Young Hercules
Encyclopedia
Young Hercules is a spin-off
from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
. It was aired on Fox Kids
from September 12, 1998, to May 12, 1999. It lasted one season with 50 episodes and starred Ryan Gosling
in the title role.
, the god of war, played by Kevin Tod Smith, who attempts often to destroy his younger half-brother to win over Zeus
' good graces. Among his group is his nephew Strife
(Joel Tobeck
), who is the rather weaker member of the team. Strife's mother is Discord
, goddess of retribution (Meighan Desmond
), who acts more level-headed and power hungry than her counterpart on more than one occasion.
The storyline follows Hercules
(Ryan Gosling
) as he attends Cheiron
's Academy to train in the arts of the warrior
under the wise headmaster Cheiron the Centaur
(Nathaniel Lees
). He makes friends with the future king of Corinth
, prince Jason
(Chris Conrad
), and a thieving former member of a bandit group, Iolaus
(Dean O'Gorman
), who was sentenced to train at the academy as an alternative to prison for his crimes. Hercules also meets the academy's first female cadet, Lilith
(Jodie Rimmer
). Other characters of interest include Kora, the inn keeper, who unknown to Hercules and his friends, is a devotee of Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt. As the series develops, Kora is revealed to have special powers which allow her to do Artemis' bidding. There are hints of romance between Hercules and Kora, although their friendship keeps it all innocent.
and Spider-man
director, Sam Raimi
. Liz Friedman
and Eric Gruendemann were co-executive producers and former MTV producer, Cynthia Hsiung was producer of the series. In New Zealand, where principal photography was shot, Janine Dickins held down the fort as the New Zealand Producer while three series directors took turns shooting the episodes in blocks of four along with a fourth director for second unit. Chris Graves, Charlie Haskell and Andrew Merrifield shot principal photography and Simon Rabbi shot second unit. Later in the series, Simon Rabbi shot principal photography for the 50th episode, "Valley of the Shadow."
The series has been used in case studies of how to shoot television series efficiently. Traditional television series are shot one episode at a time. "Young Hercules" was shot in blocks of four episodes at a time. The three main directors of the series were on a rotation, one director for each four episode block. The four would be written with this in mind, keeping sets, locations, and actors similar in all four episodes even if story and plot lines might not interrelate. This saved tremendous amounts of money and time allowing the series to be shot on a shoe string budget, but with maximum on-screen dollars. The 50 episodes had a budget of roughly $20 million which includes above and below the line costs. Shooting in New Zealand also allowed the series to circumvent considerable Guild regulations for further savings. Additional monies were saved shooting the series on 16 mm film. Early research was done to see if digital film could be used, but it was determined that technology just wasn't adequate at that time to make digital filming economically viable.
Principal photography took place in New Zealand while post-production elements including visual effects and music were all edited and integrated together in Los Angeles. Ian Bohen played Young Hercules in the pilot
movie was offered the part, but opted not to move to New Zealand
where the series would shoot principal photography. Early on in the series, special visual effects were conceived by Richard Taylor's Weta Workshop
, the then little known visual effects company that went on to win several Academy Awards for their superb work on The Lord of the Rings
. Weta and Richard Taylor stepped off "Young Hercules" early on to work on "Lord of the Rings." In fact, the early production days of "Young Hercules" saw many of its crew leave to work on the then little known Peter Jackson sensation, "Lord of the Rings."
Ryan Gosling was only 17 when he was cast in the lead role. To train for the role, Ryan took intense martial arts classes by the same trainer who taught Lucy Lawless and Kevin Sorbo. He was so tall and thin that his costume had to be reworked to minimize the look of how thin he was. Original costume sketches showed a darker upper body costume. When Ryan was cast, the costume designers made the upper body of his costume lighter in color and broader in the chest to help create a more bulky look. Make-up was used on Ryan's arms to help add muscle contours. Similar tricks were used for both Kevin Sorbo and Lucy Lawless for their characters.
It was known to be only superficially faithful to Greek mythology
, as was its predecessor; it uses similar characters, but in a variety of stories, some of which contain anachronisms.
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is a television series, filmed in New Zealand and the United States. It was produced from 1995, and was very loosely based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles...
. It was aired on Fox Kids
Fox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
from September 12, 1998, to May 12, 1999. It lasted one season with 50 episodes and starred Ryan Gosling
Ryan Gosling
Ryan Thomas Gosling is a Canadian actor and musician. He first came to public attention as a child star on the Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club and went on to appear in other family entertainment programmes including Are You Afraid of the Dark? , Goosebumps , Breaker High and Young Hercules...
in the title role.
Plot
The show features the efforts of AresAres (Hercules and Xena)
Ares is a character on the television shows Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Young Hercules. He was portrayed by New Zealand actor Kevin Tod Smith...
, the god of war, played by Kevin Tod Smith, who attempts often to destroy his younger half-brother to win over Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
' good graces. Among his group is his nephew Strife
Enyalius
Enyalius or Enyalio in Greek mythology is generally a byname of Ares the god of war but in Mycenaean times is differentiated as a separate deity...
(Joel Tobeck
Joel Tobeck
Born in 1971 in Auckland, New Zealand, He is a well known actor in New Zealand and Australia with over 20 years acting experience.He comes from an acting background, his mother Liddy Holloway was a well known theatre and TV actress in New Zealand...
), who is the rather weaker member of the team. Strife's mother is Discord
Discord
Discord may refer to:* Dissonance Discord may also refer to:* Discord , an album and single released by the punk rock band Bomb Factory* Dischord Records, a punk and alternative record label...
, goddess of retribution (Meighan Desmond
Meighan Desmond
Meighan Desmond is an actress, best known by her role as the Greek goddess Discord on the popular American TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and on its two spin-offs – Xena: Warrior Princess and Young Hercules.Desmond also worked as a personal assistant to Ted Raimi during his final...
), who acts more level-headed and power hungry than her counterpart on more than one occasion.
The storyline follows Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
(Ryan Gosling
Ryan Gosling
Ryan Thomas Gosling is a Canadian actor and musician. He first came to public attention as a child star on the Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club and went on to appear in other family entertainment programmes including Are You Afraid of the Dark? , Goosebumps , Breaker High and Young Hercules...
) as he attends Cheiron
Chiron
In Greek mythology, Chiron was held to be the superlative centaur among his brethren.-History:Like the satyrs, centaurs were notorious for being wild and lusty, overly indulgent drinkers and carousers, given to violence when intoxicated, and generally uncultured delinquents...
's Academy to train in the arts of the warrior
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
under the wise headmaster Cheiron the Centaur
Centaur
In Greek mythology, a centaur or hippocentaur is a member of a composite race of creatures, part human and part horse...
(Nathaniel Lees
Nathaniel Lees
Nathaniel Lees is a New Zealand born actor and theatre director of Samoan descent. He is known for his role as Captain Mifune in The Matrix trilogy and his role as "Uglúk" in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. He has also had roles on the TV series Young Hercules, Hercules: The Legendary...
). He makes friends with the future king of Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
, prince Jason
Jason
Jason was a late ancient Greek mythological hero from the late 10th Century BC, famous as the leader of the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcus...
(Chris Conrad
Chris Conrad
Christopher Andrew "Chris" Conrad is an American actor, known for playing Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. He should not be confused with fellow actor Christian Conrad ....
), and a thieving former member of a bandit group, Iolaus
Iolaus
In Greek mythology, Iolaus was a Theban divine hero, son of Iphicles, Heracles's brother, and Automedusa.He was famed for being Heracles's nephew and for helping with some of his Labors, and also for being one of the Argonauts...
(Dean O'Gorman
Dean O'Gorman
-Early life:Born in Auckland, New Zealand; he has a brother named Brett. He attended Rangitoto College and earned a black belt in karate by the age of ten. -Career:...
), who was sentenced to train at the academy as an alternative to prison for his crimes. Hercules also meets the academy's first female cadet, Lilith
Lilith
Lilith is a character in Jewish mythology, found earliest in the Babylonian Talmud, who is generally thought to be related to a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts. However, Lowell K. Handy notes, "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view...
(Jodie Rimmer
Jodie Rimmer
Jodie Rimmer is a New Zealand voice and performer actress. Her work includes Xena: Warrior Princess, Young Hercules, Channelling Baby, The Strip, and In My Father's Den.-Awards:...
). Other characters of interest include Kora, the inn keeper, who unknown to Hercules and his friends, is a devotee of Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt. As the series develops, Kora is revealed to have special powers which allow her to do Artemis' bidding. There are hints of romance between Hercules and Kora, although their friendship keeps it all innocent.
Production
Young Hercules executive producers were Robert TapertRobert Tapert
Robert Gerard Tapert , sometimes credited as Rob Tapert, Robert G. Tapert, or Rip Tapert, is an American film producer, best known for his co-founding of, and his subsequent work with, the Renaissance Pictures company....
and Spider-man
Spider-Man (film)
Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film, the first in the Spider-Man film series based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was directed by Sam Raimi and written by David Koepp...
director, Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
. Liz Friedman
Liz Friedman
Liz Friedman is a writer and producer.-Career:She wrote and produced episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess, early in her writing career. Friedman was co-creator, writer, and executive producer of Young Hercules. Soon after, she along with fellow House writers, Lawrence Kaplow, Leonard Dick, and Thomas...
and Eric Gruendemann were co-executive producers and former MTV producer, Cynthia Hsiung was producer of the series. In New Zealand, where principal photography was shot, Janine Dickins held down the fort as the New Zealand Producer while three series directors took turns shooting the episodes in blocks of four along with a fourth director for second unit. Chris Graves, Charlie Haskell and Andrew Merrifield shot principal photography and Simon Rabbi shot second unit. Later in the series, Simon Rabbi shot principal photography for the 50th episode, "Valley of the Shadow."
The series has been used in case studies of how to shoot television series efficiently. Traditional television series are shot one episode at a time. "Young Hercules" was shot in blocks of four episodes at a time. The three main directors of the series were on a rotation, one director for each four episode block. The four would be written with this in mind, keeping sets, locations, and actors similar in all four episodes even if story and plot lines might not interrelate. This saved tremendous amounts of money and time allowing the series to be shot on a shoe string budget, but with maximum on-screen dollars. The 50 episodes had a budget of roughly $20 million which includes above and below the line costs. Shooting in New Zealand also allowed the series to circumvent considerable Guild regulations for further savings. Additional monies were saved shooting the series on 16 mm film. Early research was done to see if digital film could be used, but it was determined that technology just wasn't adequate at that time to make digital filming economically viable.
Principal photography took place in New Zealand while post-production elements including visual effects and music were all edited and integrated together in Los Angeles. Ian Bohen played Young Hercules in the pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
movie was offered the part, but opted not to move to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
where the series would shoot principal photography. Early on in the series, special visual effects were conceived by Richard Taylor's Weta Workshop
Weta Workshop
Weta Workshop is a special effects and prop company based in Miramar, New Zealand, producing effects for television and film.Founded in 1987 by Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger as RT Effects, Weta Workshop has produced creatures and makeup effects for the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
, the then little known visual effects company that went on to win several Academy Awards for their superb work on The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
. Weta and Richard Taylor stepped off "Young Hercules" early on to work on "Lord of the Rings." In fact, the early production days of "Young Hercules" saw many of its crew leave to work on the then little known Peter Jackson sensation, "Lord of the Rings."
Ryan Gosling was only 17 when he was cast in the lead role. To train for the role, Ryan took intense martial arts classes by the same trainer who taught Lucy Lawless and Kevin Sorbo. He was so tall and thin that his costume had to be reworked to minimize the look of how thin he was. Original costume sketches showed a darker upper body costume. When Ryan was cast, the costume designers made the upper body of his costume lighter in color and broader in the chest to help create a more bulky look. Make-up was used on Ryan's arms to help add muscle contours. Similar tricks were used for both Kevin Sorbo and Lucy Lawless for their characters.
It was known to be only superficially faithful to Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, as was its predecessor; it uses similar characters, but in a variety of stories, some of which contain anachronisms.
Characters
- HerculesHerculesHercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
, played by Ryan GoslingRyan GoslingRyan Thomas Gosling is a Canadian actor and musician. He first came to public attention as a child star on the Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club and went on to appear in other family entertainment programmes including Are You Afraid of the Dark? , Goosebumps , Breaker High and Young Hercules... - IolausIolausIn Greek mythology, Iolaus was a Theban divine hero, son of Iphicles, Heracles's brother, and Automedusa.He was famed for being Heracles's nephew and for helping with some of his Labors, and also for being one of the Argonauts...
, played by Dean O'GormanDean O'Gorman-Early life:Born in Auckland, New Zealand; he has a brother named Brett. He attended Rangitoto College and earned a black belt in karate by the age of ten. -Career:... - JasonJasonJason was a late ancient Greek mythological hero from the late 10th Century BC, famous as the leader of the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcus...
, played by Chris ConradChris ConradChristopher Andrew "Chris" Conrad is an American actor, known for playing Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. He should not be confused with fellow actor Christian Conrad ....
Reception
The series aired on Fox Kids Network at first on Monday through Friday at 4:30pm PST and Saturday mornings at 8:30 am PST. Later in the year, the series aired Monday through Friday only at 3:30pm PST. Although ratings on the Fox Kids Network were strong for the season (2nd top rated live-action series below Power Rangers), "Young Hercules" was not renewed.Daytime Emmy Awards nominations
- Outstanding Sound Editing (1998)
- Outstanding Sound Editing (1998)
- Outstanding Sound Editing (1998)