The Hulk is really big right now. Well, he’s always really big, but he’s also incredibly popular, and television networks would like to exploit this. Unfortunately, the Hulk is owned by Marvel, which frowns on people stealing their intellectual property. What to do? Rip it off, claim it’s a public domain character, and hope no one notices.
Specifically, ITV is making a ten-part Jekyll & Hyde series, set in the ’30s. See if any of the plot summary Coming Soon dug up sounds familiar:
Jekyll is a young, sensitive and naïve man of intellect and morality, a well meaning if slightly repressed character who slips between his two personas unwillingly. Hyde is… a superhero with super powers, great strength, speed and invulnerability. His self-destructive nature gets him into trouble, and yet he is an incredibly powerful force. Throughout the series we will witness Jekyll wrestling with the dark, brooding personality of Hyde…
Hmmmm… Rings a bell! There’s also the fact that they refer to Hyde as a superhero, and Jekyll turns into Hyde whenever he experiences anger or stress. Really, they’re one set of purple pants away from a lawsuit.
On the one hand, there is something of a chicken-and-egg debate here, as Stan Lee has freely admitted Jekyll & Hyde was one of the main influences on the Hulk. On the other, come on: He’s the freakin’ Hulk. The original Mr. Hyde was a complete monster who trampled children and beat old people to death, not a bold pulp hero. We want to hang out with this Hyde! Nobody should want to hang out with Hyde!
Jekyll & Hyde will be arriving sometime in 2016. We hope they hire Lou Ferrigno as Hyde.