Now Disney is making a live-action version of Hercules

Okay, where are we when it comes to Disney making live-action versions of its beloved animated classics? They hit Cinderella and The Jungle Book a few years back, Alice Through the Looking Glass, which was a sequel to Alice in Wonderland. A while before that we had a remake of 101 Dalmatians, and we can’t forget about Maleficent, which told the story of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of the villain.

Those movies were all spread out over a number of years, and seemed to at least try to bring something new to the table. The most recent Disney live-action remakes have come fast and furious, and in most cases stick as close to the originals as possible, with The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast slavishly devoted, and Aladdin and Dumbo a little less so. Then there’s The Lady and the Tramp remake, which premiered right on Disney+.

And there are more remakes on the way. Mulan would be out already if not for the coronavirus closing down theaters; The Little Mermaid, Pinocchio and The Hunchback of Notre Dame is coming, and Disney is remaking Robin Hood for Disney+. And now, The Disinsider reports that a live-action remake of 1997’s Hercules is on the way.

Hercules might not have the cultural cache of The Little Mermaid or The Lion King, but it’s still a beloved movie from this golden age of Disney animation. The plot is based on the Greek myth, with some changes for the family audience in mind. Hercules (voiced by Tate Donovan in the animated movie) is the son of the god Zeus and a human woman, making him a demi-god. All his life, the god of the underworld Hades (James Woods) has been trying to kill him, but he survives to grow up and fulfill his destiny. Toss in the high-spirited love interest Megara (Susan Egan), the brash satyr mentor Phil (Danny DeVito), a Pegasus sidekick and a bunch of songs, and you’ve got yourself a hit.

Also, all the songs are sung by a gospel choir. It doesn’t make a ton of sense but the tunes are great so I’m not gonna complain. Obviously, they’ll cast all new people for the live-action version. But I’m with Twitter: Danny DeVito returns or bust:

The movie is being produced by AGBO, the production company started by none other than Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Russos will direct the thing, but maybe? The Disinsider has heard that people like Gore Verbinski and Jon Favreau are also in the mix, although there’s nothing solid on that front. The screenwriter is Dave Callaham, who worked on stuff like The Expendables, Godzilla and Marvel’s upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

And with all the facts out of the way: oy with the live-action remakes already. I know my complaints don’t matter, and I know all these movies will make a ton of money, but man, have they gone through a ton of their catalog very very quickly. What’s left to remake? The only big one that jumps out is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was the movie that put Disney on the map nearly a hundred years ago. Maybe they’re saving that one for last.

Oh, and Fantasia. Who wants a live-action musical with no lyrics? This guy.

After that, do they start making live-action versions of their recent animated movies? Live-action Frozen? Who else is exhausted?

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h/t Variety