We want a Hulk movie. Mark Ruffalo wants a Hulk movie. Marvel (probably) wants a Hulk movie, but they can’t make it happen due to ownership rights. Still, if they could, fans of the MCU have put forward Guillermo del Toro as the perfect person to tell the story, and we are so on board.
Without boring you with the finer details, the MCU simply cannot give the Hulk a solo movie because it is Universal who owns the rights to the Marvel character. That doesn’t stop fans of the superhero movie franchise thinking about what that hypothetical film looks like, though.
Over on Reddit, one fan asked the ultimate question: who would you have direct an Rated R Hulk horror movie? Our favorite answer, and one that generated a lot of buzz on the thread, is to get Guillermo del Toro on the job.
One user said: “The guy literally said that his favorite corner of the Marvel universe is the monsters. Hulk is his favorite.” Another user added: “I’d love to see a Hulk with 90% practical effects.” Can you imagine that??
Del Toro is one of the best directors around, especially when it comes to producing outstanding monster movies. A large part of that is because he goes all in with his commitment to practical effects to conjure up his fantastical creatures. Put that into the world of a giant green beast with anger issues and you’ve got a winning formula, especially if del Toro were to go for a more gruesome and grisly approach.
The great thing about del Toro is, he knows how to have fun while still injecting that darkness into his work. If you take the best parts of Ang Lee and Louis Leterrier’s efforts with the character, and combine it with del Toro’s visual style and penchant for exploring rather grave thematic areas, and you’ve got something pretty special on your hands.
Another answer mooted in the thread is for Jordan Peele, another pick I could definitely get on board with. In such a short space of time, Peele has established himself as one of the most exciting and unique horror filmmakers around. He respects the classics of the genre, while imbuing his own work with something fresh and visceral. You only have to look at Nope, the latest Jordan Peele movie, to know that he could make a Hulk movie with an underlying sense of dread.
Alas, we shouldn’t get our hopes up. Mark Ruffalo isn’t allowed to even talk about a Hulk movie, but that doesn’t stop us from dreaming now, does it? In the meantime, we can look ahead to upcoming Marvel movies like Deadpool 3, or look back at the Marvel movies in order.