Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Hulk

  • BREAKING: Liv Tyler to Return in ‘Captain America 4’

    BREAKING: Liv Tyler to Return in ‘Captain America 4’

    No, you read that correctly but Marvel Studios will finally reintroduce Betty Ross to the world, as Liv Tyler is set to reprise her role from The Incredible Hulk in the upcoming fourth entry of the Captain America franchise, Captain America: New World Order. Anthony Mackie‘s Sam Wilson will take on the mantle he took over during Falcon and the Winter Soldier as he faces some new threats.

    For those that might’ve forgotten, she played the role in 2008 and hasn’t been in a Marvel Studios project since. It was the second entry in the franchise right after Iron Man in the same year when Edward Norton was still attached as Bruce Banner. If they have bigger plans for her character, she will also have her first meeting with Mark Ruffalo, who took over in The Avengers back in 2012.

    She’s not the only returning actor from that long-forgotten Hulk film, as Tim Blake Nelson is also finally appearing as the Leader in the Captain America film. While it will also feature her father, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, the late and great William Hurt sadly won’t be returning, but his character will live on with Harrison Ford is set to take over the role in the upcoming film.

    It’s interesting to see so many Hulk characters in a Captain America film, but it may be set up more in the future. Liv Tyler was actually rumored for some time to appear in a Marvel project. Once again it reminds you just how big this franchise has grown and the legacy it still holds with characters returning we haven’t seen in almost 15 years.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Disney May Sell Hulu to Regain Hulk and Namor Film Rights

    Disney May Sell Hulu to Regain Hulk and Namor Film Rights

    In the world of IPs and rights, you never know what might happen. Marvel Studios is still trying to regain the rights that Marvel Comics once sold to external partners all the way in the past to ensure they wouldn’t go bankrupt. While Sony is not likely to ever let go of Spider-Man, it does seem like there are two characters they might finally regain the film rights to according to a Wall Street analyst, Jason Bazinet, who has a “Buy” on Disney shares and offered some predictions on where he sees the company’s future.

    One of the biggest questions always was: will Disney hold on to Hulu? The streaming service did push its overall subscriber numbers but existed as a direct competitor to their in-house produced streaming service Disney+. They also don’t fully own it with a 67% stake being the only reason they have as much control over r the service as they do. Bazinet though believes going by the latest fiscal quarter, they’ll likely sell the service.

    Following fiscal 1Q23 results, we believe the company is less interested in a mass market DTC offering. This raises the possibility that Disney may sell its Hulu stake.

    Jason Bazinet

    The share size was a result of their Fox deal that cost them a whopping $71.3B back in 2019. They technically have the right to buy out the remaining 33% from Comcast as of January 2024, but there’s no definite that they are obliged to definitely do so. Blazinet though believes that perhaps the sale of Hulu gives them some leverage to get their hands back on the distribution rights for the Marvel IPs of Hulk and Namor.

    While Disney owns all Marvel IP, Universal has distribution rights to Hulk and Namor. As such, if Disney makes a Hulk or Namor film, Comcast can distribute the film on Peacock. If Hulu is sold, Disney may use this as an opportunity to secure these distribution rights.

    Jason Bazinet

    Hulu can be found in 44% of U.S. online households and has a strong market share. Though if they do decide to purchase the remaining rights, they might just fuse the service similar to how the service is being treated internationally with the Star branding. As of now, the costs estimated for Hulu stand at somewhere between $19.8B and $27.5B. Though there have been rumors they might regain the rights by 2023 anyway. So, we’ll have to see what that might mean especially with rumors of a World War Hulk film making the rounds.

    Source: The Wrap

  • RUMOR: Liv Tyler In Talks To Appear Upcoming MCU Film

    RUMOR: Liv Tyler In Talks To Appear Upcoming MCU Film

    Tim Blake Nelson might not be the last cast member from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk to make his welcome return to the MCU. A new rumor from Reddit is saying that Liv Tyler, last seen as Bruce Banner’s partner and the daughter of Thunderbolt Ross 14 year ago, will reprise her role in an upcoming MCU film that might be World War Hulk.

    A World War Hulk project was rumored to be in the works for some time, with some fans speculating that Captain America: New World Order would be a distilled version of it, given the involvement of The Leader and Thunderbolt Ross. With those characters playing a big part in the future of the MCU, it only makes sense for Betty Ross to be in tow.

    It’ll be fun to see what the dynamics will be between Bruce and Betty now that Skaar is in the picture.

    Source: Reddit

  • RUMOR: Ben Affleck in Talks With Marvel Studios for an Upcoming Role

    RUMOR: Ben Affleck in Talks With Marvel Studios for an Upcoming Role

    Ben Affleck has gone through quite the journey when it comes to superhero or franchise films. The actor has made quite the name for himself throughout his directorial and acting career, but it seems he may still be interested in revisiting a new role within an established franchise. A new rumor is making the rounds online that hints at Ben Affleck potentially taking on a role in an upcoming Marvel Studios project and it’s quite an interesting one: he may be in talks to tackle the role of Dario Agger according to @MyTimetoShineH.

    For those that don’t know, Dario Agger is actually a villain better known as the Minotaur and was a recurring antagonist for Thor. At one point it was even who Christian Bale was going to play in Thor: Love and Thunder before he ended up taking on the role of Gorr the God Butcher. The character had a major role in the War of the Realms event in the comics as well as appearing in the iconic Immortal Hulk series.

    His potential addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe would open up some rather interesting possibilities. If this is a one-time appearance, it would be fitting if he had a role in the new Captain America film subtitled New World Order. Agger is famous for also being the president of Roxxon Energy, a company that has been a part of the franchise since the beginning hinted at through various appearances in the background. But, who knows if there might be another project in development where he might appear in.

    Source: Twitter

  • D23: Tim Blake Nelson Makes MCU Return as Leader in ‘Captain America 4’

    D23: Tim Blake Nelson Makes MCU Return as Leader in ‘Captain America 4’

    D23 is full of surprises as Tim Blake Nelson has been confirmed to return as the Leader, but not in the project you respect. While most of us thought he’d show up in She-Hulk, which is still a possibility, it seems he’ll have a role in Captain America: New World Order. He’ll join Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly and the main star Anthony Mackie in the film. They’ll also introduce a mutant named Sabra, who’ll be played by Shira Haas.

  • ‘She-Hulk’s Mark Ruffalo Teases Hulk’s Future in the MCU

    ‘She-Hulk’s Mark Ruffalo Teases Hulk’s Future in the MCU

    Mark Ruffalo makes his return in She-Hulk, Attorney at Law, which further explores his time as Smart Hulk and living with the consequences of his own actions. We get the perfect juxtaposition with Tatiana Maslany‘s Jennifer Walters just trying to live a normal life as much as possible. Still, her life is flipped upside down when a Sakaaran ship appears out of nowhere.

    While it’s the main catalyst for her transformation into She-Hulk, the second episode of the Disney+ series also revealed that there might be some unfinished business for our favorite former Gladiator. Many have their theories, especially with rumors of a World War Hulks project in development, but Variety got the chance to ask Ruffalo directly, who shared his thoughts on returning to Sakaar.

    I don’t know. It certainly does suggest that. There has been some conversations about what happened in the two years where Hulk abandoned Banner and the Avengers [on Sakaar], and the emergence of Smart Hulk, which hasn’t ever fully been answered. I think maybe we’ve given four sentences to that time period since then. It’s really an interesting, exciting part of the Hulk story and Banner story.

    Mark Ruffalo

    he also highlights that he could imagine exploring the idea of Planet Hulk or World War Hulk at one point in the storyline, and the ship sighting may be setting that very future up.

    I do think that the trip to Sakaar is a good place to start and what that means to the idea of what the fans have been asking for — this idea of Planet Hulk or World War Hulk or just the journey that Banner and Hulk have to make to come to peace with each other. That’s really interesting to me, and I do feel like there is some interest in exploring that down the line.

    Mark Ruffalo

    Whatever the future may have in store for Hulk, it definitely looks like he’s here to stay. Alongside Thor and Hawkeye, they make up the rest of the original Avengers, and with two films confirmed in the future, we’ll see if they might be the ones to unite the team against its newest threat.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘She-Hulk’: Ruffalo Got to Ad Lib a Certain Scene in Episode Two

    ‘She-Hulk’: Ruffalo Got to Ad Lib a Certain Scene in Episode Two

    Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law introduces Tatiana Maslany‘s Jennifer Walters, the cousin of Mark Ruffalo‘s Bruce Banner. Ruffalo, of course, took over the role of Banner with 2012’s The Avengers, taking over the role of Hulk from Edward Norton who’d portrayed the character in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. While Norton did a good job playing the Jade Giant, the actor ended up departing the role citing that he’d experienced what he had wanted to experience with the character. Since then, Ruffalo has tackled the role, appearing in every Avengers film since and even co-starring in Thor: Ragnarok in 2017.

    In recent years, Marvel Studios has begun to reintroduce some of the other characters from The Incredible Hulk back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the biggest one being William Hurt‘s Thaddeus Ross who returned for Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Black Widow before his unfortunate passing earlier this year. Now, Marvel is looking to (finally) bring Tim Roth‘s Emil Blonsky back as the Abomination after a brief cameo in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The actor is featured prominently in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, so it’s no surprise that his fight with the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk is recounted in the series. However, the show finds a way to poke fun at the re-casting of the Hulk in a pretty smart way.

    According to Maslany, the conversation regarding Hulk being a different person was actually an ad lib by Ruffalo. When asked if she was surprised the show got away with a nod to the recasting, the actress revealed Ruffalo was behind the memorable line.

    That was a Mark [Ruffalo] ad lib! That’s truly the world of this show. It’s as meta as you can possibly get, and what’s more meta than discussing the fact that the Hulk in [The Incredible Hulk (2008)] was played by a totally different actor? There are so many layers to it.

    Maslany

    She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is now streaming on Disney+ with new episodes dropping on Thursdays.

    Source: THR.

  • ‘She-Hulk’ Star Shares What It’s Like Working with Mark Ruffalo on Set

    ‘She-Hulk’ Star Shares What It’s Like Working with Mark Ruffalo on Set

    The world is about to meet its newest Hulk in Tatiana Maslany‘s She-Hulk. The upcoming law comedy will offer a unique look into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we not only meet its latest hero but also have the return of Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk. As his cousin, Jennifer Walters ends up gaining his abilities, he tries to find a way to help her control her newfound abilities.

    During the She-Hulk: Attorney at Law press conference, she pointed out what it was like working alongside Ruffalo on set, who has ten years on his belt as the iconic Green Goliath. She recounted a sequence of watching her co-star just transform into Hulk on set, showcasing the character and how much he’s personified the character at this point while doing a kip-up.

    He was laying down on the ground outside as Bruce, and then he got up as Hulk, like, truly from a laying down position, he’s suddenly standing. It looked completely inhuman. And I was like oh, so that is what 10 years of playing this character and physically embodying him and being so inside of him … you get to do cool stuff like that.

    Tatiana Maslany

    the fun aspect of just how much he personifies this character is highlighted that the actor says he can’t actually do a kip-up outside of his “Hulk-Mode” which highlights just how in the role he can get. Ruffalo has played the character ever since the first Avengers, and while we don’t know just how The Incredible Hulk might tie into the series but with Blonsky‘s return, there’s actually the chance other elements may also make a return in one way or another.

    Source: Slash Film

  • ‘Moon Knight’s Ethan Hawke Denies Hulk Rumors

    ‘Moon Knight’s Ethan Hawke Denies Hulk Rumors

    For quite some time, there have been rumors that we’ll see one Avenger join the upcoming Moon Knight series. Yet, the project has mostly been shown as a very independent storyline from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Surprisingly, it seems that Mark Ruffalo‘s Hulk was the one teased as a potential addition to the Disney+ series. Yet, it seems there might not be that much after all to the rumors.

    Even as there hasn’t been much proof outside of Ruffalo being sighted near the production, it didn’t stop the rumor from making the rounds on multiple occasions. Ethan Hawke, however, was asked during The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on the rumors surrounding the project, where he quickly denied it having any real weight.

    That would be cool, right? That would be cool. Except I know Mark Ruffalo, and I think if we were in the same show, he would have at least texted me or something. So I don’t think that one’s got a lot of legs. [Audience groans ] I know, I know. Maybe in another one.

    Ethan Hawke

    He does go on in the interview that his personal hope is to see Mahershala Ali‘s Blade make an appearance but he wouldn’t know if they filmed anything in that regard. Given the darker direction for the character, it would make the most sense. Yet, we’ve been surprised in the past and who knows if he appears in a post-credit sequence that Hawke wasn’t involved with. Of course, there’s always the chance that he’s just denying it outright as he can’t break his NDA as part of the series. For now, we have to wait and see.

    You can watch the full interview here:

    Source: YouTube via The Direct

  • Deep Thoughts: Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2024 Release Calendar, V1

    Deep Thoughts: Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2024 Release Calendar, V1

    With so much uncertainty remaining about exactly when which projects will stream in 2022, and only some known quantities for 2023, it would be crazy to start thinking about 2024. Without further delay, here’s a look at what Marvel Studios’ 2024 release slate COULD be.

    Marvel Studios has not acknowledged the existence of this Hulk project; however, KC Walsh broke the news publicly in October of 2021, supporting information shared with Murphy’s Multiverse 3 months prior. While it seems like a safe bet to be the first 2024 film, given Walsh’s info that it will film in late-2022, all that can be done now is to make a wild prediction that it’ll land here.

    As discussed at length here, Charlie Cox is going to be included in a lot of Marvel Studios projects over the next several years. It’s been great for Cox to take off the gloves lately and start discussing his future more and more and, as recent reports have indicated, a Daredevil solo project is among those. At the moment, it looks like that one could go into production as soon as late 2022 or early 2023, but with an already packed 2023, it’s reasonable to expect Daredevil hits Disney Plus in 2024.

    The news that Shawn Levy had signed on to take the wheel for Deadpool 3 and the lack of news about other theatrical projects put this one firmly on the board for 2024. Fans are rightly curious about exactly what to expect from this film, but with the writers from the first two films getting a pass at the script, a steady flow of dick jokes is probably on the menu.

    While the title of this series is up in the air, from a simple Okoye to a more indicative Midnight Angels, it’s expected that it will spin directly out of the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and possibly focus on not only Okoye but also a group of elite Dora Milaje warriors on a VERY special mission. Ryan Coogler has created expansive mythology connected to Wakanda and this series should explore more of that while setting up the future of the franchise.

    At one point, this film was on the docket to film in 2021. Recently, Murphy’s Multiverse was informed that production was officially postponed until 2023, putting it among the top contenders for a 2024 release. Thematically, Cap 4 could tie into a number of Marvel Studios projects, including Armor Wars and the Okoye-centric series. Could this be the beginning of a New Avengers team in the MCU?

    2024 is the 60th anniversary of Wanda’s first appearance, so what better time for her first solo project to debut? Recent rumors of a solo project The Scarlet Witch seem to be supported by multiple sources and word of a 2023 start of production has reached our ears. A Fall release would align the series with the Autumnal Equinox, one of several major celebrations for Wiccans. Let’s put it here for now.

    A late-2023 start of production for this one falls in line with more than a decade’s worth of data that indicates Marvel Studios likes to give creatives a 2-year window from green light to film. Destin Daniel Cretton, who helmed Marvel Studios’ best origin story since Black Panther, is back for the sequel and should benefit from Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi dropping in here and there in between films.

    Discussed a couple of times in the most recent 2023 hypothetical calendar, the ability for Marvel to synergistically link theatrical releases to streaming series is a powerful marketing tool. With that tool in the toolbox, a beautiful bridge could be built from Shang-Chi 2 to a Xialing-centric The Ten Rings series. Could the two projects blow open the door for some other hidden cities to enter the MCU?

    Note: The latest version of our hypothetical 2023 calendar can be found right here.