Will Brett Ratner be making a Hercules movie?

You may recall that director Brett Ratner (RUSH HOUR 3, X-MEN: THE LAST STAND) was once attached to direct CONAN before it eventually went to PATHFINDER director Marcus Nispel. His name was also being kicked around for GOD OF WAR, an adaptation of the popular PlayStation video game. And now, LA Times’ 24 Frames is reporting that Ratner is in talks to direct producer Avi Lerner’s long developed HERCULES project.

Conclusion: Brett Ratner really wants to make a movie with a buff and shirtless man.

“Little is known about the specifics of the new version, though it’s expected to bring Lerner’s classic action ethos to the larger-than-life character.”

As you can tell, the Times doesn’t really have much to add, though they do posit that swords-and-sandals movies are making a big comeback thanks to the success overseas of films like CLASH OF THE TITANS and PRINCE OF PERSIA. Hey, I’m a huge swords-and-sandals movie fan, but if they’re going to even remotely follow the models set by either of those two films, then they can f*ck right off. What do you guys think? Am I being too critical? I’d love to see a good, old fashioned take on the popular demigod. I’m just pretty sure Ratner’s not the guy to do that.