Joe and Anthony Russo, popularly known as the Russo Brothers have yet again made headlines. The duo is known for the work they have done as the directors for many MCU movies, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Infinity War. With such movies to their names, no wonder they are one of the most popular filmmakers in the industry.
However, being popular also means that they have to stand at the receiving end of criticism when things go south. That is exactly what has happened as the Russo Brothers are receiving backlash after they announced their plans for a live-action Disney film focusing on the Greek God of strength and heroes, Hercules. While Disney has previously been blasted for creating excessive live-action films, this does not seem to be the reason behind the Russo Brothers’ ordeal.
The Russo Brothers Inspired by TikTok?
TikTok is a social media platform where anyone anywhere can become the next big thing overnight. Users can create their own videos which vary from 15 seconds to a whole 10 minutes. However, it is quite confusing how the Russo Brothers found their inspiration on the platform.
During an interview with Variety, the filmmakers revealed that they have indeed returned to Disney. With their return, they are bringing another fan-favorite Disney character, Hercules, back to the screens. The duo will be joined by director Guy Ritchie who was responsible for the 2019 live-action remake of Aladdin.
It is no shocker that Disney has faced some sour faces after releasing one live-action remake after the other. This is mostly because the “new” movies still have the same old storyline. However, Russo Brothers plan on taking the lesser-trodden road and being a bit more experimental with Hercules’ live-action remake.
“Hercules will be a little bit more experimental in tone, a little bit more experimental in execution. I think they’re excited to see what we can all bring to it in a way that isn’t just a reinterpretation of the animated film.”
The one thing that does remain the same as the original is how the movie will get portrayed. Just like the original Hercules (1997), the live-action remake will also be a musical. Here’s where TikTok became Russo Brothers’ inspiration.
“There are questions about how you translate it as a musical. 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.”
While people are still entirely unsure what TikTok has to do with the live-action movie, it is still exciting to see what Joe and Anthony Russo’s take on a modern musical would look like. Maybe trying new things is what Disney needs to turn its bad luck of live-action remakes around.
Fans Criticise the Russo Brothers
The criticism Russo Brothers are facing, especially on Twitter, shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone. Fans of Disney took to Twitter to express their confusion about what the brothers mean by getting inspired from TikTok.
Fans had both humor and worries in their tweets, with some hilariously asking if the Greek God would be introduced through a repetitive fifteen-second dance number, possibly the Renegade.
do you want it to be as horrible as possible or what
— nick (@Iovesunrise) November 2, 2022
hearing that the russos were leading it is bad enough but now the addition of a “tiktok musical”??? unalive me right now please 🙏
— childish 🐙 (@ChildishTommy) November 2, 2022
they can keep it then
— emily 👎 (@wileysprings) November 2, 2022
actually what does this even mean we have to scroll to watch it?
— sandra oh emmy campaign manager (@captnmarvl) November 2, 2022
Hercules doing the renegade pic.twitter.com/I7n4voGDzQ
— Abyss (@AbyssOnTwt) November 2, 2022
It’s the way nobody even asked for a live action Hercules and then they do this on top
— Dante valentine ✨ (@Midnightscoven) November 2, 2022
Neither of the duo elaborated on how a short video platform would affect the media that seems to be running longer and longer. The Russo Brothers have themselves created a movie with a runtime of 3 hours and 2 minutes; Avengers: Endgame. Even the upcoming Avatar sequel is said to be 3 hours and 12 minutes long. With films having longer than ever runtimes, it sure is a mystery how TikTok plays a role here.
Nevertheless, it is the responsibility of filmmakers to let their creativity run wild. Who knows, maybe the viewers will end up loving a live-action remake, after all.
Source: Variety
