Dwayne Johnson eyes MGM's 'Hercules'

[slumcat]

As this Hercules isn't apparently mythical it's possible he could be a little too big though for the role. It would be better if he didn't try to go for a "body-builder" pain and gain type of look but a more "natural" looking strong physique.

I think Jason Mamoa as both Conan and Khal Drogo had the right type of physique for that.

I think Momoa was way too skinny for Conan. He himself admitted he got only 3 weeks to train before filming begin which is absolutely horrible and not enough. He said for the first half of the filming schedule, they tried to cover his torso because the definition was not there yet.

For Hercules, the Rock is going big, VERY big. He has been charting his workouts on twitter and Instagram through many videos and photos and you can see the dude is going as big as he can. He even said in his interviews that he's probably training the hardest ever for this role.

 

[Octoberist]

IF you smelllllllllll...

 

[slumcat]

Hercules/Heracles' family history is quite broad and wouldn't be white, black or middle eastern though he'd be a likely mix of different ethnicities ranging from Grecian (Greek) to possibly Ethiopia or Egyptian and whatever you want to call Zeus.

Whatever his ethnicity was, real or mythical, he was described as dark skinned which is still a vaguely open term from being a really tan caucasian to someone in a deep black skin tone of African descent (Ethopian or Egyptian, their skin tones aren't the same).

Trying to unwind the mess of his family ancestry is complicated by the amount of fooling around these people did. And looking at the number of children Hercules had by so many women (and the number of men he was purpoted to sleep with), the man was a ****e like no other.

Anyways, short of it is Dwayne Johnson is fine or the role since no one can definitively claim what the man looked like besides being "dark skinned."

It seems to me a case of color blind casting. It's based on a comic series and the gods aren't even featured. And there are no supernatural elements as far as I know. So this is more of an ancient war film like 300.

So I don't think they thought much about the race of Hercules before casting. They wanted a big action star and got The Rock, who is literally the biggest action star in Hollywood bulk wise.

 

[Octoberist]

it's a fools errand to discuss race when dealing with this time period. I mean, I'm sure the real Greeks who were involved with the real life '300' were a lot shorter and darker than the tall Brits we got.

Samething when someone plays Jesus. Or look at Exodus's casting.

 

[slumcat]

I agree. Hollywood doesn't give a rat's ass about representing that period accurately, to the extent that it can be represented accurately.

It's all fiction too more or less.

 

[Teelie]

Yep... if we were to portray virtually any historical characters accurately, most would not be what people would recognize today. It's a best guess scenario most of the time even when you do try to be accurate. Even people we have actual photos of aren't always accurately depicted.

 

[Bruce Malone]

I think Momoa was way too skinny for Conan. He himself admitted he got only 3 weeks to train before filming begin which is absolutely horrible and not enough. He said for the first half of the filming schedule, they tried to cover his torso because the definition was not there yet.

For Hercules, the Rock is going big, VERY big. He has been charting his workouts on twitter and Instagram through many videos and photos and you can see the dude is going as big as he can. He even said in his interviews that he's probably training the hardest ever for this role.

Spoiler

Spoiler

My point is since this isn't from what i've heard a "mythical" or god based hercules but he's playing him as a mortal that a more natural period appropriate physique would arguably be better suited.

Spoiler

I think Mamoa as Khal Drogo had a good look for how you could believe a very big strong ancient warrior would look. Where it's not all about pure size but functional strength. I think the bodybuilder look sticks out too much in an ancient period piece. I think a more leaned down physique would have served the rock better in this role where you don't assume the character has acces to 5000 cals a day.

 

[slumcat]

Johnson provides another spectacular look at the film, this time a massive set. It's good to see people ARE building physical sets these days.

 

[slumcat]

My point is since this isn't from what i've heard a "mythical" or god based hercules but he's playing him as a mortal that a more natural period appropriate physique would arguably be better suited.

Spoiler

I think Mamoa as Khal Drogo had a good look for how you could believe a very big strong ancient warrior would look. Where it's not all about pure size but functional strength. I think the bodybuilder look sticks out too much in an ancient period piece. I think a more leaned down physique would have served the rock better in this role where you don't assume the character has acces to 5000 cals a day.

5000 haha? We are talking closer to 10,000 for a man as massive as The Rock.

But as people discussed above, just as Hollywood does not care for an accurate representation of races, faces, sets, costumes, languages when portraying antiquity on screen, in the same way they don't care about the accuracy of the portrayal of physical build either.

Take Gerard Butler's look in 300 for example, every inch of his body carved to perfection with an impossibly bulging six pack of abs to top it off, all achieved of course with the latest advancements in the science of fitness training and bodybuilding. It is obvious that the actual Leonidas did not have access to the such diets and techniques and never had a body close to that of Butler, but the film-makers portray it as such. It was period inappropriate but in line with the look the film-makers wanted.

So with Hercules, the film-makers wouldn't think about how logical it would be for Rock's physique to be maintained then, they would just go ahead with it without any explanation.

 

[dark_b]

i think he is to cut. there is a big difference between seeing a six pack and seeing veins on your calves when standing around. he looks to dry. i blame the soccer population. everyone needs a six pack. its more important having a six pack and skinny arms than having some overall size and a flat stomach.

its obvious to everyone that to have so much size with so low bodyfat % is possible only with gear. the problem is now that he looks 7 days a week like he is ready for a bodybuilding show. this is just not healthy and look to unrealistic even for a hollywood movie.

kids today think this is fat

 

[Bruce Malone]

I think he should go back to his old look.

 

[Asgard]

Trying to unwind the mess of his family ancestry is complicated by the amount of fooling around these people did. And looking at the number of children Hercules had by so many women (and the number of men he was purpoted to sleep with), the man was a ****e like no other.

Anyways, short of it is Dwayne Johnson is fine or the role since no one can definitively claim what the man looked like besides being "dark skinned."

Well, damn. Hercules, demi-god, hero, and apparently, bisexual promiscuous man-****e.

 

[Teelie]

Seriously, look at his list of "conquests" and tell me the man wasn't a **** promiscuous. I didn't know **** was censored.

 

[Asgard]

Seriously, look at his list of "conquests" and tell me the man wasn't a **** promiscuous. I didn't know **** was censored.

The 13th Labor alone...

I like how in the Hercules wiki it states he slept with men in part to prove his masculinity and warriorship. Totally contradicts how some people view homosexuality.

 

[Venomfan]

how did the greeks (and other ancients) know how to make the men in their art look super ripped if no one actually looked that way? or could they have just figured that out from studying anatomy?

 

[Dr. Evil]

She (his cousin, Tamina Snuka, daughter of the legendary Superfly Jimmy Snuka) is also in the movie.

 

[Ajendo]

Damn, all Samoans are related. Hell, I didnt even know Yokozuna was Samoan and the Rock's cousin also.

 

[Octoberist]

Even Samoans joke about that.

 

[Teelie]

I like how in the Hercules wiki it states he slept with men in part to prove his masculinity and warriorship. Totally contradicts how some people view homosexuality.

Back then it was also manly to cry, pink was a masculine color (blue was feminine) and bragging wasn't a bad thing. Then again some people don't see bragging as a bad thing now so not everything has changed.

 

[Alex_Spider]

Well, damn. Hercules, demi-god, hero, and apparently, bisexual promiscuous man-****e.

The 13th Labor alone...

I like how in the Hercules wiki it states he slept with men in part to prove his masculinity and warriorship. Totally contradicts how some people view homosexuality.

lol

how did the greeks (and other ancients) know how to make the men in their art look super ripped if no one actually looked that way? or could they have just figured that out from studying anatomy?

There were probably some ripped athletes or warriors among them and they considered them as the ideal representation of beauty and strength that made their way in all of their statues.

It also has to do with the saying "a healthy mind in a healthy body" meaning how the sharpness of the mind is connected to the perfection of the body and vice versa. Of course they were not all ripped with six packs.

Funny how in other civilizations like the Mesopotamians and the Buddhist culture, they idolize fat and chubby bodies in their statues.

 

[slumcat]

i think he is to cut. there is a big difference between seeing a six pack and seeing veins on your calves when standing around. he looks to dry. i blame the soccer population. everyone needs a six pack. its more important having a six pack and skinny arms than having some overall size and a flat stomach.

Actually he DOES NOT have a six pack, he's abdominally challenged so to say. Six packs and eight packs, basically the alignment of the rectus abdominis muscle is genetic, you can develop what you have but you can't change it.

The Rock is clearly ripped enough to show a six pack if he had one, but even when flexing and with low body fat, he just seems to have a muscular belly but not clearly defined abs.

 

[slumcat]

how did the greeks (and other ancients) know how to make the men in their art look super ripped if no one actually looked that way? or could they have just figured that out from studying anatomy?

Probably the latter and also probably some men did get super ripped. It is genetic too. Like athletes and all who ran all day, or even runners and messengers (who ran from city to city to deliver messages) would burn so much fat that they would get super ripped showing all the muscle definition.

And then the sculptors of the age were also was tending towards idealism and aesthetics, so they carried on from there and exaggerated the human body even further to reach their goals of idealism.

 

[Project862006]

 

[Bruce Malone]

I'm getting a weird mental image between your avy and the pic you just posted. Ah miley.

 

[Kane52630]

I'm getting a weird mental image between your avy and the pic you just posted. Ah miley.