There has been speculation about a Marvel-themed park at Disney in the past, but nothing has come to fruition. It has over 6,000 characters and is one of the worlds most valuable comic book franchises. In 2021, Lewis graduated from university with a Film and TV Studies degree, earning First Class Honours. The attractions at Universal Studios Florida, such as Harry Potter and Jurassic World, are already doing this. Disneys contract with Universal likely expires in a few years, so the company will most likely build their own Marvel-themed park. Disney would distribute a Hulk movie to Marvel Studios, allowing the studio to begin production. Rumors have previously spread to suggest Disney may have regained the rights but have yet to be supported by anything definitive. The past box office for these films does not justify that as a solid business plan. Since the Marvel movies, Disney has earned more money from them than Universal. Is Superman Gay? The answer, it seems, dates back about 13 years to the start of the Disney and Marvel Studios relationship. Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverwill introduce the Atlantean ruler, played by Tenoch Huerta, but his MCU future remains up in the air as of now. Why Bob Iger Returning to Disney May Be Bad for Marvel Fans. The Incredible Hulk - Owned By Universal. Beyond opening the doors to Hulk taking on a bigger role, Marvel Studios may finally be able to give Namor his own solo movie. Marvel Super Hero Island is part of Universals Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. Dragon Ball Z Characters Who Could Defeat Superman. For the Fantastic Four and X-Men, Fox pays Disney a licensing fee and receives a share of Disneys merchandise revenue on these properties. An SEC filing from 2006 notes Universal Studios' agreement to distributeThe Incredible Hulkunder the same terms as a similar deal with Paramount: "Universal Studios has agreed to distribute Marvels film The Incredible Hulk and sequels on essentially the same terms as those on which Paramount has agreed to distribute the other films financed and produced under the film facility. With the acquisition of Marvel in 2004, Disney increased its popularity even further among people who do not read comic books. 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. Under the licensing arrangements for The Fantastic Four and X-Men, the third-party studio pays the Company a licensing fee and receives a share of the Companys merchandise revenue on these properties. Since Comcast's Universal owns the film distribution rights for Hulk and newcomer Namor, the Wall Street analyst argues, "If Hulu is sold, Disney may use this as an opportunity to secure. Marvel Studios and Sony have mutually terminated their Spider-Man franchise. Now Lewis spends his time watching endless amounts of film and TV, gaming, and reading, all to further his work as a Screen Rant Features Writer as he tries to widen his knowledge to write about all aspects of film and TV. The Marvel brand is not permitted by Disney to be used in the licensing of Marvel content to U.S. theme parks. This may come as a disappointment to many, who wish for a Namor solo film after his fantastic debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Universal Orlando Resort. That is exactly why Mark Ruffalo does not have a solo project of his own despite his character being so darn popular among even the most casual of moviegoers. 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. The Security and Exchange Commission filing from 2008 allows Universal to hold Hulk movie rights for 15 years, which would expire June 2023. She-Hulk will premiere on Disney+ in 2022. Since Hulk came out in June of 2008 this means that the agreement could end in June of 2023. However, these SEC filings may be the strongest evidence yet that the rights will be changing hands next year. This was typically Paramount, who released every film except Hulk up until The Avengers, by which point Disney had bought Marvel and set about distributing themselves. Copyright 2020 The Direct Media Group LLC. In 2009, the CEO of Disney acknowledged the importance of Marvels intellectual property rights when Disney purchased Marvel. There hasn't been a Hulk solo movie since 2008, which is because the film rights are tied up with Universal Pictures. 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 is also why the Hulk only appears in the various Marvel Studios movies as a supporting character, such as in The Avengers films or Thor: Ragnarok. Although Marvel has the rights to Hulk back, it is unable to release a standalone Hulk movie thanks to . 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. 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. in a statement, a spokesperson for Universal Studios Hollywood said the park experienced a "brief power dip which resulted in exiting guests from some attractions", due to a "power interruption" from the utility Southern California Edison. / All Rights Reserved, Write for Us Movies, Entertainment, Comics, The Complicated Relationship Between Marvel And Universal, https://veryimgs.veryaware.com/1661323847200.jpg, https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a5aed50578738cfe85dcdca1b09bd179?s=96&d=mm&r=g. 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. The actual Hulk character had limited screen time in the first two standalone movies, with Bruce Banner involved in much of the action. The Hulk franchise even introduced the "shared universe" concept, with Thor and Daredevil showing up in those shows. It's Marvel working around the restriction and. There are also Marvel villains such as Doctor Doom and the Green Goblin. The Incredible Hulk was marketed differently by the studio, Marvel Studios. Best Little Sites is not liable for inaccuracies, errors, or omissions found herein. The rights to both characters are currently tangled up 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.. Namor's introduction in the film has been widely regarded as one of the best aspects of Wakanda Forever, with many placing Namor among the best MCU villains, given the character's understandable motivations. Disney purchased Marvel Universal to ensure the continuation of their partnership. (function() { So if Marvel went ahead with a Hulk film on their own, they could either buy out Universal's distribution rights, make a deal with the studio that would be mutually beneficial, or just live. Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Since the opening of Universals Islands of Adventure in 2001, fans of Marvel have found familiar characters there. 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. If for some reason Universal chose to forgo distribution, then Disney would immediately pick up the distribution rights for the Hulk movie. Hulk has been a member of the MCU for over a decade. Home | The rights to any film starring Hulk or Namor in a leading role are currently owned by Universal. . Overseas, Hulu titles are added to the Disney+ library, but the two streaming platforms remain completely separate in the U.S. Having two of these services to contend with has become something of a financial burden, and selling its 67% share could be highly beneficial to the company. At Universals Islands of Adventure, you can find a wide range of Spider-Man toys. A recent report from The Wrap revealed that Universal still holds the rights to both Hulk and Namor, placing limitations on their use in the MCU. Since The Incredible Hulk, the character has appeared in all four Avengers movies, as well as cameos in Iron Man 3, Captain Marvel, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and supporting roles in Thor: Ragnarok and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. The acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney in 2019 brought home several big Marvel characters such as The X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool among others. If Marvel feels there is enough interest to justify a solo movie, they will definitely jump at the chance. Universal currently owns distribution rights to any movie starring Hulk or Namor in the leading role, meaning they receive a significant share of the profits. If, or when, Universal chooses to forgo distribution, Disney will immediately pick up those distribution rights for a solo Hulk movie. 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. A recent rumor has suggested that the solo film rights to the Hulk may be returning to Marvel Studios in 2023! Own It Now on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital. 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. I'm Joel Watson and I'm a content manager at veryaware.com, an entertainment website. Still, Marvel Studios has plenty of options to get around this deal, some of which fans have already seen. Obviously, that makes their usage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe all the more tricky. No, Universal does not own any Marvel characters. Disney and Marvel made Iron Man 2 with Paramount distributing the movie. When the Mouse bought Marvel, Disney and Universal went to war in the courts in order to free up not just film distribution rights but Marvel characters appearing in Universal's Orlando theme park. Hulk has had his own solo movie and appeared in several Marvel Studios films. In light of this, they believed Universal was phoned in on the films marketing because the studio did not invest in the film. Fans shouldn't take the newly-uncovered details of the agreement between Disney and Universal as a certainty the House of Mouse is about to reacquire the distribution rights to Hulk and Namor. There appears to . Spider-Man, Captain America, Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, and Rogue are just a few of the Marvel heroes and villains you can meet at the theme park. But why? Things getcomplicated here as The Wrap's report begins getting into the financial complications such a deal would involve. Disney has acquired the intellectual property rights to the characters, stories, and settings from Marvels comics. Sure, anything could happen if the deal ends, but whats most likely is they just renew the deal. 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. Right now, we're still years away from that happening. Geeks WorldWidepreviously reported in October 2021 thataWorld War Hulkmovie is in development with a 2022 production date, butupdates have since been scarce. He's covered a wide range of movies and TV shows - from digging out obscure MCU Easter eggs to diving deep into deeper meanings of arthouse fare - and has covered a litany of set visits, junkets and film festivals. Thanks to the late co-creator of the Marvel Universe, cartoons and live-action series that featured Hulk, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange hit TV. Big changes have been taking place behind the scenes at Disney ever since Bob Iger returned as CEO, with one popular theory being that the company will sell its 67% stake in Hulu. That means more production time and higher costs with the extensive effects necessary. The Reddit User then looked at the original Paramount deal which states that the deal is only good for 15 years after each picture. Privacy | If Hulu is sold, Disney may use this as an opportunity to secure these distribution rights.". Universal landed the film rights to Hulk and Namor in the early 2000s. window.mc4wp.listeners.push( 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. Its the reason there is only one stand-alone Hulk film. Disney will only own Marvels parks if it acquires the rights to them from Universal. Marvel Studios has finally explained its Hulk movie deal with Universal Pictures and how it affects the character's role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers. Disneys purchase of Marvel in 2009 had a big impact on Universal Studios. } Here Universal's the only ones who win. New evidence posted to Reddit seems to indicate that Universals Hulk distribution agreement could end in June of 2023. Forbes offers three reasons for Marvel and Disney not committing to a new Hulk movie. Captain America: Civil War takes place six decades before the Marvel Cinematic Universe debuted. Advertise, Funny Superhero (DC & Marvel) Shirts & Stickers. These movies are full of action, adventure, comedy, and drama, and they always leave audiences wanting more.