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. But they did not obtain the distribution rights, which Universal still has today. In The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (which was recently published by Abrams Books), it's noted that Universal and Marvel publicly agreed upon a new deal regarding the Hulk film rights in 2006. 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. It is exciting to speculate on what an Marvel-themed park at Disney World would look like. We also see why Disney never created any merchandise for the Fox Studios Marvel movies as they didnt want Fox getting a share of the revenue. Neither of the films got great attention either; The Incredible Hulk is one of the worst reviewed of the entire MCU and is often forgotten when it comes to full-franchise assessment. It requires going against an ingrained idea and barreling into something more psychological than the MCU structure allows. Well, its likely that Universal and Marvel could renew the contract like Marvel did with Sony in 2019. Because it was the studios risky two-picture strategy, landing Iron Man was regarded as a personal sacrifice. Universal Pictures are co-owners of the unfriendly green giant, which is why there hasn't been a solo Hulk movie since 2008's The Incredible Hulk and there's unlikely to be one in the MCU's future. Im Joel Watson and Im a content manager at veryaware.com, an entertainment website. A consistently evolving entertainment industry landscape where Marvel is the biggest game in town means the only certainty is that one can never say never. The Hulk might be coming home as rumors are spreading that claim Marvel now completely owns the rights to the big, green and angry hero, which could potentially lead to a new series of standalone films for the Hulk. You can see the excerpt from the SEC filings below: 6. After Ang Lee's regrettable Hulk film in 2003, Universal agreed to let Marvel Studios make the next picture, distributing The Incredible Hulk. Disney will be able to make Marvel-based films with the deal. 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. (function() { What do you think will happen regarding rights with The Hulk? Both Namor and the Incredible Hulk are characters Disney owns the rights to use in stories, films or television. On September 23, 2003, a 34-year-old woman . 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. event : evt, Its just not a smart move. The movie rights of Hulk have always been dynamic unlike the character rights of the other superheroes. It has over 6,000 characters and is one of the worlds most valuable comic book franchises. Distribution Term: Paramount shall have the right to exercise its Paramount Distribution Rights with respect to each Picture for an initial period of 15 years commencing on the initial Theatrical Exhibition of such Picture (the 'Initial Distribution Term');". Related: Black Panther 2 Repeats An Infinity War Trick To Make Namor More Powerful. 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. HULK Star Josh Lucas Has Nothing But Good Things To Say About Ang Lee's Divisive Marvel Movie While Marvel Studios is able to include The Hulk and Namor in movies, they've been restricted from. "While Disney owns all Marvel IP, Universal has distribution rights to Hulk and Namor," the analyst wrote. Ive been working in the online publishing industry for over 10 years and have a passion for creating engaging, entertaining content. The original agreement on file with the SEC states that Universal Studios has agreed to distribute Marvels film The Incredible Hulk and subsequent sequels on the same terms as those on which Paramount has agreed to distribute the other films. The first is that 2008's The Incredible Hulk didn't perform well at the box office, with just $263 million worldwide. The Reddit User then looked at the original Paramount deal which states that the deal is only good for 15 years after each picture. 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. Obviously, that makes their usage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe all the more tricky. In 1994, Universal Studios obtained the rights to license the Marvel comic books theme parks. Disney+s She Hulk: Attorney at Law starts streaming August 18. The Marvel trend is extremely profitable for Disney. Photos not available for this variation. 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. However, Universal does still hold the right of first refusal with . In light of this, they believed Universal was phoned in on the films marketing because the studio did not invest in the film. Citi analyst Jason Bazinet explains, "While Disney owns all Marvel IP, Universal has distribution rights to Hulk and Namor. They have made great strides to do so and have been very successful in that regard. The Incredible Hulk Coaster. Also, after She-Hulk introduced Skaar, Hulk's son, and began planting seeds of a Hulk story many have longed to see, it is no secret that solo films for both characters would be welcome in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In their 2018 financial report, Disney also confirms that Spider-Man is still licensed to Sony Pictures, and that the Fantastic Four and X-Men are currently with Fox Studios. There are many different types of movies that people can enjoy. RELATED: Is the Disney+ MCU Cutting Into Marvel Studios' Box Office Performance? 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. Power was fully restored, the . In addition to Disney and Marvel, Universal has the first right to distribute the Hulk movies. This was evident in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, with Namor being used as the villain of that film. The Marvel brand is not permitted by Disney to be used in the licensing of Marvel content to U.S. theme parks. Hulk in particular is a character that has suffered a bit because Universal owns the movie rights. As such, if Disney makes a Hulk or Namor film, Comcast can distribute the film on Peacock. Is the Disney+ MCU Cutting Into Marvel Studios' Box Office Performance? 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. 2003-2023 Best Little Sites, LLC. All of that makes a Hulk movie a tricky prospect. The final reason given for no solo Hulk movie anytime in the near future is that it will cost a lot of money. Nope, The Batman Spinoff The Penguin Now Filming, Batman George Clooney Rumored For The Flash, Marvels Ant-Man 3 Breaks Batman vs Superman Record. Fury of the Gods Special: Shazamily Matters, 10 Marvel Movies That Were Set Up To Fail, 10 Sci-Fi Films That Bombed At The Box Office But Became Cult Classics, Quantumania's MODOK Actor Defends His Ant-Man Role After Fan Backlash. At least that would give Namor the freedom Hulk never had. Father, veteran, and storyteller. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today onTwitter,Facebook, andInstagram. It is not possible to create Marvel-based versions of Universal characters. User Vidoardes on Reddit posted some interesting findings regarding the deal that indicate it may end in June of 2023. Marvel Entertainments acquisition by Universal is a significant acquisition for the company because it enters a highly competitive market for comic books and movies. There are numerous characters from films and TV shows that are based on Universal Studios properties. In 2009, Disney paid $4 billion for Marvel, and the agreement is a long-term one, as long as Universal keeps paying Disney. 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. However, Marvel could attempt to regain the rights to the characters for Phase 5 and beyond. While few details are on-the-record, the relationship between Universal and Disney is frosty at best. Copyright 2020 The Direct Media Group LLC. This also ensured that Marvel Studios could use Hulk in "future multicharacter films," beginning with The Avengers in 2012 and continuing on to Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Like the Incredible Hulk, Universal Studios owns the rights to the character Namor and entered into a special arrangement with Disney for the character to feature in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Of course, this hasn't prevented Marvel from giving Hulk a multi-film arc in the MCU, similar to those for characters like Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow. Despite the fact that Marvel is housed at Universal Studios, it is not a part of the park. Based in London, he oversees a global news & features team based in NY, LA and beyond. The rights to any film starring Hulk or Namor in a leading role are currently owned by Universal. Copyright | 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. For the Fantastic Four and X-Men, Fox pays Disney a licensing fee and receives a share of Disneys merchandise revenue on these properties. Universal Owns Namor's Rights, Too? The company is trying to overturn the decision of Marvel to grant Disney exclusive rights to the major Marvel Cinematic Universe characters. Marvel characters were licensed to Universal Studios in 1994. The most important verbiage is that Universal owns the rights to Marvel "in perpetuity"; meaning for as long as the contract is in good standing. For those who don't know, the film rights to everyone's favorite big, green, rage monster are complicated. Universal Could Be Considering Selling The Film Rights To THE HULK And NAMOR Back To Disney, A new report suggests there's a good chance Universal Pictures might finally sell the rights to the, During the recent D23 expo, we learned that Tim Blake Nelson would reprise the role of Dr. Samuel Sterns, aka The Leader, in, Mark Ruffalo talks more about that big reveal in the latest episode of. The answer, it seems, dates back about 13 years to the start of the Disney and Marvel Studios relationship. Its known that Marvel Chairman Ike Perlmutter had the Fox-Marvel characters killed off in the comics (Fantastic Four, Wolverine, etc.) Those who own physical media copies of those early Marvel films will know both Paramount and Universal distributed those films. From growing up having favorite films like The Lion King and The Iron Giant to becoming a major Star Wars and MCU fan, Hollywood blockbusters are Lewis main interests. The Hulk deal between Marvel and Universal is explained in-depth, with no standalone movie planned for the immediate future. The Greater World Wrestling organization will soon release a new Hulk series entitled World War Hulk.. 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. The Hulk franchise even introduced the "shared universe" concept, with Thor and Daredevil showing up in those shows. This makes it so that Namor can only be used in the MCU similar to how Hulk has been since 2008, something that may come as a disappointment to many. Back then, Marvel Entertainment were an independent company and so the Studios operated as just production, working with outside distributors. Still, Marvel Studios has plenty of options to get around this deal, some of which fans have already seen. 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. No standalone Hulk film has been in the works since 2008's The Incredible Hulk, which they produced. It would be a unique experience. The first installment of his superhero fiction book, TALES OF ADVENTURE & FANTASY, is available on Amazon in print and ebook! Captain America: Civil War takes place six decades before the Marvel Cinematic Universe debuted. You may have also seen/heard him on the Total Geekall podcast, unaffiliated YouTube channels, BBC Radio and CBC News. New evidence posted to Reddit seems to indicate that Universals Hulk distribution agreement could end in June of 2023. 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. Neither Disney nor Universals theme parks have a single ride that can be used by both. Both Namor and the Incredible Hulk are characters Disney owns the rights to use in stories, films or television. 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. During their stay, attendees can attend superhero training sessions with Iron Man and Black Widow. Apparently, the original deal for his rights stated they reverted to Marvel 15 years after the release of the latest film. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and of course Netflix and chill! 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. Over the past few years, Marvel Studios has set out to acquire most of the rights to Marvel Comics characters. As his antagonistic nature was established in Wakanda Forever, Namor will likely be used in this capacity again. Planet Hulk could be as close as 2021.The real question is, are you willing to wait that long? Marvel acquired the rights to the superhero theme park rights from Universal Studios in 1994. on: function(evt, cb) { But Hulk is, shockingly, even more complex than that. Trademark | Following Disneys acquisition of Marvel Entertainment, Marvel Studios and Marvel Television were formed. Per Ruffalo and Kevin Feige, Ragnarok is the start of a three-movie arc that will act as some approximation of a standalone story, delving into what makes Hulk, Hulk. That's still Universal . } Rumors have previously spread to suggest Disney may have regained the rights but have yet to be supported by anything definitive. This follows how Hulk has been utilized in the MCU. 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.