Mark Ruffalo Has Been Asked Not to Comment on Hulk Standalone Movie (Exclusive)
The Bruce Banner actor is hopeful it will come to fruition one day.
While the Marvel juggernaut seems to know no bounds, one foundational character has seemingly always drawn the short stick: Hulk. The big green rage monster helped kick off the Marvel Cinematic Universe back in 2008, as Universal Pictures distributed the Edward Norton-led The Incredible Hulk. That film came at a time where Marvel Studios was couch-surfing in Hollywood, leasing out their blockbusters' rights to various distributors. The only reason Marvel Studios even had the financial backing to get its initial projects off the ground was because it had been selling character rights to keep the lights on, evident by shopping Spider-Man to Sony Pictures and X-Men to 20th Century Fox.
A couple of massive mergers and cross-studio alliances later, and Marvel Studios now has most of its toys back. That said, there are still some complications across the board. Hulk continues to be a character that Marvel has freedom to utilize in ensemble pieces (The Avengers, Thor: Ragnarok) but the standalone rights still reside at the Universal lot. While hopes of another Hulk solo feature have been bleak for years, Disney and NBCUniversal's recent deal for Hulu has reignited whispers about what that newfound relationship could mean for the future of Bruce Banner.
Mark Ruffalo Hopeful For Standalone Hulk Film
You wouldn't like him when he's angry, but you'll love him when he's hopeful.
Speaking to ComicBook.com during the red carpet premiere of Poor Things, Mark Ruffalo revealed that while he cannot comment on Hulk's standalone future, he has been workshopping ideas of what it could be.
"Not that I know of," Ruffalo said when asked if the Disney x NBCUniversal deal for Hulu has changed anything regarding a Hulk movie. "I've been asked not to comment on it, that specifically. Hopefully one day though they'll work it out. I think it could be really cool and I've been putting a lot into what it could be to be cool, but I don't know yet."
Ruffalo has portrayed Hulk / Bruce Banner in the MCU for over ten years now. He took over the role from Edward Norton in 2012 and has gone on to appear in every Avengers film as well as franchises like Thor and Shang-Chi. He was most recently seen in a couple of episodes of last summer's She-Hulk.
Outside of Marvel, Ruffalo can be seen alongside Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe in Poor Things, in theaters on December 8th.