Literally Epic: Viral Musical to Become Animated Film

It’s a story worthy of Homer. Epic: The Musical, the viral musical retelling of The Odyssey by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, started on TikTok before gaining a record deal, and will now be making its way to Hollywood.

The Hollywood Reporter announced yesterday that Jerry Bruckheimer (yes, that Jerry Bruckheimer, the man behind Top Gun, Pirates of the Caribbean, and National Treasure, among others) has partnered with Rivera-Herrans and Atlantic Music Group president Kevin Weaver to produce an animated version of the musical. It’s a project still in its infancy, but nonetheless, a lot of people are excited about the prospect of getting an actual film.

For those who aren’t terminally online, or those who show up to the popular stuff 10 minutes late with coffee (like me), allow me to explain Epic: The Musical. It essentially started as Rivera-Herrans’s senior thesis at Notre Dame: a musical retelling of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. Like the poem, the musical starts at the end of the Trojan War, and over the course of 40 songs gathered into nine sagas, we are told the story of Odysseus trying to return to his home country of Ithaca.

The process began on TikTok, and then Rivera-Herrans, who also voices the role of Odysseus, dropped self-released EPs on music streaming platforms, which all went to number 1. At one point, 9 out of 10 spots on the soundtrack charts were Epic. The musical became a global phenomenon, with a very passionate (and sometimes scary) fanbase. Fans got to participate in casting, and have also produced a variety of animatics to accompany the songs, most of which can be found on YouTube.

Rivera-Herrans eventually signed a deal with Atlantic, which resulted in physical EPs as well as some other merchandise. And now, because of Weaver’s connection to Bruckheimer, we’re hopefully getting the animated version we’ve been waiting for.

I say “we”, even though I only recently listened to Epic, after I saw Hadestown on Broadway and thought to myself, “Hey, wasn’t there another mythological musical?” In true me fashion, I had seen Epic all over my Tumblr dashboard and had simply not bothered to check it out. But again, Hadestown, as well as repeatedly hearing the same sound on TikTok, had me curious, so I finally sat down to listen to it. (If you’re on fandom TikTok, you’ve probably seen at least one ship edit with this sound, too. The sound, by the way, is from the musical’s final song, “Would You Fall in Love with Me Again”.)

Y’all, this is aptly named. It was definitely an epic experience. I listen to a lot of music on days when I’m in the office, and Epic: The Musical is in my standard rotation. I listen to it like twice a week. I’ve also watched several reaction videos, including a series from a classicist who studies works like The Odyssey for a living.

An emotional Rivera-Herrans posted to TikTok after the news broke, thanking his fans and audience for believing in him. “I truly think that the greatest thing you can do for someone is believe in them,” he said in his video. ” […] And you guys gave that to me.”

Rivera-Herrans is currently working on his next project, Ilium, which is a musical retelling of The Iliad, Homer’s epic poem about the Trojan War. As with Epic, he is documenting his progress on TikTok.

The Hollywood process is slow, and the animation process is even slower, so I know it will be a while before I’m able to watch this on the big screen. Until then, I highly suggest everyone pop over to YouTube and check out a few of the animatic versions from the incredible artists who toiled endlessly to bring this story to life.

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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