Two years after being rumored for Disney's live-action Hercules, Ariana Grande has addressed the potential casting. While the Wicked star is flattered that fans want to see her as Megara, she has another star in mind for the role.
In a recent interview with Variety's Awards Circuit podcast (via CinemaBlend), Grande was asked if she would be interested in playing Megara, the sarcastic, anti-romantic heroine of Disney's Hercules. "It’s really funny, because I grew up singing the Muses’ parts," she laughed, before admitting that she had "seen some of that [casting talk], but it’s never been an actual discussion." However, while Grande said that she does "really love transforming for a role" and "the idea of, you know, a darker sort of – ‘c’ asterisk ‘unty’ role like Megara," the actor shared that she "would be remiss if I didn’t say this, I think [Elizabeth] Gillies should be Megara. Do you know my friend Liz Gillies, she’s brilliant. Oh god, that would be a fantastic role for her."
Grande was first linked to the role of Megara back in August 2023, when insider Daniel Richtman reported that she and Kingsman star Taron Egerton were being eyed by Disney for the lead roles of Megara and Hercules, respectively. A year later, the potential casting resurfaced after Grande's Actors on Actors segment with Gladiator II star Paul Mescal, with many Disney fans noting that the pair would make a great Megara and Hercules. However, at this time, Disney has not officially announced any casting for the live-action remake, which has been in development since 2020.
Hercules Remake Could Be Told From Hades' POV
Avengers directors Joe and Anthony Russo are set to produce Hercules through their production company AGBO. Guy Ritchie, who previously directed Disney's live-action remake of Aladdin in 2019, has been attached to the project since the beginning, with Dave Callaham writing the screenplay. However, it is unclear at this time if Ritchie is still attached to the project, with Richtman noting in January 2024 that the director may have departed the project due to his busy schedule.
Callaham's involvement in the remake is also up in the air following a report from Richtman in November 2024 stating that Disney was reworking Hercules to be told from the perspective of its antagonist, Hades, who was voiced by James Woods in the 1997 animated movie. Disney previously found success retelling its animated classics from the POV of its villains with 2014's Maleficent, which retold the events of Disney's Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of Angelina Jolie's title fairy. While unconfirmed, this creative shakeup has also resulted in the movie currently being titled Hades.
Wicked Continues Making Money
Grande is currently garnering awards attention for her role of Galinda in Jon M. Chu's Wicked, which has so far grossed just under $700 million worldwide at the box office. The movie also made $70 million in its first week of digital release in the U.S. and Canada. Set in the Land of Oz, largely before the events of The Wizard of Oz, the two-part film adaptation of Wicked follows the story of Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) beginning her path to becoming the Wicked Witch of the West, and her unlikely friendship with her classmate Galinda Upland (Grande), who becomes Glinda the Good.
Wicked is still in theaters, while Disney's animated Hercules is streaming on Disney+.
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