Disney's live-action Hercules remake has found its director with Guy Ritchie taking the helm, and with the project moving forward, Danny DeVito fans have sprung into action with a movement to get him cast in the film. In the animated version of Hercules, released by Disney in 1997, DeVito provided the voice of Philoctetes, aka Phil. Fans very much love DeVito in this role, and with the film's transition into live-action, many feel he'd be just as perfect as Phil in the new movie as well.
"Who cares about Hercules, bring back Danny DeVito as Phil," writes one DeVito fan in response to a tweet asking who should play Hercules.
"It literally doesn't matter to me as long as Danny Devito is the live-action Phil," agrees another fan.
Echoing many others, another tweet reads, "if danny devito doesn’t reprise his role as phil in the new live action hercules, i’m revolting!!!!! literally no one else can play this role."
Clearly, the fans have spoken, and while there have been some different names batted around for the other characters, it's unanimous that the people want DeVito as Phil, and there doesn't seem to be any room for discussion on the matter. Whether Disney ultimately acquiesces and puts DeVito in the film remains to be seen, but the immense fan support online certainly doesn't hurt the odds of this fantasy casting.
Danny DeVito Is Perfect as Phil, But Who Will Play Hercules?
Danny DeVito is clearly the fan favorite to play Phil in the Hercules remake. Fans are a bit more divided on who should be playing the titular character. Taron Egerton and Henry Cavill have emerged as two popular picks for that role. Liam Hemsworth, Will Poulter, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are among the other names that have been floated by fans on social media. In the case of Cavill, it's not even the first time fans have wanted him to play Hercules, as Russell Crowe playing Zeus in the MCU also had them clamoring for Cavill to become the MCU's Hercules as well.
Hercules will be directed by Guy Ritchie who previously found success with live-action Disney remakes as the director of the high-grossing Aladdin film that was released in 2019. The script comes from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings scribe Dave Callaham. No cast members have yet been announced, so until that news comes in, fans will no doubt continue to offer their personal picks for who should play which characters. But you're not going to see many suggesting anyone other than Danny DeVito joins the cast as the new Phil. It may be worth noting that the character's animated incarnation was previously recast with Robert Costanzo taking over as the voice of Phil for the animated series spinoff, though other major cast members, such as Tate Donovan (Hercules) and James Woods (Zeus), had returned.
Disney's live-action Hercules remake does not yet have an official release date. In the meantime, fans can watch the original film streaming on Disney+.