We’ve seen a lot of actors take on Hercules, on the big screen and the small, over the last few decades. But one obvious choice for the role gone suspiciously uncast: Dwayne Johnson, known in some circles—rings, rather—as The Rock. But now, Jeff Sneider reports that Johnson finds himself in talks to portray the mythical hero in Hercules, a film being directed by Brett Ratner.
Ratner is most famous for his action comedies, including Tower Heist and the Rush Hour series. So one wonders if Hercules will be a straight epic in the vein of Immortals and the like, or a more traditional Ratner film with humor circulating throughout the action. Breeding further curiosity is the potential casting of Johnson, who is no stranger to either genre.
Hopefully, whatever style Hercules takes will be a bit different from that which we have seen in recent classic mythology epics. Although the subject matter is interesting, it deserves (and should breed) more variety than it has been getting. If Hercules is an original take on the classic story, then it’s already on the right track.