It would seem that Brett Ratner is taking our comment about casting Brits in mythological war epics to heart. Because the director of the new, Dwayne Johnson-focused Hercules is now adding three new UK stalwarts in Ian McShane, John Hurt and Joseph Fiennes, alongside Sweden’s Rebecca Ferguson.

All right, so Ratner probably had his eye on them already, and given the time it takes to hammer out actor contracts for these movies the deals will have been in the works for a while. But we’re still going to take credit for a move that should class the film up.

Hercules, which is backed by Paramount and MGM, finds Johnson as a much more human version of the legendary warrior, eschewing his reputed demi-god origins. The Thracian king asks for his help with a particular mission, but Herc and his comrades discover that all is not what it seems.

McShane, who has already been seen in a sword adventure this year in Jack The Giant Slayer, is on to play Amphiarus, a warrior prophet who serves as Hercules’ advisor. The Hollywood Reporter didn’t dig up details of which characters Hurt, Fiennes and Ferguson will be playing.

They join a cast that already includes Johnson, Rufus Sewell and Aksel Hennie. Hercules should be shooting this May in Budapest, and is scheduled to arrive in our cinemas on August 1 next year.