Don't worry, it's still happening. Disney's live-action Hercules remake has gotten a promising new update from producers Joe and Anthony Russo. Last year, it was announced that the remake was in the works at Walt Disney Pictures with the Russo Brothers producing alongside The Lion King producers Jeffery Silver and Karen Gilchrist. It was also reported that Wonder Woman 1984 co-writer Dave Callaham would write the script, and it's now looking like the screenplay is very close to completion.

Appearing on the Lights Camera Barstool podcast, the Russo Brothers confirmed that the Hercules movie was still happening. When the filmmaking siblings were pressed for more information to share about the project, they didn't divulge any specific details, though Joe Russo did say that movie is getting closer to production with a script that's nearly finished. He also teases what fans can expect from their new take on the popular Disney movie. From the interview:

"It's still in development. 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!"

Based on the mythological Greek hero, Disney's original Hercules was released in 1997. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, the movie follows a young Hercules after he's stripped of his immortality as a child and must become a true hero in order to reclaim it. Tate Donovan and Josh Keaton shared the voice role of Hercules with Roger Bart providing the character's singing voice. The voice cast also included the likes of Danny DeVito, James Woods, Susan Egan, Rip Torn, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Hal Holbrook.

Hercules was given a direct-to-video sequel in 1999 with several cast members returning to reprise their roles. The sequel spawned an animated series adaptation that ran for two seasons. In 2019, a stage musical adaptation of the animated movie was produced by Disney Theatrical Productions and premiered at Delacorte Theater in Manhattan.

Live-action and photorealistic CGI remakes of classic Disney movies have become commonplace in recent years. We've already seen remakes of other animated Disney movies from the '90s like The Lion King and Aladdin, both of which already have sequels in the works. Other remakes on the board at Disney along with Hercules include The Little Mermaid and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. You can check out the rest of the interview with the Russo Brothers at Lights Camera Barstool.