What started as a college senior thesis and went on to garner billions in streams is now heading to theaters. ‘Epic’, the viral musical of Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ created by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, is being developed as an animated film. The project features one of Hollywood’s biggest producers and the music industry executive who helped turn the sensation into a real-world phenomenon.According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jerry BruckheimerThe mega-producer behind the ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchises has teamed up with Rivera-Herrans and music industry veteran Kevin Weaver to produce the animated musical adaptation. The project is in the early stages and will be presented to studios and streamers, probably next week.
How ‘Epic’ became a global phenomenon
Rivera-Herrans began ‘Epic’ as his ambitious thesis at the University of Notre Dame. During the pandemic of 2021, he began publishing his creative process online, before releasing the saga as a musical from 2022. The self-released EP reached number one on iTunes and then topped the soundtrack charts, with ‘Epic’ occupying nine of the top ten charts at one point.The serialized format, reimagining the classic story of Odysseus’ journey home from the gods and monsters through a modern lens, drawing from musicals, anime and video games, has found favor with millennials and Gen Z audiences. Fans also participated in a worldwide casting process and created their own animations to accompany the songs. After more than four billion global streams and seven billion brief views, the project became a full-scale cultural phenomenon.
How the music industry and Hollywood came calling
The outlet noted that every major record label courted Rivera-Herrans in 2023, but she rejected all offers until signing Weaver after a two-year courtship. Weaver, whose three-decade career includes such hit soundtrack projects as ‘Barbie the Album’, ‘The Greatest Showman’ and ‘Suicide Squad: The Album’, helped bring ‘Epic’ into the real world with millions of dollars in product and physical merchandising from a passionate fan base.Bruckheimer’s involvement was facilitated by his relationship with Weaver, with whom he worked on last year’s ‘F1 The Album,’ which won an Oscar for best picture and best sound, based on the Brad Pitt racing series.Also, the project comes at a time when Homer’s work is suddenly very scarce. Christopher Nolan is gearing up for a live-action retelling of ‘The Odyssey’, set for release on July 17th, and it’s already building buzz as one of the most anticipated films of the year. Along with the dedicated following that “Epic” has built, the ancient story is enjoying a level of cultural recognition rarely seen in modern times.This would mark Bruckheimer’s first foray into animation, although music has long been the focus of his work, dating back to the 1980s classic ‘Flashdance’.
