With the latest three live-action films that are set to release in the next two years (The Little Mermaid (May 2023), Snow White (March 2024), and Mufasa: The Lion King (July 2024)), fans have started wondering about Hercules. The Disney re-telling of the Greek hero and his 12 labours was extremely popular among kids at the time of release and one of the few Disney films with a male lead. The users behind the Facebook account Just Disney posted their fan-cast picks for a Hercules live-action movie last week, and the response was mixed.
RELATED: Samukarts’ Fan Castings for A New Street Fighter Movie Might Be Perfect
Actors Who Received a Positive Response
Many fans agreed that Danny Devito would be perfect as Phil, the satyr who trained Hercules to use his strength and turned him into the Greek hero turned god. He has the skills to bring the character to life, and DeVito voiced Phil in the original Hercules.
Just Disney’s fan-casting Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler as the Fates was another set of actresses that fans immediately agreed on. Each actress is hilarious individually, having played various comedic roles throughout their career. As three old hags fighting over an eye while telling Hades his future? They’d be an unstoppable force of hilarity.
Kurt Russel would be brilliant as Zeus. Not only does he look very similar to the character, but he has the presence to play the king of the gods.
KJ Apa has proven his skills as an actor many times, and many agree he would be perfect as Hercules. They felt that he was in the right age range and could easily be CGI-ed to look younger so he could also play a teenage Hercules.
RELATED: Alan Ritchson Fan Cast For Kratos In Amazon’s Live-Action God of War
Actors Who Received a Mixed to Negative Response
The person that received the most hate from the fan cast was Chris Pratt. While there were a couple of positive responses, most agreed that he was too old to play the character and that it already felt like he was in every single film. Fans felt like a younger actor should be given a chance to shine.
Fans also weren’t loving the idea of Angelina Jolie playing Hera or Julie Andrews and Robert Di Nero as Hercules’ adoptive mortal parents. Jolie is pretty enough to play Hercules’ mother, but many felt Goldie Hawn (Kurt Russel’s partner) or Julia Roberts would make a better Hera alongside Kurt Russel.
Concerning Hercules’ adoptive parents, many felt that if Julie Andrews were going to be cast, then she needed to have Héctor Elizondo at her side. Others thought that Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins should play the duo.
While fans didn’t hate Lady Gaga as Megara, many agreed that several other actresses would probably be better as the snarky yet reluctant minion of Hades, including Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Gillies, Mila Kunis, and Ariana Grande.
Josh Gad and John Mulaney weren’t being loved as Pain and Panic, with many agreeing that Keegan Michael Key and Jordon Peele should voice them.
Likewise, Benedict Cumberbatch, as Hades, wasn’t received any better. He’s a great actor, but many thought the character should be played by Jeff Goldblum or his original voice actor James Woods.
The Muses were the most discussed of any of the fan-cast characters. Just Disney suggested Lizzo, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé, and Janelle Monáe; of those five, people agreed with Jennifer Hudson and Janelle Monáe. People seemed most displeased with Beyoncé, and many thought she should be replaced by Coco Jones, Angela Bassett, or Keke Palmer. Angela Bassett was also suggested to replace Alicia Keys. While people like Lizzo, many thought that Keale Settle should play one of the Muses rather than her.
RELATED: The Actor Everyone Is Fan Casting As The MCU’s Miles Morales
TL;DR
- Hercules is next on Disney’s live-action movie chopping block, and fans have started to be louder about their fan-castings, specifically Just Disney.
- Many agreed with the fan-castings of Phil, Zeus, and the Fates.
- Many others disagreed with the fan-castings of everyone else, specifically Chris Pratt as Hercules.