Sick Of Disney’s Literal Live-Action Translations? Hercules Won’t Be That, Say The Russo Brothers

Worried Hercules will be a direct translation of the animated original? Worry no more!

Like every warm-blooded human being, I love me some animated Disney classics. Seriously, compared to many people, many of you would be sickened by how much I’ve memorized these bastards. Even the obscure ones. I mean, you can’t throw on Oliver and Company and expect me not to belt out “Once Upon a Time in New York City” at the top of my lungs. But I don’t see the point in remaking a film for live-action only for it to be translated scene by scene.

Disney has gone this route for a lot of their movies. And I hate it. And, saying that, I fully recognize that movies like Beauty and the Beast still managed to work for me. The reason? I really took to a lot of the new elements they added. Also, I’m a Disney whore. So sue me. But even I have to admit that The Lion King was way too similar to the original. It still baffles me that the film still ended up being 30 minutes longer than the original. I couldn’t tell you how that runtime was added, but it was.

So, when we heard that Hercules would be getting the live-action treatment, I couldn’t help but wonder if we’d be getting the same treatment. 

RELATED – Hercules: Russo Brothers, Shang-Chi Writer Attached To Live-Action Remake

“Well, 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,” Hercules producer Anthony Russo told Collider. “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.”

I could not agree more. While I’ve fallen for my fair share of Disney live-action remakes, I still maintain most could afford to change things up. As a fan of manga and anime, it always felt like a wasted opportunity when anime series did panel-for-panel adaptations. What’s the point of adapting it if you’re telling the same story in the same exact way? I don’t appreciate the implication that the original material isn’t good enough to stand on its own. That the medium it’s being adapted to is superior, and therefore is the definitive version.

The same thing goes for these animation to live-action adaptations. Sure, there are plenty of people who see live-action as the superior medium, but I don’t. I think it’s okay to have two very different versions — not a live-action version meant to supplant the original. 

I honestly hadn’t actually thought about the fact that the Russos have adaptation experience. While I know they won’t have a direct hand in the storytelling, it’s nice to know they’ll be bringing their good taste and sensibilities to the Hercules movie.

What do you think of Anthony Russo’s comments about Hercules and adaptations? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: Collider

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