Everyone knows the legend of Hercules and his twelve labors. Our story begins after the labors, and after the legend
Haunted by a sin from his past, Hercules has become a mercenary. Along with five faithful companions, he travels ancient Greece selling his services for gold and using his legendary reputation to intimidate enemies. But when the benevolent ruler of Thrace and his daughter seek Hercules help to defeat a savage and terrifying warlord, Hercules finds that in order for good to triumph and justice to prevail
he must again become the hero he once was
he must embrace his own myth
he must be Hercules.
Both Ratners Hercules and Die Hard 2 director Renny Harlins Hercules 3D look to reach theaters in 2014, and will offer revisionist takes on the traditional mythology by dropping the supernatural elements that are inherent to the story and titular character. The central difference (on a narrative level) will lie with how old the Son of Zeus is in these respective swords-and-sandals movies. Johnson, as the official synopsis for Ratners film reveals, is portraying a world-weary version of the mighty warrior, who has the chance to seek redemption for a sin from his past; by comparison, Hercules 3D star Kellan Lutz (Immortals) is playing a younger version of Hercules, who has only begun to form his adult identity.
The supporting cast for Hercules has its fair share of seasoned acting veterans, like Ian McShane (Jack the Giant Slayer), John Hurt (Doctor Who) and Peter Mullan (War Horse). Meanwhile, the younger players relatively speaking include Joseph Fiennes (American Horror Story: Asylum), Rufus Sewell (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), Rebecca Ferguson (The White Queen), Ingrid Bolsø Berdal (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters), Aksel Hennie (Headhunters) and Reece Ritchie (The Lovely Bones).
So, how about it, which Hercules movie adaptation sounds better (the key word here being better): the one featuring Johnson and a respectable collection of older gentlemen as morally-ambiguous warriors for hire? Or the one with 3D in the title, starring Lutz as a fresher-faced version of the Hercules character, whos still finding his footing?
