Director Renny Harlin, once one of the top action directors of his day (CLIFFHANGER, DIE HARD 2, THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT) has had a bumpy go in the last decade or so, although he’s worked steadily during that time. Unfortunately, it’s mostly been direct-to-video material or TV work, keeping the bombasitc, slow-motion macho action at bay in favor of more commercial and uninspired fare. However, Harlin has just secured the gig to helm HERCULES 3D for Millenium, a $70 million-budgeted epic, which is gearing up for a May start with an eye towards beating director Brett Ratner‘s competing HERCULES project starring Dwayne Johnson to the theater by five months.
Millenium’s HERCULES 3D project has been in development since 2007 and is now ready to go, with the film expected to cast it’s 8 leading roles within the next few weeks. In terms of competing with Ratner’s film, which is based on a comic book, Harlin had this to say, “It’s not a comic book, cartoony fantasy thing. It’s closer to GLADIATOR than flying horses.”
He went on to say that there was plenty of room for both filmmakers to explore the character, saying, “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.”
No word on story details, only that it is a revisionist take on the classic mythology, which could be anything, really. Harlin has been a champ throughout the years, though, and worked steadily to get back to his former glory, even if it hasn’t been the same kind of success he enjoyed in the ’90’s. “I’m so excited and feel very blessed,” he says. “I’ve been working really hard, and it’s starting to pay off.”
Harlin’s next film, THE DYATLOV PASS INCIDENT, a foreign-language, horror-inspired “retelling” of a true-life incident is set to debut in overseas venues later this month. HERCULES 3D is currently slated for March 2014.
Here’s the trailer for Harlin’s latest, THE DYATLOV PASS INCIDENT: