Now that Marvel has finally gotten the big green guy right, fans have been clamouring for another attempt at a standalone Hulk film, but sadly, it doesn't seem to be in the cards at the moment. Yahoo Movies was able to chat with Mark Ruffalo during the Sundance Film Festival and the actor once again expressed his interest in taking center stage in his own standalone Hulk film, but as the rights aren't entirely in Marvel's hands, it doesn't seem likely.
I'd love to do a Hulk movie, but that's beyond my control. It's controlled by Universal. Marvel doesn't even hold the rights to it. So, it's not on the horizon. And I don't know if it will be.
Thankfully, it's not like the Hulk won't be popping up in other Marvel films; Mark Ruffalo will be making appearances in the upcoming THOR: RAGNAROK as well as both parts of Marvel's AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR epic, which, as Ruffalo feels, will form its own standalone Hulk story.
We've worked a really interesting arc into 'Thor 3,' 'Avengers 3' and '4' for Banner that I think will — when it's all added up — will feel like a Hulk movie, a standalone movie.
It will be interesting to see just what Mark Ruffalo means by that, perhaps we'll be getting the rumoured Planet Hulk story-line doled out piece by piece over several films. With production on THOR: RAGNAROK set to kick off in Australia this summer, Mark Ruffalo revealed that "they're writing the script now. I am thinking about it, I'm doing script meetings and stuff so we're starting to prep it." Ruffalo also expressed his love for THOR: RAGNAROK director Taika Waititi:
Taika Waititi's coming in and I love him. That's a surprise and it fits part of this Marvel doing the unexpected, casting the unexpected, and now bringing in the unexpected for writer and director. I'm really interested in where that's going.
THOR: RAGNAROK is scheduled to open in theaters on November 3, 2017, with AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR – PART I set to kick off Marvel's big epic on May 4, 2018 and concluding with AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR – PART II on May 3, 2019.