TikTok Is the Inspiration for Disney’s Live-Action ‘Hercules’

Disney’s live-action Hercules is in the works. And the inspiration for the movie is coming from a surprising place, TikTok. 

Joe and Anthony Russo, who are best known for their work directing Avengers Endgame, are teaming up with Disney for the Guy-Ritchie-led musical reboot of the 1997 animated film.

“There are questions about how you translate it as a musical.” Joe Russo says in a recent interview with Variety. “Audiences today have been trained by TikTok, right? What is their expectation of what that musical looks like and feels like?”

“That can be a lot of fun and help us push the boundaries a little bit on how you execute a modern musical.” Russo continues.

The original animated film, which was led by The Little Mermaid filmmakers,  John Musker and Ron Clements, reimagined the story of the Greek demigod and presented him as a celebrity rising to fame because of his heroic acts.

While some of Disney’s more recent live-action remakes have been criticized for being too close to the original and not adding something new to the mix, Russo insists that won’t be the case with Hercules. In fact, fans can expect the film to be “a little bit more experimental in tone, a little bit more experimental in execution”.

“I think they’re excited to see what we can all bring to it in a way that isn’t just a reinterpretation of the animated film,” Russo adds.

Guy Ritchie Will Direct the Live-Action Hercules Remake

Guy Ritchie, who also directed the Aladdin remake, will be bringing his own take on the screenplay, authored by David Callaham. And Russo is convinced that the Aladdin filmmaker is the perfect fit for Hercules because he has a penchant for experimentation.

Furthermore, the Russos are excited about continuing to grow their relationship with Disney, who, of course, owns the Marvel franchise.

“We have an amazing relationship with them that we’ve built over a decade,” Russo notes. “I think we have a point of view on how they can stretch the limits of their IP moving forward, rather than playing IP management.”

Are you excited about a live-action Hercules? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.