Talking to Total Film the Russos were asked to update on the status of the Hercules movie directed by Guy Ritchie (The Gentlemen, Aladdin), to which they say that they are still “waiting on a script” for.

We know that the story of Hercules has been adapted time and again throughout the decades, but the Disney version of the character is unique in that it’s a musical with fantastic humor, and it also has an interesting cartoon lens on what it means to be a celebrity around that time.

So far, rumors have been going around that Disney wanted Taron Egerton (Kingsman, Rocketman) for the part of Hercules with Ariana Grande (Wicked) taking on the part of Meg, but with the movie still in development, it’s possible that Disney could end up with someone else for their final couple.

Of course, everyone only wants Danny DeVito for the role of Phil, Hercules’ satyr trainer.  I woulnd’t even mind James Woods’ reprising the role of Hades because he is just fantastic as this used car salesman version of the Lord of the Underworld.

Hopefully theproject pushes through soon, but I would rather we get something more polished an passionate as compared to the live-action Aladdin which feels like Guy Ritchie was just phoning it in.

No release date has been announced for the live-action Hercules.

Check out the trailer:

The official synopsis for the film reads:

Based upon recently declassified files of the British War Department and inspired by true events, THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE is an action-comedy that tells the story of the first-ever special forces organization formed during WWII by UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a small group of military officials including author Ian Fleming.

The top-secret combat unit, composed of a motley crew of rogues and mavericks, goes on a daring mission against the Nazis using entirely unconventional and utterly “ungentlemanly” fighting techniques. Ultimately their audacious approach changed the course of the war and laid the foundation for the British SAS and modern Black Ops warfare.

Though Cavill did play the more sophisticated Napoleon Solo in UNCLE, it does look like his character is more of a rascal in this movie. Admittedly, he doesn’t have that same kind of chaotic energy that Billy Butcher from The Boys has, but he does look like he’s having a lot of fun here.

Besides Cavill, the film has also managed to cast Eiza Gonzalez, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Babs Olusanmokun, Henrique Zaga, and Til Shcweiger. Also Cary Elwes and Henry Golding are also going to be in the film.

As a fan of UNCLE it was kind of a shame that Ritchie wasn’t able to continue his ‘Cold War’ espionage universe, but Ungentlemanly Warfare does seem like it could be in the same vein.

Catch The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare when it comes out in theaters on April 19.

As it turns out, insiders Daniel RPK and The DisInsider (via @OneTakeNews) have confirmed that Ritchie has exited the Hercules movie due to scheduling conflicts. We don’t know how far they’ve gotten into the development process, but as of now, it doesn’t seem like Disney has found anyone to replace him yet.

It’s also worth noting that this news comes off the heel of the first look at Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen which is based on a film of the same name. Check this out:

We don’t know how far into development the Hercules movie is yet, but the Russos have commented about the film not being a literal translation of the original animated movie. There was a quote going around that the film would try and mimic the TikTok generation of celebrities—which you can imagine just angered a bunch of millennials online.

Looking back at Hercules though, it was pretty unique in that it was a kind of “Zero to Hero” story with a lot of modern elements being translated into their cartoon ‘ancient greek’ versions like action figures, crazy fans, and sports drinks; kind of like gags from The Flintstones only in another era.

Though I think animation enhances those gags, I think it’s possible to make a new version with live-action—especially since we’re in a completely new Disney era from the 90s when the original came out. I mean, even a live-action Flintstones was able to work.

No release date has been announced for the live-action Hercules.

IndieWire reports that Ritchie has signed on to helm the live-action remake of the animated Hercules movie from 1997. No reports yet on who they’ve cast in the film, but rumors were going around last year that they were eyeing stars like Michael B. Jordan and Taron Eggerton to play Herc. Chris Pratt was also fancast at one point, but I think he’s gotten too old to play the Greek hero.

While not everyone’s favorite, Hercules was considered to be one of the entries in the Disney “renaissance period” of the 90s—which the studio is currently running through with remakes of Mulan and Beauty and the Beast. If we wait long enough, I think we could be getting a live-action version of Tarzan complete with ‘tree surfing’ and a Phil Collins soundtrack.

Going back to Hercules though, the film had a very unique take on the music, taking inspiration from Gospel songs and soul music. While I’m sure audiences will love new renditions of Zero to Hero and I Won’t Say I’m in Love, the real ‘power ballad’ from Hercules has always been Go the Distance:

As for Ritchie taking the helm, I didn’t think his heart was in it with Aladdin, so I was surprised that he would jump in with Hercules. Maybe he has something in mind, but I’m hoping more of his signature style shows up in the film.

No release date has been set for the live-action Hercules.

This was his post on IG:

 

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A post shared by Robert Downey Jr. Official (@robertdowneyjr)

While there isn’t any official confirmation that this is for Sherlock Holmes 3, a lot of the hand movements are very reminiscent to that of RDJ’s Holmes whenever he does fight scenes. Add some slow-motion, calculating voiceover, and you have the return of one of the more memorable scenes from Downey’s first Holmes film:

Admittedly, RDJ seems to be have taken it easy when it comes to his career. In the past decade, he’s mostly just played Tony Stark or some cameo in a films like Chef and The Nice Guys. It’s going to be interesting to see him come back as Sherlock, but I wouldn’t hate it if he found some other, more challenging roles to keep him on his feet.

Sherlock Holmes 3 was originally set to come out this year, but the pandemic has forced WB to delay the film indefinitely. The film has already tapped Dexter Fletcher (Rocketman) to direct the film, but a lot of fans (myself included) still have their hopes that original director Guy Ritchie would find himself back at the helm.

No official release date has been announced for Sherlock Holmes 3.