The big green guy just can’t get a break on the big silver screen.
After both Ang Lee’s 2003 attempt and Louis Leterrier’s 2008 reboot failed to ignite much more than a flicker of fan interest, the Hulk finally received some rave reviews for his part in Joss Whedon’s ensemble superhero flick “The Avengers” last year. Mark Ruffalo’s performance led to inevitable talks about a solo spin-off.
However, Marvel’s potential plans to attempt yet another Hulk adventure seem to be further off than we thought, even as recent reports have surfaced that detail Marvel’s plans for the character throughout Phases 2 and 3.
According to Screen Rant, Whedon put a damper on some of the enthusiasm in a recent Q&A. When asked if Ruffalo could possibly appear as the Hulk in a new solo effort, the writer-director answered, “Yes. But it would be very, very hard.”
“Hulk is a tricky son of a bitch,” Whedon continued. “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 [Marvel] 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.”
However, since Ruffalo is signed to a six-picture contract with Marvel, Whedon’s quote certainly doesn’t mean we won’t be seeing a “Hulk” film as part of Phase 2 or 3 — which includes the character’s reprisal in 2015’s “The Avengers 2.”
Do you want to see another Hulk solo film? Or should he only be seen as part of a team?