Joss Whedon: “It Would Be Very Very Hard” To Make A Solo Hulk Movie; ‘Planet Hulk’ Rumors Squashed
Despite his status as one of Marvel’s most recognizable superheroes, the Hulk has had some trouble transitioning to the big screen. Ang Lee got some of the limpest reviews of his career when he tried a decade ago withHulk; Louis Leterrier fared only marginally better in 2008 withThe Incredible Hulk.Neither film earned enough to make a sequel a no-brainer the wayIron Man,Thor, andCaptain America: The First Avengerdid.
And yet,Mark Ruffalo’s turn as the not-so-jolly green giant in last summer’sThe Avengersgarnered such a positive reaction from fans that speculation began swirling about a third attempt at a Hulk standalone. At a recent event,AvengersdirectorJoss Whedonoffered his opinion on the possibility of a Hulk movie. Basically, he thinks it’s possible — but it’d be “very, very hard.” Hit the jump to read his comments.
Yes. But it would be very, very hard. Hulk is a tricky son of a bitch. He’s the Claudio of superheroes. Because the problem is it’s a very popular character, but it’s not a superhero. Half of it’s a superhero, half of it’s a werewolf. And you can’t structure it like a superhero movie, you can’t light it like a superhero movie. How do you develop that? It would be extremely difficult. The one thing you would have in your favour would be Mark Ruffalo. But right now I don’t know if they have plans to do that or not, because he works so well as part of a greater whole, but by himself, it’s tough. I don’t envy the guys who went before.
Whedon’s explanation makes sense, and if anyone would know about imminent plans it’d be him. (Unless, of course, he does know and is lying.) It’s true that as interesting and likable as the Hulk is, he’s not an easy fit for a traditional superhero narrative. But Whedon comments aren’t confirmation that Marvel Studios willneverattempt another Hulk movie. To the contrary, studio presidentKevin Feigehas said that he"absolutely"thinks the Hulk could carry a movie, though any such project wouldn’t get underway until afterThe Avengers 2in 2015.
Furthermore, there have been some indications that Marvel may have big plans for Ruffalo’s Hulk. Last week, we got our hands on adesignfor Iron Man’s Hulkbuster armor, which could point at an upcoming battle between him (and maybe the Avengers) and the Hulk, and earlier this monthLatino Reviewgot a big scoop about Marvel’s plans for a cinematic version of the Planet Hulk plotline, in which Hulk is exiled to space. (In the movie realm, that was theorized to happen at the end ofThe Avengers 2.) He lands on an alien planet, soon conquers it, and eventually returns to Earth, pretty pissed off. That could set him up as the first antagonist inThe Avengers 3.
Then again, maybe not —AICN’s sources have since insisted that the Planet Hulk rumor is “1,000% inaccurate.” Part of the reason? There’s not much room in that story for Hulk’s human side, and Marvel wants to use Ruffalo as human actor, playing Banner, and not just doing mocap for the green guy.
Considering how well Ruffalo’s Hulk fared with fans, I’ve no doubt Marvel wants to dosomethingwith him, but at this point a standalone movie is definitely a ways away. So far away, in fact, that there’s plenty of time for any plans they do have right now to shift around as we move through Phase Two. In the meantime, Hulk fans can keep an eye out for that TV series Guillermo del Toro has in the works. Development is apparentlyslow-moving, but it’s probably our best shot at seeing him onscreen before 2015.
Discuss:Do you want Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk to get his own movie? Personally, I’m not dying to see another movie that’s just about the Hulk… but Iwouldtotally watch an entire film centered around Bruce Banner and Tony Stark’s adorably geeky rapport fromThe Avengers. Not saying it’s gonna happen, but a girl can dream.
