Tom Holland and Zendaya are having quite the year; they both star in Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey, which are both dominating the box office. Well, a Disney Princess wants to see them take over roles in a franchise near and dear to her, Hercules.
While speaking with Deadline at D23 this weekend, Susan Egan, who voiced Meg in Disney’s animated classic, has nominated Holland and Zendaya to take on the roles of the titular Greek God and Meg in the long-in-development live-action remake.
I mean, I’ve been subtly saying Zendaya, but now I’m just gonna say it and probably, Tom and Zendaya, who I have never met, are filing for the restraining order right now. But honestly, I don’t even care. I feel like the world needs it.
Not even because they are the ‘it’ couple right now, it’s not even that. I have watched her beautiful career from when she was a teenager, and she’s just grounded. She is a strong woman, obviously, statuesque and amazing, with an incredible voice and a little edge, don’t you think?
Susan Egan
What’s the latest on Hercules?
The live-action remake has been in various phases of development over the last few years. Guy Ritchie, who directed the billion-dollar remake of Aladdin for the studio, was attached to direct at one point but has since left the project. At one point, there was an idea that the film was going to be retooled into a Hades-centric live-action pic. The latest I have heard regarding the project is that they are moving away from the Hades-centric story to be a more accurate remake of the animated original (you can thank the success of Lilo & Stitch for that), which has put this project in limbo as a new script is being written.
Dave Callaham (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) wrote the initial script. As of now, there is no release date set for Hercules. Joe and Anthony Russo are still attached to produce via their AGBO production banner.
Released in 1997, the animated original film was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, who directed the biggest Disney films from the “Disney Renaissance,” including The Little Mermaid and Aladdin; additionally, they directed The Princess and the Frog and Moana. Featuring the voices of Tate Donovan, Danny DeVito, James Woods, and Susan Egan, Hercules follows the titular Hercules, a demigod with super-strength raised among mortals, who must learn to become a true hero to earn back his godhood and place in Mount Olympus, while his evil uncle Hades plots his downfall.
The film would be a moderate success for Disney and would lead to a direct-to-VHS prequel and series that ran on ABC and Toon Disney. A sequel tentatively titled Hercules II: The Trojan War was planned but was axed when John Lasseter was named Disney’s new chief creative officer in 2006.
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