Josh Gad has no interest in playing Phil in Disney’s live-action Hercules, but that’s because he believes Danny DeVito should play him. Last week, news broke that Disney is developing a live-action Hercules to go along with its growing stable of reimagined classics. While no director or any bit of casting has been announced, Dave Callaham (Wonder Woman 1984) is penning the script. Additionally, Joe and Anthony Russo, best known for directing Avengers: Endgame, are on board as producers. Little else has been revealed about the project, but the announcement was still enough to send the internet into a tizzy.

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Gad, for his part, has cultivated quite the working relationship with Disney over the last few years. He’s perhaps best known for voicing Olaf in the Frozen films, a role that has led to a spin-off short film and an upcoming digital series with Gad once again voicing the character. Gad’s partnership with Disney has also expanded to its live-action films, as he played LeFou in 2017’s Beauty and the Beast. Back in March, it was announced that Gad would reprise his role as LeFou alongside Luke Evans’ Gaston in a prequel series for Disney+.

Gad has been the center of a few fan castings in the past, but there is one he refuses to step near. Following the news of Hercules‘ development, some fans called for Gad to take on the role of Hercules’ cantankerous mentor Phil. Gad addressed those wishes on Twitter and said he will not be playing the role because “There is only one man who should be playing Phil and his name is @DannyDeVito.” DeVito, of course, voiced Phil in the original 1997 film.

Gad isn’t alone in thinking DeVito should step into the role of Phil once again, though until things are announced officially, it’ll just remain a fervent wish. Seeing as Hercules is still in very early development, it’s likely that casting won’t happen for a while. Still, that hasn’t stopped fans from voicing their hopes about who will become the beloved characters. It also hasn’t stopped performers from throwing their hats into the ring either, as Glee’s Amber Riley has already put herself forward as one of the Muses.

It should be noted that DeVito once again playing Phil wouldn’t be the first time a voice actor returned for a live-action film. Last year, James Earl Jones, the original Mufasa, lent his voice to The Lion King to the delight of fans. It’s not a done deal that DeVito will be back for Hercules (or that he’ll even want to do it), but if he is, it’ll earn the film a huge thumbs-up from fans (including Gad).

See also  Mickey Mouse: 5 Things The Modern Shorts Take From The Past (& 5 That are Truly Original)

Source: Josh Gad/Twitter

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Rachel Labonte
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Rachel LaBonte is a news, feature, and movie review writer for Screen Rant with a deep passion for film and television. A graduate of Emerson College, she majored in Media Arts Production while specializing in screenwriting. She’s been a writer ever since high school when she realized she was rather good at it and joined as many entertainment news clubs as she could while in school. Most notably, she wrote for Emerson’s website Emertainment Monthly, and one of her film reviews won an Evvy (Emerson’s student awards) for Best Review. Her deep love of movies led to her working at a movie theater for five years, which she loved despite the angry customers. An avid reader who constantly buys books before reading the ones she already owns, Rachel is a huge fan of superheroes (especially of the Marvel variety) and wizards and will likely never be able to catch up on all the movies/TV shows she longs to watch.

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