In addition to Sony still having the film rights to Spider-Man-related characters, Universal Pictures continues to hold the distribution rights to solo movies about The Hulk and Namor the. Which Studios Own the Rights to Marvel's Characters? The Incredible Hulk star Tim Roth is also reprising his MCU role as Emil Blonsky/Abomination for She-Hulk, having recently lent his vocals to the character for his cameo in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. College of the Canyons - 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, California, USA. How To Improve Netflix Viewing Experience, How Grand Theft Auto Became one of the Most Popular Brands Ever, Ranking Our Favourite Episodes of Extreme Home Makeover. Copyright | RELATED: Why Bob Iger Returning to Disney May Be Bad for Marvel Fans. Paramount also distributed the first Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor. New evidence posted to Reddit seems to indicate that Universals Hulk distribution agreement could end in June of 2023. Exploring The Possibility Of Superman Growing Up With Parents: What Could Have Been? Yet due to Universal Pictures releasing the prior Hulk film, they held the distribution rights to The Incredible Hulk. The Incredible Hulk Coaster. The Hulk's appearances in other films and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law continue his story and make him the connective tissue for a number of these discrete stories. Many have been desperate to see a sequel toThe Incredible Hulkwith Mark Ruffalo for over a decade, andShe-Hulkhas so far been the closest Marvel has been able to offer due to legal agreements. The situation is that they didnt have much of an incentive to do somatically. Owns a dog who loves watching Milo and Otis on repeat. Father, veteran, and storyteller. On September 23, 2003, a 34-year-old woman . The most notable example of a theme park operator holding Marvel theme park rights is Universal Parks & Resorts, which operates two theme parks with Marvel-themed attractions: Universal Studios Florida and Universals Islands of Adventure. Marvel confirmed rights involving Hulk and Namor are still with Universal, meaning the Disney-owned characters will probably never get solo movies. While The Incredible Hulk did perform well on the home video market, it wasn't enough to cover marketing costs. The deal between Universal and Disney is iron clad; however, it may have a time limit. As we said at the start, Hulk isn't the most popular of the main Avengers. It has not been agreed to at this time, according to sources. It's well known that characters' movie rights have a big influence on the Marvel films made. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. Daredevil (and by extension the entire Netflix Defenders franchise) exists only because Marvel wasn't able to wrangle Galactus and the Silver Surfer back from Fox, and just this summer we got Sony/Marvel co-production Spider-Man: Homecoming where the web-slinger joined the franchise while being made by a different company. It is true that Universal still holds the distribution rights to any future Hulk movies, but the character rights and licenses firmly belong to Marvel after Universal didn't act on a. Superheroes & Villains Marvel Studios Still Doesn't Own The Movie Rights To Disney has the ability to use this property in a variety of ways, including making new movies, TV shows, and games. The Incredible Hulk barely improved on that half a decade later, making $263M in a year when Iron Man brought in $585M and The Dark Knight topped $1B (this was when hitting that mark was a major achievement). RELATED:MODOK Trends with Zack Snyder's 'Rebel Moon'. It's Marvel working around the restriction and. However, unlike most other reacquisitions where the creator gets the character back outright, with Hulk Universal still has a clause - seemingly in perpetuity - of first refusal on distributing any Hulk films. Beyond opening the doors to Hulk taking on a bigger role, Marvel Studios may finally be able to give Namor his own solo movie. What this means is Universal cannot make a Hulk movie, with Disney and Marvel unable to distribute a Hulk movie if they choose to move forward and make one. This complicated legal issue has since led the MCU to limit Hulk to supporting roles and omit solo projects altogether. Best Little Sites is not liable for inaccuracies, errors, or omissions found herein. Still, Marvel Studios has plenty of options to get around this deal, some of which fans have already seen. The movie rights of Hulk have always been dynamic unlike the character rights of the other superheroes. Universal Owns Namor's Rights, Too? He once asked Tom Cruise about his supposedly fake-butt in Valkyrie (he swore it was all real). That may not seem like a big deal, but for investors, it sure would be. Part of this comes from a tricky balance within the character's concept; while you have a big green monster for thrills, he only exists in a gulf of our actual protagonist. Played by Tenoch Huerta, this interpretation is a massive hit with fans, both diehards and those unfamiliar with Namor. While both are highly expected to be important to the MCU's future, they will only be able to be used in the way Hulk has been thus far. "As such, if Disney makes a Hulk or Namor film, Comcast can distribute the film on Peacock. In 1994, Universal Studios obtained the rights to license the Marvel comic books theme parks. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016), Thor: Ragnarok (2017, Black Panther 2018), Avengers: Infinity War (Fall 2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (Fall 2018), Captain Marvel (2019), and Avengers: Marvel rides are some of the most popular rides at theme parks around the world. "The Incredible Hulk" The Incredible Hulk (TV Episode 1977) - IMDb Namor Film Rights: Universal Studios Blocks Disney From Making Namor forms: { Marvel Super Hero Island, a massive Marvel-themed attraction at Universal Orlando, is one of the many attractions in the park. The company could be waiting for Universal to terminate before making a decision on their future. Universal and Marvel reached an agreement in 2008 for the former to distributeThe Incredible Hulkwhich starred Edward Norton as Bruce Banner before he was recast with Mark Ruffalo forThe Avengers. Yet, now that Bob Iger is back in charge of Disney, maybe he can complete his Marvel Comics collection and work out a new deal. Universal's Film Rights Dictate The Future Of Namor & The Hulk The future of both the Hulk and Namor rest solely on Universal. Marvel Entertainments acquisition by Universal is a significant acquisition for the company because it enters a highly competitive market for comic books and movies. But that doesn't mean a solo movie won't ever happen. RELATED: Is the Disney+ MCU Cutting Into Marvel Studios' Box Office Performance? Universal Studios | Movies, Theme Parks, News and Services While the Hulk has existed in live-action since the late 1970s, Namor only recently made his debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Growing up in the English countryside on a mixture of Star Wars, The Simpsons and Aardman, Alex is a lifelong movie obsessive. He works better when surrounded by a team, with the character not having to shoulder a whole movie on his own. Like Thanos, Marvel did it themselves by starting a film production company. This may come as a shock to new age readers but no, Marvel Studios does not actually have the movie rights to The Hulk. I would love to see another stand-alone Hulk film, but it just doesnt seem likely. 2 MCU Superheroes Are Still Stuck In Disney & Universal Rights Issues Namor the Sub-Mariner was introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Phase 4's culminating film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, despite the character's rights being owned by Universal Pictures. KEEP READING: She-Hulk Fan Proves Tatiana Maslany Looks Just Like the MCU Superhero If it does, that means that NBC or Peacock would have first right of refusal for a TV series with either character in the lead role. It's clear that Disney/Marvel do not have a problem distributing their superhero adventures through another studio, though that is not their top choice. The rights to both characters are currently tangled up with Universal. Marvel won back the Hulk movie production rights in 2005, after Universal failed to put a sequel to 2003's Hulk into immediate production. Of course, the comics moved beyond this in the 1960s, but culturally that is where Hulk's been, and it's only really in Ragnarok where his autonomy is presented. Rumors have previously spread to suggest Disney may have regained the rights but have yet to be supported by anything definitive. Since Hulk came out in June of 2008 this means that the agreement could end in June of 2023. Children 40-48 inches (102-122 cm) must be accompanied by a supervising companion (14 years or older). The Marvel Universe is home to some of the most iconic characters in pop culture. The attractions at Universal Studios Florida, such as Harry Potter and Jurassic World, are already doing this. David Maisel, a former Marvel Studios executive who played a key role in getting the MCU up and going, subsequently proposed that Marvel Studios make the next Hulk film and pay Universal to distribute it, which resulted in 2008's The Incredible Hulk. window.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || { Have Marvel's Problems With Hulk's Character Rights Changed? - ScreenRant No, Universal does not own any Marvel characters. As is evident with Marvel Studios' deal with Sony, there are ways the two studios could come together and work out a mutually beneficial deal for Marvel Studios to release solo films for the characters. Mark Ruffalo has now played Bruce Banner in four movies (counting his cameo in Iron Man 3), yet none have been a full-on Hulk standalone - and that doesn't look like it'll change in future. Another has more recently been revealed to be Namor. As Mark Ruffalo, who took over playing Bruce Banner/Hulk from Edward Norton after The Incredible Hulk, explained in 2017, Marvel Studios President/Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige "pulled me aside before [Thor: Ragnarok], and said, If you were gonna do a if we were going to do a standalone Hulk movie, what would it be?" After Ruffalo told Feige what he had in mind, his ideas were integrated into not only Ragnarokbut also Infinity War and Endgame. The rights of Hulk belonged to Universal similar to Spider-Man's rights in Sony VeryAware document.write( new Date().getFullYear() ); No standalone Hulk film has been in the works since 2008's The Incredible Hulk, which they produced. This category includes She Hulk as well. The film audience for the title didn't grow between movies, which is seen as a bad sign. Under the licensing arrangement for Spider-Man, the Company pays the third-party studio a licensing fee based on each films box office receipts, subject to specified limits. Thiswould ultimately be a very small part of any deal, but outside of combining Disney+ and Hulu,a potential sale - the streamer is valued between$19.8 billion and $27.5 billion - has the potential to add as much $13 to stock prices. Member of the Marvel Studios brain trust Nate Moore revealed Namor's rights are, just like the Hulk's, tied up with a pre-Disney distribution deal with Universal. While Disney and Marvel hold rights to develop movies starring The Hulk, Universal and Marvel reached an agreement in June 2008 to distribute The Incredible Hulk.. ); Marvel Studios has also been reported to bedeveloping aWorld War Hulkmovie following on from the events of Disney+'sShe-Hulkwith plans to shoot this year for a late 2023 or early 2024 release. In 2021, Lewis graduated from university with a Film and TV Studies degree, earning First Class Honours. Let us know in the comments. 3 (2016). callback: cb Despite never getting a sequel, the character has remained a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Especially if Marvel and Disney go the Planet Hulk route. In 2009, Disney spent $4 billion on Marvel comics. Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverwill introduce the Atlantean ruler, played by Tenoch Huerta, but his MCU future remains up in the air as of now. Home | Disneys contract with Universal likely expires in a few years, so the company will most likely build their own Marvel-themed park. The ensembles allow the character to show his strengths, and not focus on the weaknesses that would come out in a movie devoted solely to Hulk. This is why the one truly successful outing for Hulk is the TV series, which by its nature focused on Banner's conflict and internal drama - things that are great for episodic TV but not really a big blockbuster movie. You may have also seen/heard him on the Total Geekall podcast, unaffiliated YouTube channels, BBC Radio and CBC News. Condition: New. Lewis Glazebrook is a Senior Features writer for Screen Rant. Well, its likely that Universal and Marvel could renew the contract like Marvel did with Sony in 2019. "As such, if Disney makes a Hulk or Namor film, Comcast can distribute the film on . In an interview covered by The Wrap, a Wall Street analyst for Citi, Jason Bazinet, predicted that terms agreed to in Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox and its assets in 2019 could lead to the return of the rights for two wayward Marvel superheroes: Hulk and Namor. This deal was completed earlier this year between NBC Universal and The Blackstone Group, which owns 50% of Universal Orlando. After the events of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and the hints at Bruce Banner's MCU story, there were some rumors that Marvel Studios could make a solo Hulk movie after 2023. Marvel theme park rights are the exclusive rights to use Marvel intellectual property at an amusement park or other theme park setting. If Marvel feels there is enough interest to justify a solo movie, they will definitely jump at the chance. Geeks WorldWidepreviously reported in October 2021 thataWorld War Hulkmovie is in development with a 2022 production date, butupdates have since been scarce. Things getcomplicated here as The Wrap's report begins getting into the financial complications such a deal would involve. All Rights Reserved. Sure, anything could happen if the deal ends, but whats most likely is they just renew the deal. Universal Still Owns Movie Rights For The Hulk, Says Mark Ruffalo on: function(evt, cb) { How long until Marvel gets the full rights for Hulk? This may come as a disappointment to many, who wish for a Namor solo film after his fantastic debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Hulk Hogan Signed Universal Champion Red Wrestling Belt. The deal between Universal and Disney is iron clad; however, it may have a time limit. Hulk Movie Production and Distribution Rights - Collider The attractions will be located in Paris as part of Disneys park expansion, which will include the construction of its own Avengers Campus, where guests can meet and greet Marvel characters and enjoy on-theme restaurants such as the Pym Test Kitchen and the Ant-Man and The Wasp-themed Why did Disney sell Marvels rights to Marvel? In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and of course - Netflix and chill! Superman & Lois: The Third Seasons Villains Revealed! 7 Fantastic Animes You Need to be Watching Right Now. Advertise, Funny Superhero (DC & Marvel) Shirts & Stickers. This situation is very similar to that of another longstanding MCU character: the Hulk. 27 Unearthed legal documents may suggest that Disney and Marvel Studios will regain theatrical distribution rights to The Incredible Hulk and other Hulk films in June 2023. In 2012, Marvel and Universal reached a deal that allowed Marvel to produce a new Hulk film, but the rights to the character still remain with Universal. ComicBookMovie.com is a registered trademark and has been officially registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Although these characters are no longer featured at Universal Orlando Resort, they remain a major part of the Marvel universe, and they will be a big hit with fans of the movies and television shows. However, it's not like there's no Hulk in the MCU. All logos and images used on this website are registered trademarks of their respective companies. Some people prefer action movies, while others might prefer comedies or dramas. This means that the release of any Hulk/Namor solo film from the initial greenlighting of the film, to theatrical and home releases, as well as sorting out distribution revenue shares and so on falls solely on Universal's shoulders. However, as Marvel Studios have not yet made any effort to do so despite Mark Ruffalo's Hulk being such an integral MCU character, it is unlikely to happen. The film production company is a joint venture between Disney and Marvel. acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, Laal Singh Chaddha (2022): The Disastrous Adaptation of Tom Hanks Forrest Gump, Spidey And His Amazing Friends Season Premier at Battery Park, Ryan Cooglers Thank You Letter To Fans Is Making Me Emotional All Over Again. Based out of North East England, Lewis has a deep passion for all kinds of media that began at a young age. Prior to Disney acquiring Marvel, they had a distribution agreement with Paramount for Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America. Is Superman Gay? Now Open - Get Details. It is also noted that if Marvel and Disney really wanted to make a new Hulk movie, they would buy the distribution rights from Universal, or cut some sort of new deal with Universal, or just release it through Universal as they have done with other studios in the past. Disney has acquired the intellectual property rights to the characters, stories, and settings from Marvels comics. There is another rumor of Marvel Studios developing a World War Hulk movie following events from She Hulk. These are not included under Universals Hulk rights. The Incredible Hulk was the second film in the MCU, released just one month after Iron Man. However, it is clear that Universal still holds the rights to several important Marvel characters. It is not possible to create Marvel-based versions of Universal characters. Captain America: Civil War takes place six decades before the Marvel Cinematic Universe debuted. Those who own physical media copies of those early Marvel films will know both Paramount and Universal distributed those films. ", The aforementioned SEC deal with Paramount notes its distribution agreement "for an initial period of 15 years commencing on the initial Theatrical Exhibition of such Picture:", "6. Disney Might Trade Hulu to Comcast for Hulk, Citi Analyst Says Despicable Me Minion Mayhem: Must be 40 inches (102 cm) tall. Well, unfortunately, probably not. It has over 6,000 characters and is one of the worlds most valuable comic book franchises. Despite being one of the founding Avengers, the Hulk has had an arguably small role to play in the MCU as the only member of the team not to lead a solo project since Phase 1. I'm Joel Watson and I'm a content manager at veryaware.com, an entertainment website. With the current state of Hulk's distribution rights sitting up in the air, new evidence has been uncovered to suggest when Disney will reacquire the rights. Terms Of Service | Incidents at Universal parks - Wikipedia However, it was not until the release of the first Iron Man movie in 2008 that the Marvel Cinematic Universe was truly born. Disney (DIS) might let go of Hulu in favor of the Hulk, at least according to one media analyst. Its been more than a decade since fans first saw The Incredible Hulk sequel starring Mark Ruffalo. Fans of Marvel Comics' history know that the effort to get its characters on TV and into the movies was decades in the making and pioneered by Stan Lee. Namor will make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which will be released in theaters on November 11. The most likely answer is that Universal is the exclusive licensee of the Marvel brand. RELATED: Why Were the Hulk's Pants Always Purple? A new Hulk movie would have to be given over to the Green Goliath, with the story revolving around an entirely CGI Hulk. Hulk will return in She-Hulk: Attorney at Lawwhen it premieres on August 18, exclusively on Disney+. Moreover, Marvel has made a deal with Sony that allows them Spider-Man to exist in the MCU. As the Fox-Disney deal goes to completion and Marvel Studios versions of the Fantastic Four and X-Men movies are released, Disney will now get all the revenue from merchandise and doesnt have to share with Fox. Related: Marvel Was Right To Scrap Black Panthers Original Namor Credits Scene. So, naturally, the question becomes, will the man they call Kulk'ulk'an get a solo film? One of these is Bruce Banner/Hulk, explaining why The Incredible Hulk is still the only MCU solo film for the character. 2003-2023 Best Little Sites, LLC. Do you think we'll eventually see solo Hulk and Namor movies? Namor will make his MCU debut inBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverwhich hits theaters on November 11. Spider-Man remains a huge part of the MCU and Namor will appear in the upcoming film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Marvel movies are based on comic books that were first published in the 1930s. Worth a mention is that the Fantastic Four and X-Men will be returning to Marvel-Disney once the Disney-Fox deal goes through which could be within the next month or two. Disney would distribute a Hulk movie to Marvel Studios, allowing the studio to begin production. The Hulk Surely Marvel owns The Hulk! Disney will only own Marvels parks if it acquires the rights to them from Universal. This is why Marvel Studios are unlikely to release a solo film for either character anytime soon, as they would not have full control over the distribution of their own film. As has been known since Disney's acquisition of Marvel Studios in 2009, the distribution rights for certain Marvel characters have rested with Universal Pictures. These findings just state that the deal is ending, it doesnt mean that Disney would get the rights back if the deal ends. Hulk has had his own solo movie and appeared in several Marvel Studios films. RUMOR: Marvel Regains Hulk Rights From Universal Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. This took a very meandering route to Ang Lee's Hulk in 2003, a film whose mixed reaction led to a muted sequel development period that ultimately saw the rights revert to Marvel in 2006, just as the studio was setting up the MCU. With Marvel producer Nate Moore recently revealing that both still belong to Universal, it is unclear whether these rumors held any merit. Iger, for example, is thought to own 500,000 Disney shares. AsThe Incredible Hulkhit theaters in June 2008, the 15-year period indicates Disney will regain distribution rights to the character in June 2023, at which point Marvel Studios would be able to begin production on a Hulk movie that Disney themselves would distribute. The Complicated Relationship Between Marvel And Universal Photos not available for this variation. Marvel licensed the rights to X-Men and Fantastic Four characters to 20th Century Fox in the 1990s. Its known that Marvel Chairman Ike Perlmutter had the Fox-Marvel characters killed off in the comics (Fantastic Four, Wolverine, etc.) A movie many fans hope is Planet Hulk. Now with Disney about to buy Fox, all the characters have returned to the Marvel comics and are now also being used in licensing, merchandise and gaming. There is a chance that Marvel will lose the rights to major characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Black Widow, and others in the near future due to their copyright expirations.