Despite the fact that there already is a live-action Hercules remake, and it's called "the dinner table scene in The Nutty Professor," Joe and Anthony Russo (Avengers: Endgame; ever heard of it?!), are producing a live-action remake of the 1997 Disney animated film, following in the footsteps of other live-action Disney remakes like Beauty and the Beast and the forthcoming The Little Mermaid. It's going to be written by David Callaham (Wonder Woman 1984; ever heard of it?!), and, well that's about all we know about it...

...until now! Appearing on the Lights, Camera, Barstool podcast (via ComingSoon), Joe Russo spoke about the latest development on their Hercules remake. And wouldn't you know it, it sounds like he wants to craft another cinematic universe:

"The script’s about to come in in a week. We’ve taken a lot of time and care with it. It’s a movie that was really important to me and my kids, something that they watched when they were young, and so we’ve got a strong emotional connection to it. Our intention is to look at everything we do and think about how can we build it out, what can you do with this that expands it, gives you different opportunities for storytelling in it. So we’re going through that same exercise with Hercules, is can we build it out, can we build a world out of this and that extends beyond it and would be compelling, and I think that’s what audiences are craving, right? They want to see something really cool that they wanna get lost in it for a decade, so that’s our mission is to provide them with that experience. It’s still early!"

joe-russo-anthony-russo-social-featured
Image via AGBO

The key moment to land on here is "get lost in it for a decade." Unless Russo is planning on making a 10-year long movie (which would be the second-longest movie after the Snyder Cut; I'm kidding, please don't tweet at me!), it sure sounds like he's planning on making this a franchise or universe that can sustain at least a decade's worth of entertainment! Perhaps a Greek mythology universe? Hmm...

When speaking to our own Steve Weintraub about the project, Joe's brother Anthony said to expect the unexpected in the story they're telling:

"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. 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."

And "the table," as it turns out, might be 10 years and multiple films long.