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Credit: DisneyThe Disney live-action remake of Hercules (1997) may be in trouble, as industry insiders report that director Guy Ritchie has dropped out of the project.
Twitter writer and influencer Daniel Richtman (via The Hollywood Handle) has reported that the British filmmaker is no longer attached to the remake of Hercules, leaving the project in limbo. At the moment, the reason for the Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023) director leaving the movie is not known, so it could be anything from creative disagreements with Disney, pay disputes, or as simple as scheduling issues.
Guy Ritchie is reportedly no longer attached to direct the ‘HERCULES’ live-action remake.
(Via: @DanielRPK) pic.twitter.com/JHUjEcLfJz
— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) January 17, 2024
Related: Disney Looks Set To Cast Michael B. Jordan as Lead in Live-Action ‘Hercules’
Guy Ritchie began his career with two darkly comedic, gritty comedy films, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000), a genre that he has often returned to. But in the last decade or so, Ritchie has increasingly moved to more family-friendly blockbuster fare, like the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes movies and the failed franchise starter King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017).
Ritchie took his biggest swerve, however, by helming the live-action remake of Aladdin (2019), which ended up making over a billion dollars at the box office and revitalizing Disney’s interest in retreading its old IP. While the movie received overall mixed reviews, a billion dollars is a lot of money, which made Disney hiring him for the upcoming live-action remake of Hercules a natural decision.
The original Disney Hercules movie starred the voices of Tate Donovan, Danny DeVito, James Woods, and Susan Egan and was well-regarded for its irreverent attitude and anachronistic storytelling, though it did not perform as well at the box office as Disney Renaissance films like Aladdin (1992) and The Lion King (1995). It was followed by a direct-to-DVD prequel and a TV animated series, but it’s taken years for a remake to get to production.
However, at this point, the Disney Hercules remake is left with more questions than answers. While Joe and Anthony Russo have been announced as producers on the film and screenwriter Dave Callaham is attached, the film currently has no actors announced for the key roles of Megara, Hades, Zeus, or Hercules himself. While it has been rumored that Danny DeVito may reprise his role as Phil, the mythological hero’s crotchety satyr tutor, even that has no confirmation.
Related: Report: Ariana Grande and Taron Egerton Disney’s Picks to Lead ‘Hercules’ Live-Action Remake
At this point, all that is certain about Hercules is that the Russo Brothers say the movie will be inspired by the social media platform TikTok, whatever that might mean. We will have to wait for confirmation that Guy Ritchie has dropped out of the film, but things aren’t looking good for Hercules to go the distance.
Inside the Magic reached out to Disney for comment, but has not heard back by the time of publishing.
Who do you want to direct the Hercules remake? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments below!