Hercules (Live-Action)

[Disney's Divinity]

I'm glad to see several others share my sentiment about the music and general atmosphere of the Disney film being needed for the re-make. I think I made a similar point actually about how most other versions of Hercules that have been released have all flopped. So why would they go in that same ultra-serious floppy direction for a remake of a film that was not like that at all?

[Sotiris]

There have been 2 Hercules films released in Hollywood in recent years, starring Kellan Lutz & Dwayne Johnson. I don't suspect that we would really need another bland action film. We'll need the music, comedy & bright colours that made the film awesome.

Precisely. It's baffling Disney hasn't figured this out yet.

[DisneyFan97]

I WANT Al Pacino AS Hades an Robert De Niro as Zeus !

Also Robert Duvall should play Poseidom

Betty White, Angela Lansbury and Maggie Smith should play the Fates !!

[Disney's Divinity]

Robert De Niro actually isn't that bad an idea for Zeus, imo. I can see Betty White as the Fate that Hades flirts with, actually... That said, I'm not sure if she would do this or if she's still doing a lot of roles?

[Farerb]

I have given it some thought and the idea of a Hercules remake isn't as offensive as a remake to the big four.
I agree that the music should remain, but I think that Hercules is probably the most messy film out of all the Renaissance films, with all it's plot holes and plot contrivance, like Hades not knowing that Hercules didn't die or the all that nonsense about the stars being aligned that only meant there is no more water as if that's the only thing that Hades needed to free the titans.
All this would have been fine if Hercules had been more like TENG and didn't take itself very seriously, cause all that unseriousness severely undermines the dramatic moments, like when Meg dying, and then Hercules doing a lot of nonsense with the Titans and completely forgets her.
I also think that it would have been better if Hercules and Hades met earlier in the film and building their dynamic more cause meeting only in the third act really weakened the film (this same problem exists in The Princess and the Frog as well).
Anyway that's what I think the remake should focus on instead of dismissing the songs which are completely fine IMO.

[Sotiris]

I hope that by not saying outright he isn't involved with the remake means there's still a possibility it'll be a musical. The fact he was so vague about it, hesitant to discuss it and eager to change the subject, doesn't exactly fill me with confidence though.

Q: Aren't they going live-action with [Hercules] as well?

Alan Menken: Uh, that is the plan. I don't know exactly how concrete the plan is. Right now you can't get actors into the same room with each other, so we kind of just wait.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ctUVvQ_eUA

[Disney's Divinity]

I agree, he sounded sort of surprised by that news, but acted quick on his feet. The re-make is in its very, very early stages though, so they may not have contacted much of anyone about it yet anyway.

[blackcauldron85]

Skylar Astin Addresses that ‘Hercules’ Video and Clarifies His Interest in the Role
https://collider.com/hercules-live-acti ... interview/

[Disney's Divinity]

I listened to the video of him singing "Go the Distance," and I thought he sounded very nice actually... A pretty tone.

[Farerb]

Avengers Directors Update Disney’s Hercules Remake From Wonder Woman 1984 Writer
https://comicbook.com/movies/news/aveng ... 84-writer/

"We have an incredible writer on it, Dave Callaham, and he's off on script. We should be seeing something in the next week or two, I think," Joe Russo told Collider. Asked if Hercules will carry over the original film's music, Russo said, "We're keeping that all under wraps for now. We want the audiences to have some discoveries about what's fresh about our take."

[Sotiris]

Asked if Hercules will carry over the original film's music, Russo said, "We're keeping that all under wraps for now. We want the audiences to have some discoveries about what's fresh about our take."

That sounds like a no.

[Disney's Divinity]

Looks like they didn't learn from the Mulan trainwreck, they have to go through this multiple times. It's probably why Ariana turned it down anyway even though the original is her favorite Disney movie, I believe. If it's not a musical, it's not Disney's Hercules, so why bother.

[D82]

What a shame. If, as it sounds like, this film is not a musical, it'll be the first time Alan Menken doesn't return to write the music for a remake of one his films. I hope at least the Broadway adaptation is approved and he gets to write new songs for that.

If it's not a musical, it's not Disney's Hercules, so why bother.

I agree. Unlike Mulan, there are several films about Hercules (or Greek mythology), so in my opinion, the songs are more needed in this case to help differentiate the Disney version from the rest.

[blackcauldron85]

Are previous Hercules films comedies? If they retain the humor then maybe that will differentiate the Disney one...?

[estefan]

And I wouldn't be surprised if they kept Superman-esque story for Hercules. Clements and Musker basically treated Hercules like a superhero movie and the genre has only grown in popularity since then. I don't think it's a coincidence two filmmakers known for making Marvel movies were selected to produce it.

[Disney's Divinity]

^ I'm sure Disney has thought of that excuse, too... Disney seems to have become very good at deflecting from criticism of anything wrong they do the past two decades. No surprise the person running Disney has now veered straight into politics. He's had very good practice at speaking out of both sides of his mouth.

At least I can enjoy when this flops, just like with Mulan. It's better than liking something and it being unsuccessful, I guess. I'm definitely not giving them money to see this in theaters, that's for sure. Screw them.

[estefan]

It's hard to measure success or failure in the current environment, though. Mulan probably did lose money, but the truth is we have no way of knowing how it would have performed had COVID not happened. Same deal with the new Wonder Woman movie. That will probably lose money for Warner Bros, since it's being released in a fraction of the screens the first one played in and they're also putting it on their HBO Max platform in the United States. However, in a normal world, Wonder Woman 1984 would have probably been very successful. Every movie released in 2020 basically has an asterisk and a "what if" next to it.

To be entirely honest, rooting for flops makes me queasy. I used to do that with certain films like the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise and then I grew out of that habit, because I realised if someone spent a number of years working on something, it's probably a massive disappointment when not enough people see it. Doesn't matter if it's a small independent film or a $200 million studio-backed blockbuster. Flops don't help anyone, so I always hope a movie performs well and celebrate when that happens, regardless of quality.

People often assume filmmakers don't have feelings and that "they're rich, who cares", but they're human beings like the rest of us. I have a book by Kevin Smith and there's a chapter where he talks about how he felt when his movie "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" didn't do well. Everyone thought, since this was a movie made when Seth Rogen's star was rising, that it would be a big hit. When it wasn't, Smith wrote that he became really depressed and ended up in a funk where he didn't create anything for several months. But not for his own sake, but because he thought he had ruined Rogen's career.

The feeling can even happen with studio projects that seem intended to sell more than anything. I read another book from the writers of "Night at the Museum" and there's a whole chapter detailing the making of "Herbie: Fully Loaded." Neither writer looks back fondly on the movie as a lot was changed from their original screenplay (for example, Herbie blinking wasn't in any of their drafts). But they still had a certain amount of excitement when the movie premiered and Disney kept telling them it had franchise potential and they were definitely making a sequel. And while "Herbie: Fully Loaded" performed decently enough, it wasn't nearly enough to get a sequel off the ground and even though they didn't like the finished film, they still felt bummed about that.

My empathy for movies not doing well has only gone up in this pandemic, with so many projects being delayed or having their releases affected or even cancelled.

So, yeah, even the remakes I didn't think much of (like Aladdin or The Lion King), I'm happy they performed extremely well as it's nice audiences got something out of them. While Dumbo, despite finding it to be one of the weaker remakes and is even my least favourite Tim Burton film, I was sad to see it underwhelm.

[Disney's Divinity]

To be entirely honest, rooting for flops makes me queasy.

Forward those complaints to Disney. If they didn't want to deal with fan expectations, they should make original products instead of quick and easy cash grabs. It's not like B&tB 2017 or Aladdin 2019 are great pieces of cinematic art, but at least they actually did their job of serving nostalgia on a platter. I actually thought Mulan would do well despite cutting the songs and Mushu simply because most theatergoers wouldn't know about those things until they were already sitting in seats to see the film; Mulan 2 would've seen the backlash to those choices. But I guess that's one good thing that came out of the pandemic, it obliterated the Mulan re-make's chances for success. Exactly what Disney deserved.

[D82]

Are previous Hercules films comedies? If they retain the humor then maybe that will differentiate the Disney one...?

Yes, the humor is also one of the original film's trademarks. Maybe the remake could work without the songs, but judging by the remakes they've done so far, I don't expect this one to be too good. No matter who they hire to direct them, they all end up being similar. So, if it was a musical, at least I would have something to look forward to about the movie.

Disney seems to have become very good at deflecting from criticism of anything wrong they do the past two decades. No surprise the person running Disney has now veered straight into politics.

He has clearly been paving the way for his career in politics.

[Sotiris]

Looks like they didn't learn from the Mulan trainwreck, they have to go through this multiple times.

They never learn, do they? I don't understand how could they have allowed producers to do this again when Mulan not only got backlash online for omitting the music, but got such negative test screenings they were seriously considering adding musical sequences in post-production.

If it's not a musical, it's not Disney's Hercules, so why bother.

Couldn't agree more. The music is part of the film's DNA. It's as important as characters and plot. Why do these filmmakers think the only way they can "put their own spin" on it and "make it different" is by cutting the songs? It such an uncreative and superficial way of thinking. Honestly, this type of attitude reeks of misogyny, and by extension, homophobia. "Fun and music? That's frivolous nonsense for girls and gays! I'm going to suck all the joy out of it to make it Serious and Important. That's what Real Men want."

If they didn't want to deal with fan expectations, they should make original products instead of quick and easy cash grabs. It's not like B&tB 2017 or Aladdin 2019 are great pieces of cinematic art, but at least they actually did their job of serving nostalgia on a platter.

Exactly. You would think they'd realize that considering their most successful remakes were the ones that did just that. It really boggles my mind how they're still oblivious to what their audience wants. It's not like they are fooling anyone pretending they're "making art". There's no other reason these remakes are getting made besides people's love for the originals and the gimmick of seeing cartoon characters in live-action.