Sword and sandal sagas face regular revivals. Last year, Brett Ratner helmed Hercules , starring Dwayne Johnson, based on Steve Moore’s graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian Wars. The film takes off after the 12 labours of Hercules as the son of Zeus is wandering the land as a mercenary. Lord Cotys wants Hercules to train the Thracian army against Rhesus, a powerful warlord. Through various twists and turns, the adventure of Hercules unfolds that takes him on a journey to find the hero within.
In a telephonic interview, Barry Levine, who is one of the producers of the film, and the former co-founder of Radical Studios, says the film is different from other films made on Hercules. “My partner Jesse Berger and I founded Radical comics. We wanted to make a cinematic adaptation of the comic book. We didn’t want to do another 12 labours of Hercules. We wanted to something more on the lines of the Unforgiven . And look at the man behind the legend.”
Professional wrestler, actor and producer, Dwayne Johnson as Hercules has been recognised as critics. In several interviews, Dwayne has spoken about the gruelling training he undertook to get into the skin of the character. “Dwayne and I met way before,” says Barry, “The script was being developed then. He saw a picture of the cover of my graphic novel, Hercules above my desk and asked me what’s it all about. Things came full circle. The right person eventually played the part of Hercules,” says Barry, who, sports a Hercules tattoo on his arm.
Barry, co-founder of Abstract Entertainment, began his career in London in the mid-1970s as a designer, and rock and roll photographer for bands such as Queen, Abba, The Who, KISS, Aerosmith and Motley Crue, and musicians such as Elton John, Tina Turner and Cher. He later began producing sound tracks for motion pictures and was a music supervisor for films such as Driving Miss Daisy , Guilty by Suspicion , Street Fighter , Judge Dredd and Die Hard with a Vengeance . “Honestly, I always wanted to make films. I was four years in England where I learnt my craft. I studied design, light and painters. Working as a music supervisor helped me meet people from the film industry.” Has he seen a change in rock music styles, from the 1970s till now? “Rock music never changes. It evolves. I still have an appreciation for the classics. Now I like bands like Radiohead.”
For a successful adaptation of comics and graphic novels into films, Barry says, certain rules need to be followed. “One has to make material from their original stories, but it has to have a universal flavour. You just have to find the right artist, story and director. It’s all about creating stories around the character and not focusing only on the mythology,” says Barry, who lived in India for one-and-a-half years in the late 1960s. “I was at Juhu. I lived in Delhi for a while. And visited a village in Mysore. I was 18 years old then.”
Hercules will be aired on May 31 at 1 pm and 9 pm on Sony Pix.
