Is anyone brave enough to take on the might of The Rock? Renny Harlin apparently fancies his chances, as he’s now set to direct Millennium’s Hercules 3D, which will go up against the Dwayne Johnson/Brett Ratner movie about the Greek demigod.
The Millennium version, which has been in development since 2007, is based more on the actual myths of Hercules, with a script by Sean Hood and Hanna Weg, albeit with a revisionist re-telling of the story.
If all goes well, the company wants the movie cast and Harlin shooting by May in Bulgaria with a $70 million budget, targeting a March 2014 release.
Ratner’s take, on the other hand, is being co-produced by MGM and Paramount after wandering in development (and lodging in the director’s head) for a few years. It’s based on Radical Studios’ Hercules: The Thracian Wars and finds the muscle-bound man-mountain tasked with getting the Thracian army into fighting shape, but realising he’s in need of redemption himself. It’s currently aiming at an August 2014 release. Could things change now that there’s competition?
Harlin at first seems a little dismissive of the other project when discussing his project. "It's not a comic book, cartoony fantasy thing," he tells The Hollywood Reporter. "It's closer to Gladiator than flying horses.”
But then he turns a little more diplomatic:” "I think these are very different kinds of movies in their approach to this legendary character. Obviously, Hercules has been portrayed in many different films, such as the Disney animated movie. I wish them luck. Ancient Greek mythology is an endless source of good stories. Let's see both movies be successful." Yeah! Why can’t we all just get along?
Still, in the spirit of competition, tell us which one you’d rather watch…
[[Poll876]]