991’s “Beauty and the Beast,” 1992’s “Aladdin” and 1994’s “The Lion King,” all of which were remade into lucrative action films.
The Russo Brothers are currently gearing up for the July release of “The Gray Man,” an action-thriller that’s Netflix’s most expensive project date, with a budget of $200 million. They’ve done a number of Marvel projects, with “Avengers: Endgame” breaking box office records and grossing $2.79 billion in ticket sales worldwide.
Deadline was first to break the news of Guy Ritchie directing “Hercules.”
