The Incredible Hulk director reveals plans for cancelled sequel
The 2008 blockbuster is finally making its mark on the MCU.
Director Louis Leterrier has opened up about cancelled plans for a sequel to his 2008 blockbuster The Incredible Hulk.
The often overlooked feature is technically the second entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but its influence was played down during Phases One and Two of the franchise.
It came back into relevance with the return of William Hurt's General Ross (in Captain America: Civil War) and Tim Roth's Abomination (in Shang-Chi), while She-Hulk: Attorney at Law later made direct references to the film.
That trend will continue with Captain America: Brave New World, which sees Samuel Sterns aka The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson) re-emerge, after being set up as a threat in The Incredible Hulk.
As Marvel Studios leans on his film more heavily than ever, ComicBook.com asked Leterrier what his initial plans for a Hulk sequel looked like – and he was surprisingly candid.
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"There was a whole sequel [in the works]," he explained. "There was Grey Hulk, Red Hulks — there was a lot of good stuff that we were planning."
In the comics, Grey Hulk is an alternate persona fighting for control of Bruce Banner's body, who lacks the physical strength of the "green guy", but boasts greater intelligence and reasoning – not entirely unlike Endgame's Smart Hulk.
Meanwhile, Red Hulk is an evolution of General Ross, who is heavily rumoured to be introduced in Captain America: Brave New World (with Harrison Ford replacing the late Hurt).
"Hulk is a complex character within the Marvel Universe,” Letterier explained. "You want the primeval Hulk… the rage Hulk. And then when you go Grey Hulk and Smart Hulk, you lose that a little bit and you get a little bit more kiddish with it. But that was the fun of where I was in my movie."
The Incredible Hulk 2 ultimately did not move forward for several reasons, including a relatively low box office gross, the departure of star Edward Norton, and a rights dispute between Universal and Disney.
The director, who recently helmed Fast X, went on to say that – at this point in the MCU – the character has drifted "very far from" anything he had imagined.
"That’s what I was aiming to do, but take my time with it [also] because there’s so many characters, they want it all fast," he added. "I like She-Hulk, but then, you know, yoga between Hulk and… I was like, ‘Okay yeah, we’re very far from my Hulk.'”
Marvel Studios has been criticised by some fans in recent years for what has felt like a rushed approach to Phases 4 and 5, which have lacked the clear focus and tight planning of what preceded them.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premiered last summer to mixed reviews overall, although Tatiana Maslany's performance in the title role was widely praised.
The Incredible Hulk is available to stream on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 for a year.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
