Live-action remakes of classic Disney animated movies have been all the rage lately. From Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens to Guy Richie's most recent Aladdin starring Will Smith, Disney taking another swing at some of their classics doesn't seem like it's going to be ending any time soon. And speaking of which, today we have word that casting is starting to heat up for Disney's planned live-action Hercules movie with True Blood and The Legend of Tarzan star Alexander Skarsgard being the front-runner at this time.
But this Alexander Skarsgård casting news is all merely a rumor at this point in time.
And speaking of rumors, today's gossip has me wondering about a previous bit of business from a year or so ago that said Vikings and The Hunger Games star Alexander Ludwig was the top pick for the Greek God. While I have no preference over which Alexander may eventually snag the title role in this remake, I was hoping those initial rumors were correct. After all, they also speculated that Disney was looking at Aquaman and All the Boys Love Mandy Lane star Amber Heard to play live-action Megara and Sherlock Holmes and Star Trek Beyond baddie Benedict Cumberbatch to take on the role of Hades. Now THAT sounds like great casting to this guy!
On top of the rumor that Disney is currently seeking out Alexander Skarsgard to take the titular role in their planned live-action adaptation of Hercules, we hear that the powers that be behind the scenes are currently on the look-out for some "outside the box" choices for who could direct the flick and pen the screenplay. Hopefully, we'll hear more about these positions soon.
Meanwhile, remember that we have a ton of other live-action Disney remakes coming our way soon. One of the most-anticipated is Rob Marshall's The Little Mermaid which is all set to star Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula the Sea Witch. Plus there are also planned remakes in the works such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a 101 Dalmatians prequel starring Emma Stone called Cruella, and a new take on Hunchback of Notre Dame which might star Josh Gad.
And let's not forget that the next Disney "live-action" remake on the chopping block is The Lion King. The remake features the voice talents of Donald Glover as Simba, along with Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Alfre Woodard as Simba's mother, Billy Eichner as Timon, John Kani as Rafiki, and John Oliver as Zazu. Florence Kasumba, Eric Andre, and Keegan-Michael Key are all set to join them as Shenzi, Azizi, and Kamari, Scar's hyena henchmen, along with Shahadi Wright Joseph as young Nala, and JD McCrary as young Simba. And let's not forget that original voice actor James Earl Jones will thankfully be returning as the voice of Simba's doomed father, Mufasa.
Iron Man and The Jungle Book director Jon Favreau helms this new version of The Lion King from a screenplay by Jeff Nathanson based on the original film by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Favreau also produces the new version of the classic Disney movie along with Jeffrey Silver and Karen Gilchrist. Hans Zimmer provides the film with its sure-to-be epic score, while Caleb Deschanel handles cinematography, and Mark Livolsi and Adam Gerstel are the movie's editors. Walt Disney Studios will release The Lion King into a theater near you on July 19, 2019. This story comes to us via We Got This Covered.