Cannon has recreated the mythical world Gods and Goddesses, strange creatures and beasts from the underworld in their epic production of HERCULES. Lou Ferrigno is cast in the starring role as Hercules, the man with the strength of a hundred men. Also starring with him is the luscious and dangerous Sybil Danning as the wicked temptress, Arianna.

There has never been a "Hercules" motion picture like this. The production occupied several acres of soundstages in Italy, fully taking over two of Rome's four major studios. These stages were the scenes for many fantastic sets. The producers have gone all out in creating the mystical sites from legendary Greece, from the heights of Mt. Olympus, home of Zeus and the gods, to Hades and the Island of Dead Souls across the river Styx.

What sets this "Hercules" movie apart from all the others, in addition to the splendor and grandeur of the production, are the innovative special effects that have been developed in recent years. Hercules will fight a multi-headed hydra and bizarre sea creatures thanks to a veritable army of Italian craftsmen and special effects people.

Lou Ferrigno, known to television audiences as "The Incredible Hulk", makes his feature film debut as Hercules. Ironically, but appropriately, Ferrigno's idol has always been Steve Reeves who first created the role of Hercules in the early sixties.

The actor has been training in Rome, learning how to duel, ride chariots, and rescue fair maidens in peril. His schedule had him getting up at dawn and training for four hours before arriving on the set at nine a.m. He would jog for lunch before continuing with shooting, and then train at the end of the day with his fencing lessons.

The biggest challenge for Lou, who says he is in the best shape he has ever been, was to abstain from the the incredible and bountiful Italian food. That task was given to Carla Ferrigno, his wife, who needed the strength of Hercules herself to drag Lou away from tables overladen with pasta.

Sybil Danning is fierce, sleek and sexy as the wicked Princess Arianna in Cannon's epic production of "HERCULES". Her portrayal of Arianna is that of a spoiled woman who always gets what she wants. When she can't have Hercules, she seeks to destroy the Olympian hero, making her a formidable threat to him.

Miss Danning has infused Arianna with the same independance she has achieved for herself off-screen. She has created her own career as an international star, appearing in over 25 motion pictures with no help from any agent.

Shaping her career towards being a female action star, Miss Danning's roles have covered a wide range since she was discovered as a model directly out of cosmetology school.

Her characters have included such diverse personalities as a lady-in-waiting in Richard Lester's "The Three Musketeers" and its sequel "The Four Musketeers". She has played a German terrorist opposite Klaus Kinski in "Operation Thunderbolt". Directed by Menahem Golan, the picture garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film in 1977.

Other films include "Bluebeard", "A Man Called Sloan", "The Man With Bogart's Face", "Julie Darling", "God's Gun", "Battle Beyond the Stars", "Separate Ways" and "The Salamander". And most recently, "Caged Heat" with Linda Blair.

In addition, she has appeared on television in "Vega$" with Robert Urich and "Nightkill", a movie of the week, with Jaclyn Smith.

Miss Danning is gaining a legion of young, male fans in the persona of "Black Diamond", a comic strip character who is a female James Bond. The comic book has a circulation of over 40,000 buyers in the United States and Canada.

Between pictures, Miss Danning is an avid sports enthusiast. She enjoys swimming, horseback riding, skiing, racquetball, body building, and car racing.

Miss Danning currently lives in a spacious, beautifully appointed home in the Hollywood hills which was once owned by Jean Harlow.

Lewis Coates has written and directed "HERCULES," his most ambitious project to date. Cannon Film's epic saga about the mythological Greek hero combines an international cast and lavish production with newly developed and state-of-the-art special effects.

Coates dual passions for motion pictures and fantasy was put to professional use when he first worked as a journalist, and then publications editor, for various film, music, and science fiction magazines. Additionally, Coates has written two novels, "Time Raiders" and "Star Riders", in collaboration with noted science fiction author A.E. Vogt.

His interests with film and fantasy melded together when Coates began writing screenplays. Three of his works, "Cat of Nine Tales", "Bird With the Crystal Plummage", "Four Flies on Gray Velvet", were directed by suspense master Dano Argento.

As assistant director on those three films, Coates learned the technical craft necessary to bring his own stories to the screen. His first directorial credits include nine episodes from the successful European television series, "Dano Argento Presents..."

His feature credits include such films as "The Neighbor", "Killers Are Meant to Kill", "Dedicated to a Star", "Starcrash" and "Alien Contamination". "HERCULES" is Coates' sixth.

Lou Ferrigno, the world's most celebrated body builder, stars in the title role of "HERCULES" in Cannon Film's opulent and epic production of the legendary Greek hero.

Ecstatic at the opportunity to recreate the role first made famous by his boyhood champion, Steve Reeves, Ferrigno's towering stature and symetrically perfect musculature make him the only, if not the ideal, choice to portray the Olympian mightyman.

Left partially deaf at an early age, the Brooklyn-born Ferrigno's5 isolation as a child spawned a rich fantasy life. To soothe his growing pains, his father, a New York City police lieutenant, would indulge Ferrigno's daydreams by purchasing his favorite Marvel comic books and taking him to the movies. Father and son also shared an active interest in bodybuilding magazines, a sport Ferrigno began to pursue.

Ferrigno began his training and became a devout enthusiast at the age of sixteen. Soon he was entering competitions and in 1973 he won the coveted title of Mr. America. Leaving his job as a sheet metal machinist, Ferrigno went on to compete for even greater recognition. The following year he won the Mr. World and Mr. Universe contest.

His acting career came about inadvertantly. While training in Venice, California, he was offered a role in the feature film documentary "Pumping Iron". Ferrigno's performance did not go unnoticed. He soon appeared in the television documentaries "Superstars" and "The World's Strongest Men".

Ferrigno gained his greatest recognition and virtual overnight popularity on ABC-TV's phenomenally successful show, "The Incredible Hulk". Co-starring with his television alter ego, Bill Bixby, Ferrigno's portrayal of the growling and gargantuan monster swept young imaginations nationwide.

Several men had been tried out for the role of the Hulk. The list was narrowed down to two men, of which Ferrigno was one. It was the producer's six-year old son who tipped the scales and convinced his father that Ferrigno had both the physical presense and charisma for the Hulk.

For several successful seasons, Ferrigno endured daily 2-1/2 hour make-up sessions in which his body was tinted green.

Now, as Hercules, Ferrigno is even more devoted to his acting career. Loyal to his legion of fans, Ferrigno has brought a new dimension of depth and breadth to the mythological character with his earnest performance.

"Hercules is my baby", he proudly proclaims. "I've fulfilled a lifelong fantasy, and there'll never be another one like this one."

Leading a busy life between projects, Ferrigno has recently seen his book, "The Incredible Lou Ferrigno", published. He is on the lecture circuit making numerous personal appearances.

Currently residing in California with his wife and manager Carla, the couple have a daughter and take time from their activities to enjoy mutual interests and hobbies.

Pino Donaggio, one of fantasy cinema's favorite and most popular composers, contributes the musical muscle to "HERCULES" with his rich, symphonic motion picture score.

Donaggio, renownedfor his haunting themes and suspenseful orchestrations, first caught the film world's attention in 1973 with his score to Nicholas Roeg's "Don't Look Now", beginning the first of many close working relationships with his directors.

His innovative score attracted director Brian de Palma to sign Donaggio's services in penning the lyrical score to "Carrie". They continued their professional relationship with "Dressed to Kill", "Home Movies" and "Blowout".

Another successful collaboration resulted with director Joe Dante on his two horror films "Piranha" and "The Howling."

Donnagio has written scores for several other notable motion pictures. They include "Tex", "China 9, Liberty 37", "Skin Deep", "Corruption in the Halls of Justice" and "Tourist Trap."