‘Hercules’ Live-Action Different than the Disney Animation, Russo Brothers Say

The Russo brothers, the team behind the “Avengers” franchise, are going to be producing Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of “Hercules.” As producers, the brothers said that the film will not be an exact translation of the animated movie.

In an interview with Collider, Anthony Russo revealed that they are doing the same process of adapting a story as they did in their Marvel movies.

“I think you always have to bring something new to the table because from our perspective as storytellers, it’s not compelling for us to do a literal translation,” Anthony Russo said. “We’ve already done that with our Marvel films. We don’t do literal translations of the comics because we feel like if you want that story you can go read that story. We’re going to give you a different story. I think we’ll do something that’s in the vein of the original and inspired by it, but we also bring some new elements to the table.”

The “Hercules” live-action will likely not be a musical like the animation. However, the brothers aren’t nixing music entirely as it will be a big part of the film.

Anthony also revealed that they approached Disney about doing the live-action “Hercules” because they have seen the animated version several times. Their children are big fans of Disney cartoons and the brothers made a case to Disney on why they should be producing the movie.

The Russo brothers hired David Callaham to write the “Hercules” live-action movie. Callaham recently finished writing “Wonder Woman 1984” and the new Marvel film “Shang-Chi.”

Disney released “Hercules” in 1997 as an animated musical fantasy based on the Greek mythology. The movie featured the voices of Tate Donovan as Hercules, Danny DeVito as Philoctetes, James Woods as Hades and Susan Egan as Megara. The animation received much critical acclaim for its story and did well in the box office.