Kellan Lutz joined the long list of actor to play mythical Greek hero Hercules this year in epic origin story The Legend of Hercules, out now to download from iTunes and available on DVD and 3D Blu-ray from Monday 4 August.

The new movie sees Hercules – a half-god, half-man blessed with extraordinary strength – fighting his way back to his rightful kingdom after being betrayed by his stepfather and sold into slavery because of a forbidden love.

Watch the trailer for The Legend of Hercules…

Here CultBox takes a look back at the actors who have played the son of Zeus on TV and film over the years…

 

Kevin Sorbo in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

Prior to its more successful spin-off Xena: Warrior Princess, US TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys ran for six seasons  until 1999. Sorbo went on to star in Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s sci-fi series Andromeda for five years, followed by guest roles in The OC, Psych and Hawaii Five-0.

 

Ryan Gosling in Young Hercules

Another spin-off from the Sorbo’s Hercules: The Legendary Journeys series, Ryan Gosling’s Young Hercules ran for 50 episodes on Fox Kids between 1998 and 1999, starring the 17-year-old Drive actor in the title role. Shot in New Zealand, many of the show’s special effects crew went on to work on Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.

 

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Hercules in New York

More than a decade before Schwarzenegger made his name as Conan in the Conan the Barbarian movies, the low-budget Hercules in New York was the 22-year-old’s big-screen debut and a movie that the actor now admits regretting having appeared in. The actor is credited as “Arnold Strong ‘Mr. Universe'” and all his dialogue was dubbed due to his Austrian accent.

 

Kellan Lutz in The Legend of Hercules

29-year-old American model and actor Kellan Lutz –  The Twilight Saga‘s Emmett Cullen – is the latest star to take on the role. Lutz will next be seen alongside aforementioned Hercules actor Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Expendables 3 and voicing Tarzan in a new animated family movie.

 

Mark Addy in Atlantis

BBC One’s latest fantasy adventure series for Saturday evenings debuted last autumn, with Game of Thrones actor Mark Addy playing a more comical interpretation of Hercules as part of a trio alongside Jack Donnelly as Jason and Robert Emms as Pythagoras. Atlantis will return for a second series later this year.

 

Who’s your favourite Hercules? Let us know below…

Post sponsored by Lionsgate.