Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Join the Yahoo! Contributor Network to start publishing your own articles.
For over a year, Marvel and ABC have mentioned that the two were getting together to recreate "The Incredible Hulk." All that fans have learned about the project is that it is the leadoff project for Marvel TV, and could lead to many other comic book TV shows in the near future. I cannot have anything but doubts that this project will ever get off of the ground.Expensive
Comic book fans have grown accustom to the Hulk being portrayed in CGI. They have dropped money for two movies to see him toss around tanks as if they were basketballs. They have seen two movies that had budgets that exceeded $135 million. This would be expected of any new Hulk TV show. This could put the stop to the plan sometime in the near future. They might not stand for a man painted green to reduce costs.
How Much Hulk?
The original "The Incredible Hulk" show is considered as a classic by many comic book fans. One of the aspects that made that show a classic was that people would watch the entire show to see the Hulk for a matter of five minutes. The story spent more time following Dr. Banner from town to town as he did what he could to help people. After being teased with so much of the Hulk in the movies, would modern fans go for five or ten minutes an episode? Their greed would drive up the production costs and bring us back to the first issue.
Traveling Helper
One other area of comparison is that the original "The Incredible Hulk" started a movement in TV shows that continued through much of the 1980s. A traveling helper that moved to a different town in every episode became incorporated into shows like "The A-Team," "Highway to Heaven" and "Quantum Leap." Even though the show only lasted four years, it's impact lasted well over a decade. This is adds to the pressure on the creators of the new Hulk show.
Curse of the Superheroes
"Heroes" turned from a blockbuster to a show on the chopping block in a few short seasons. "No Ordinary Family" had lackluster performances before it was cancelled in May. "The Cape" came and went with few people ever noticing. The "Wonder Woman" pilot was shot down when it was being seen for the first time. With four nightmares within a few year period, I cannot see any network execs running towards another superhero show right now even if ABC's parent company is the one pushing it.
The Hulk Doesn't Fully Fit with Marvel's Other Plans
There are a number of superheroes that have been discussed for potential TV shows after "The Incredible Hulk" gets landed. What is interesting is all of the other potential shows that Marvel TV is considering are for lesser-known properties to bring them more attention. Names that have been discussed for future shows include Luke Cage (Power Man), Ka-Zar, the Defenders (which would include the Hulk, Doctor Strange and Namor), The Eternals, Punisher, and more.
Out of these, the Hulk would clearly be the most expensive, and would not automatically open the door for lesser-known properties. A lesser-known property that was initially successful would open the doors for more, not one of the top Marvel creations like the Hulk. As Marvel TV grows, they may come to the realization that "The Incredible Hulk" might not be the strongest lead off for them when they take all of these factors into account.
