Disney has been threatening announcing Guy Ritchie’s live-action version of Hercules since 2020. But a new Variety cover story on the Russo Bros. and their production company, AGBO, has let slip the little detail that this new Hercules will be somehow inspired by TikTok. “There are questions about how you translate it as a musical,” Joe Russo says. “Audiences today have been trained by TikTok, right? What is their expectation of what that musical looks like and feels like? That can be a lot of fun and help us push the boundaries a little bit on how you execute a modern musical.” The original Hercules shows Herc’s journey to folk-hero status through the lens of ’90s fame: endorsement deals for shoes and drinks, autographs, etc. Presumably the TikTok of it all will be in the skewering of 21st-century celebrity culture. Will this new version frame the Muses as the social-media commentariat? Will Philocetes have to do TikTok dances? Will Hercules date Pete Davidson? Only time will tell.
