"World War Hulk" (unconfirmed) News & Discussion Thread

[the greenman]

Rumors are swirling an SDCC announcement of World War Hulk as a Disney + miniseries. Possibly four episodes long. This will possibly set up events of Secret Wars:


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[Yojimbo]

Rumors are swirling an SDCC announcement of World War Hulk as a Disney + miniseries. Possibly four episodes long. This will possibly set up events of Secret Wars:

Definitely a rumor. It originates from a list of rumored announcements for SDCC and D23 and a few have been debunked already. Plus, World War Hulk's been rumored for years.

 

[Hulkwummy]

A World War Hulk miniseries on Disney Plus? That is not going to cut it, not even close, fans want a real stand alone Hulk movie on the big screen.

 

[Yojimbo]

A World War Hulk miniseries on Disney Plus? That is not going to cut it, not even close, fans want a real stand alone Hulk movie on the big screen.

If the rumor is true, putting it on Disney+ is a compromise. Disney had Marvel for many years now, and it seems they haven't bought back the remaining rights from Universal, if they even can, yet for Hulk so a theatrical solo movie is still not happening.

 

[Frontier]

I'm just wondering how they would even adapt World War Hulks. The only way I can see this working is a Hulk Variant that's the Maestro attacking the present-day.

 

[Hulkwummy]

No Incredible Hulk : World War movie? What gives?

 

[RoyalRubble]

I'm guessing Thunderbolts is also part of Phase 5, so there might be more movies and shows, just haven't announced all of them yet. Or, if "World War Hulk" was true it could be Phase 6.

 

[Hulkwummy]

I hope to god that the Incredible Hulk : World War movie is one of those 8 untitled MCU projects, or I'm gonna be as mad as the green goliath himself.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

No Incredible Hulk: World War movie? What gives?

Universal still has the film distribution rights of everyone's angry green man.

 

[Hulkwummy]

Universal still has the film distribution rights of everyone's angry green man.

Sounds like Marvel/Disney aren't even trying to get the distribution rights to the Hulk back.

 

[the greenman]

Sounds like Marvel/Disney aren't even trying to get the distribution rights to the Hulk back.

Yeah, very strange. They got Submariner back, which they never really used anyway. Then they reclaimed the "Defenders" characters back from Netflix fairly quickly after their 2-year hold.

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[Yojimbo]

Yeah, very strange. They got Submariner back, which they never really used anyway. Then they reclaimed the "Defenders" characters back from Netflix fairly quickly after their 2-year hold.

I doubt Namor's rights or the Netflix deal were as complicated and tied up as the Hulk's is hence the ease of those. We just have to keep waiting. If anything, Disney legal is tenacious and don't like rights floating around at other studios so they just need more time to figure something out.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Sounds like Marvel/Disney aren't even trying to get the distribution rights to the Hulk back.

See, I don't agree on that at all because I don't think Universal has any plans to do with the film distribution rights at all and we're getting a She-Hulk TV series on Disney+ next month after all, so it's possible that Marvel will find a way to regain them back from Universal eventually.

 

[the greenman]

See, I don't agree on that at all because I don't think Universal has any plans to do with the film distribution rights at all and we're getting a She-Hulk TV series on Disney+ next month after all, so it's possible that Marvel will find a way to regain them back from Universal eventually.

I think the issue with Universal has and still involves the '78 Bixby/Ferrigno tv series. That is a major hurdle.

You are correct on that @AdrenalineRush1996, they pretty much considered the 2003 Hulk film in the vein of a lot of television big screen adaptations, especially from that decade, a one-off. When MARVEL came to them with the idea of Incredible Hulk, the same producers (Arad, Gale Hurd, and Feige), had to tie it in with the series (complete with a scene using Joe Harnell's 'Lonely Man') and stuff like Banner using the same gamma device from the show. I cannot say this was forced by Universal, but certainly wouldn't surprise me.

At this point Marvel seems to own the character rights & all ancillary characters from the comics. However nothing from the series, of course. No Mr. McGee. The interesting thing is, Disney essentially does have the rights to (and please anybody that knows better correct me, if I'm wrong) the 3 television films 'Incredible Hulk Returns', 'Trial of the Incredible Hulk', 'Death of the Incredible Hulk'. As they do currently own New World having recently bought FOX where the rights went. So I believe that those films COULD be on Disney+ if they wanted to.

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[Yojimbo]

I think the issue with Universal has and still involves the '78 Bixby/Ferrigno tv series. That is a major hurdle.

You are correct on that @AdrenalineRush1996, they pretty much considered the 2003 Hulk film in the vein of a lot of television big screen adaptations, especially from that decade, a one-off. When MARVEL came to them with the idea of Incredible Hulk, the same producers (Arad, Gale Hurd, and Feige), had to tie it in with the series (complete with a scene using Joe Harnell's 'Lonely Man') and stuff like Banner using the same gamma device from the show. I cannot say this was forced by Universal, but certainly wouldn't surprise me.

At this point Marvel seems to own the character rights & all ancillary characters from the comics. However nothing from the series, of course. No Mr. McGee. The interesting thing is, Disney essentially does have the rights to (and please anybody that knows better correct me, if I'm wrong) the 3 television films 'Incredible Hulk Returns', 'Trial of the Incredible Hulk', 'Death of the Incredible Hulk'. As they do currently own New World having recently bought FOX where the rights went. So I believe that those films COULD be on Disney+ if they wanted to.

Interesting theory. This whole time I thought it was Universal wanted to hold onto whatever Marvel attraction is at their theme parks so naturally they turn down an solo Hulk movie pitch so they can retain that profit stream. Hulk is one of their roller coasters. But over the years, Disney seemed to have found loopholes in the restrictions about which Marvel characters they can or can't use in their attractions. The whole problem seems to be Universal's remaining film distrbution rights don't expire like the other set of rights that reverted back to Marvel/Disney when Universal didn't make a sequel to the Ang Lee movie. Which is why they instead opted for Hulk's arc to be spread across other movies like Avengers movies and Thor: Ragnarok and about to continue in the She-Hulk series. The book "The Story of Marvel Studios" that released last year might have shed a bit more light on this ongoing debacle.

However, Universal has the right to choose how many theatres a Hulk solo movie would play in, when it would be released, and how to handle its marketing. So Marvel isn't gonna make a solo movie and pay a chunk of their profits to Universal. So I'm curious if a loophole would be a streaming movie or series on Disney+ and since that's not a theatrical release, Universal has no say? Idk, it feels like the only scenario of Disney getting full rights back is a new regime at Universal decides it would be better to sell the rights and Disney having to overpay. Unless the Disney lawyers can figure out a way to buy exclusive rights to Marvel characters at theme parks and force Universal to shutter theirs down then that would force them to sell the film distribution rights back.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

The whole problem seems to be Universal's remaining film distrbution rights don't expire like the other set of rights that reverted back to Marvel/Disney when Universal didn't make a sequel to the Ang Lee movie.

It should be worth knowing that The Incredible Hulk was originally going to be a direct sequel to said film before it was rewritten as the second MCU instalment.

 

[wonderfly]

My kids wanted

Sounds like Marvel/Disney aren't even trying to get the distribution rights to the Hulk back.

Funny that I see this getting brought up, my kids wanted to watch the 2008 Hulk film and I went on Disney Plus to find it's not there (first I heard they didn't have the rights to it). I had to rent it on Amazon Prime.

We did find the 2003 Hulk film on "Tubi" (which is free and legal), and started to watch it, but....man, that film just doesn't hold up. Turned it off about 40 minutes into it. EDIT: Other than Sam Elliott, who perfectly captures General Ross. It's like Patrick Stewart for Professor X, it's just a perfect fit.

 

[Yojimbo]

Universal's partial rights for Hulk may end in June 2023.

 

[Frontier]

Universal's partial rights for Hulk may end in June 2023.

It would be about time

 

[the greenman]

Universal's partial rights for Hulk may end in June 2023.

Thus the rumor of World War Hulk. Might be the reason they put it on hiatus, as well as Ruffalo allegedly signing a new contract.

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