This complicated legal issue has since led the MCU to limit Hulk to supporting roles and omit solo projects altogether. Disney does not permit the use of the comic book character at any of its theme parks in the United States or Canada. 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. Disney has regained ownership of the Marvel Comics character after Universal Pictures gave up rights to him. Those who own physical media copies of those early Marvel films will know both Paramount and Universal distributed those films. Photos not available for this variation. Since the opening of Universals Islands of Adventure in 2001, fans of Marvel have found familiar characters there. All rights not expressly granted to Paramount, including without limitation, the following rights: merchandising, soundtrack, videogame, publishing (other than free excerpts for marketing purposes), music publishing, production of derivative works and other audio-visual works based on the Marvel Characters and/or Marvel Titles, including without 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. Do you think we'll eventually see solo Hulk and Namor movies? Hulk Movie Rights Explained, Solo Movie Still Years Away 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. on: function(evt, cb) { Have Marvel's Problems With Hulk's Character Rights Changed? - ScreenRant With the acquisition of Marvel in 2004, Disney increased its popularity even further among people who do not read comic books. Marvel regained cinematic rights to the character in 2005 after Universal failed to make a follow-up to Ang Lee's Hulk movie. / 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. Namor can be used in the same manner as the Hulk in the MCU, namely as part of an ensemble, antagonistic role, or cameo. 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. Despite never getting a sequel, the character has remained a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A movie many fans hope is Planet Hulk. What they own is the "right of first refusal" for distribution of Hulk movies. 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. The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ending established that Namor was almost using Wakanda to gain his long-awaited war on the surface world, meaning he could potentially appear in an antagonistic role again in a future Black Panther film. Apparently, the original deal for his rights stated they reverted to Marvel 15 years after the release of the latest film. But that doesn't mean a solo movie won't ever happen. Marvel acquired the rights to the superhero theme park rights from Universal Studios in 1994. However, Universal does still hold the right of first refusal with . Disney may sell its 67% stake in Hulu for more Marvel rights: Citi Disney and Marvel still hold the rights to develop movies starring the Hulk, but Universal has the first refusal opportunityto distribute the project and takes a significant chunk of the profits. See original listing. The outlet added a comment from Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore who revealed the character had to be "borrowed" for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, just like the Hulk has been. 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. It is impossible for Universal to make a standalone for the Hulk as opposed to a Marvel film because the studio owns the rights to the character. Still, Marvel Studios has plenty of options to get around this deal, some of which fans have already seen. While Disney and Marvel hold the rights to develop films starring The Hulk, the companies announced an agreement with Universal and Marvel in June 2008 to distribute The Incredible Hulk. According to a 2008 SEC filing, Universal has the authority to hold Hulk for up to 15 years, which expires in June 2023. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and of course - Netflix and chill! 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. According to Broussard, the Incredible Hulk was the clear winner when it came to placing second. Hulk Movie Rights Explained, Solo Movie Still Years Away, 10 Movies That Were Rated R for Basically No Reason, 10 Greatest Classic Movies of All Time, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes, 15 Critically Panned Movies that Somehow Got Sequels. The Avengers film rights have only been licensed to Universal by the company. The film production company is a joint venture between Disney and Marvel. The company obtained film rights, intellectual property, and a production company in addition to Marvel movie rights. ComicBookMovie.com is a registered trademark and has been officially registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Hulk appearing as a secondary character in the MCU receives just as much attention as other main characters like Thor and Iron Man, as the solo Hulk film. ); } 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. 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. Hulk has had his own solo movie and appeared in several Marvel Studios films. Could this change? That being said, the three characters they dont own are still part of the MCU. Universal/Marvel Hulk Sequel Rights Clarified - IGN "We believe Disney may sell its 67% stake in Hulu," Citi analyst Jason Bazinet wrote in a new note . After all, Ruffalo's contract originally ran for six movies, so assuming that hasn't changed he still has one more to go (Iron Man 3 is unlikely to have counted); rounding things off with a Hulk movie would a fitting finale to the character's time in the MCU. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. 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). For the Fantastic Four and X-Men, Fox pays Disney a licensing fee and receives a share of Disneys merchandise revenue on these properties. If Hulu is sold, Disney may use this as an opportunity to secure these distribution rights.". Avengers Campus is named after the city of Tokyo (the location of Avengers Theme Park). There hasnt been a Hulk solo movie since 2008, which is because the film rights are tied up with Universal Pictures. The situation is more of a standoff between Disney and Universal where neither wants to give, and so Marvel are just dealing with it. Rumors have previously spread to suggest Disney may have regained the rights but have yet to be supported by anything definitive. That's still Universal . RELATED: Only Two MCU Villains Have Made Hulk Bleed - and One of Them Is Dead. and not used in merchandise, licensing or video games because Fox owned the characters. Universal has the first refusal opportunityto distribute the project, Disney may have regained the rights but have yet to be supported by anything definitive, but there are still plenty of release opportunities left in Phase 6 and beyond, Spider-Verse 2 Reportedly Includes Major MCU Phase 4 Reference, Andor Season 2 Director Just Deleted This New Set Photo After Sharing Online, Avatar 3: Disney Is Secretly Teasing Sequels New Characters, Robert Pattinsons Batman Universe Just Recast 1 Gotham Character, The Mandalorian Season 3: Episode 2's Longer Runtime Revealed In Advance, Ant-Man 3: Quantumania's Post-Credits Scenes Count Confirmed, Michael B. Jordan Shares Blunt Response to Black Superman Casting Rumors, Daredevil Actors Hit the Gym for Disney+ Reboot (Photos), Ant-Man 3 Writer Refuses to Listen to Fans Criticizing MODOK: 'They're Wrong', Ant-Man 3's Disappointing Reviews: Kang Actor Breaks Silence on Negative Reaction. The Incredible Hulk was the second film in the MCU, released just one month after Iron Man. According to evidence shared on Reddit by u/vidoardes, Disney is in a position to regain distribution rights to the Hulk in 2023. Since Hulk came out in June of 2008 this means that the agreement could end in June of 2023. Home Movie News Hulk Movie Rights Still At Universal. listeners: [], Despite Disneys purchase of Marvel Entertainment, the studio continued to produce Marvel films. While Universal agreed to share the character with the main universe in MCU, it was still not allowed for Disney and Marvel to produce any solo movie on him. 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. Things getcomplicated here as The Wrap's report begins getting into the financial complications such a deal would involve. Yes, you read that right! Sony received the rights to Spider-Man, the X-Men went to 20th Century Fox, and characters like Hulk and Namor had their rights obtained by Universal Pictures. Neither Disney nor Universals theme parks have a single ride that can be used by both. Universal Studios Hollywood Height Requirements - 40 Inches or Taller. Disney has the opportunity to incorporate more movie-based themes into its theme parks. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and of course Netflix and chill! Marvel Entertainments acquisition by Universal is a significant acquisition for the company because it enters a highly competitive market for comic books and movies. What makes Marvel movies so special is that they are able to appeal to a wide range of people. Despite the MCU making strides to retrieve these rights - such as their deal with Sony to use Tom Holland's Spider-Man and the Disney acquisition of Fox for the X-Men - some of them remain complicated. Published Nov 30, 2022 Marvel confirmed rights involving Hulk and Namor are still with Universal, meaning the Disney-owned characters will probably never get solo movies. Both Namor and the Incredible Hulk are characters Disney owns the rights to use in stories, films or television. 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. You can visit Forbes for an even more in-depth account of what is going on with this Marvel title. 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. Despite the success of the Phase 4 and 5 releases, there are still plenty of opportunities for Marvel Studios to release movies in Phase 6 and beyond. Although, Disney may need to be quick to get started on a Hulk-centric project as Mark Ruffalo may well be looking to move on from the role soon after over ten years as Bruce Banner. All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers. The Hulk will be back in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which premieres on August 18. ", 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. The situation is that they didnt have much of an incentive to do somatically. window.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || { I guarantee you will not be disappointed. But they did not obtain the distribution rights, which Universal still has today. Transformers: The Ride-3D: Must be 40 inches (102 cm) tall. Despite the fact that Marvel is housed at Universal Studios, it is not a part of the park. Exploring The Possibility Of Superman Growing Up With Parents: What Could Have Been? And since Universal appears to have just recently lost that fight, it's not inclined to work with Disney on rights to these characters. Marvel Could Get Back The Hulk & Namor Rights From Universal?!? . You may have also seen/heard him on the Total Geekall podcast, unaffiliated YouTube channels, BBC Radio and CBC News. 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. This category includes She Hulk as well. Shocking Facts About Casino Real Story, Homemade Smoothie Recipes You Need to Try This Season, Lupita Nyongo is headed to A Quiet Place, Elevate Your Movie Nights with These Affordable Home Theater Upgrades. The Hulk Surely Marvel owns The Hulk! Those of you who are Disney fans will be perplexed as to why there are no Marvel-themed rides at Walt Disney World, particularly since Disneylands Avengers Campus is a huge hit. Some people prefer action movies, while others might prefer comedies or dramas. Since the Marvel movies, Disney has earned more money from them than Universal. Universal Studios | Movies, Theme Parks, News and Services After Ang Lee's regrettable Hulk film in 2003, Universal agreed to let Marvel Studios make the next picture, distributing The Incredible Hulk. Another has more recently been revealed to be Namor. Universal was the first studio to release a Marvel movie, with the 2003 film Hulk. Which Studios Own the Rights to Marvel's Characters? . New Movie News, Movie Trailers & upcoming Movie Reviews, Why Marvel's Complex Namor & Hulk Rights Mean They'll Never Get Solo Movies. If you have never seen a Marvel movie, I highly recommend you check one out. Universal Owns Namor's Rights, Too? Captain America: Civil War takes place six decades before the Marvel Cinematic Universe debuted. Marvel has been trying to get the rights to these characters back for years, but has had little success. This is why The Incredible Hulk, the character's only solo outing in the MCU, was distributed by Universal. Marvel Studios Was Unhappy With How Universal Marketed Incredible Hulk However, it is clear that Universal still holds the rights to several important Marvel characters. No, Universal does not own any Marvel characters. 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. This isn't the main reason we haven't heard an announcement on Planet Hulk or any other Hulk movie, though. The second reason is that Hulk has proven to be quite popular in Marvel's The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Ruffalo is now playing Bruce Banner/Hulk in the She-Hulk TV series, which is allowed under Marvel's deal with Universal since it's not a standalone Hulk project. Growing up in the English countryside on a mixture of Star Wars, The Simpsons and Aardman, Alex is a lifelong movie obsessive. 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'm Joel Watson and I'm a content manager at veryaware.com, an entertainment website. Exploring The Limits Of Supermans Power: Can The Man Of Steel Destroy An Entire Universe? Sure, anything could happen if the deal ends, but whats most likely is they just renew the deal. Spider-Man is one of the Marvel Villains on hand, so dont miss out on the chance to meet him. I've been working in the online publishing industry for over 10 years and have a passion for creating engaging, entertaining content. The film was Universal Pictures' second attempt at a Hulk film after the critical and commercial disappointment of Ang Lee's 2003 film. 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. Marvel won back the Hulk movie production rights in 2005, after Universal failed to put a sequel to 2003's Hulk into immediate production. So, while they can't do anything active with the rights, should Marvel decide to make a Hulk movie Universal must be approached first. The Incredible Hulk Coaster. Incidents at Universal parks - Wikipedia Is Superman Gay? 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. Disney has the ability to use this property in a variety of ways, including making new movies, TV shows, and games. RUMOR: Hulk Movie Rights Could Be Returning to Disney in June 2023 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. If, or when, Universal chooses to forgo distribution, Disney will immediately pick up those distribution rights for a solo Hulk movie. A password reset link will be sent to you by email. Iger, for example, is thought to own 500,000 Disney shares. However, Marvel could attempt to regain the rights to the characters for Phase 5 and beyond. This is because Universal's option only relates to explicit Hulk films and, as Bruce Banner is clearly part of an ensemble in these cases, they have no say in them. For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today onTwitter,Facebook, andInstagram. Universal Studios has the rights to many of these characters, and has used them in a variety of theme park attractions and live shows. Unlike other Marvel characters in the MCU, such as Iron Man, Captain America, or Thor, Namor and Hulk are not solely owned by Marvel Studios. 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. It really all comes down to contracts. Marvel can't make a Hulk standalone, but they probably wouldn't want to even if they could. If for some reason Universal chose to forgo distribution, then Disney would immediately pick up the distribution rights for the Hulk movie. The rights to any film starring Hulk or Namor in a leading role are currently owned by Universal. Universal Could Be Considering Selling The Film Rights To THE HULK And 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. In light of this, they believed Universal was phoned in on the films marketing because the studio did not invest in the film. 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. There are numerous characters from films and TV shows that are based on Universal Studios properties. So, while Disney owns the rights to the characters Namor and the Hulk, Marvel's pre-existing deal with Universal locks down the distribution rights, possibly in perpetuity. Marvel and Sony Strike a Deal in 1998 to License the Film Rights to Spider-Man and 900 Related Characters Back when superheroes were still in their infancy, Sony and Marvel struck a deal to license the film rights to Spider-Man and 900 related characters. The Return Of Superman: A Show That Positively Portrays Fathers, The 1978 Superman Film And Its Iconic Sequel Superman II. For now, Marvel and Disney think the character works better as part of an ensemble. 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. 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. 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). Marvel confirmed rights involving Hulk and Namor are still with Universal, meaning the Disney-owned characters will probably never get solo movies. 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. 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.. Power was fully restored, the . Hulk And Namor Solo Movies Could Depend On Disney's Plans For Hulu Screen Rant's Managing Editor, Alex Leadbeater has been covering film online since 2012 and been a permanent fixture of SR since 2016. Back then, Marvel Entertainment were an independent company and so the Studios operated as just production, working with outside distributors. Universal Still Owns Movie Rights For The Hulk, Says Mark Ruffalo All rights reserved. forms: { 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. Will a solo movie happen anytime soon? While few details are on-the-record, the relationship between Universal and Disney is frosty at best. Universal Namor rights : r/marvelstudios - reddit.com The Incredible Hulk - Owned By Universal. The Greater World Wrestling organization will soon release a new Hulk series entitled World War Hulk.. Details Of Marvel's 'Hulk' Film Rights - Fans Can Relax About Sequel That means that when Marvel Studios wants to make a Hulk movie, they are contractually obligated to ask Universal if they want the distribution rights. MCU: New Evidence Reveals When Hulk Movie Rights Could Return to Disney 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. In addition, Universal is still the owner of the rights to this character. After being recast as Mark Ruffalo (a choice unrelated to rights issues - it was the result of Norton not wanting to return), Hulk's appeared in The Avengers, Iron Man 3's post-credits scene, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok and will return in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4. 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. Best Little Sites is not liable for inaccuracies, errors, or omissions found herein. callback: cb RELATED: Why Were the Hulk's Pants Always Purple? As his antagonistic nature was established in Wakanda Forever, Namor will likely be used in this capacity again. Home | Based out of North East England, Lewis has a deep passion for all kinds of media that began at a young age. The opportunity to expand on Disneys involvement in the Marvel universe is one of the most promising things to come. Disney has acquired the intellectual property rights to the characters, stories, and settings from Marvels comics.