She-Hulk (lost production material of unreleased live-action Marvel film; 1995): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 23:29, 20 August 2022

The film's poster.

Status: Lost

She-Hulk is an unreleased 1990s live-action film based on the Marvel superheroine of the same name, starring Brigitte Nielsen with Larry Cohen as director. One of many attempts to bring the character to film, it ultimately managed only to illustrate the obstacles Marvel's cinematic efforts faced prior to the emergence of the MCU.

Background

The character of Jennifer Walters, aka the She-Hulk, was first introduced in Savage She-Hulk #1 (1980). Walters is a rising young criminal lawyer and cousin of Dr. Bruce Banner, the original Incredible Hulk. When Banner is forced to give her a blood transfusion she becomes the likewise super-strong, super-durable She-Hulk - albeit unlike her cousin she is able to control her transformations, during which she retains not only self-awareness but her formidable wit and intelligence. Eventually, she fully embraces her alter-ego and also becomes the premier legal resource of the Marvel superhero community.

On TV

The character made her television debut in the eleventh episode of the very short-lived animated series The Incredible Hulk (1982-83).^[1]^[2] She did not appear in the iconic live-action Incredible Hulk TV series, however The Death of the Incredible Hulk, the final TV-movie follow-up - produced some years after the series cancellation in 1982 - was originally planned to heavily involve her, though it's unknown who was to play the part.^[3] Ultimately she was cut out of the final draft for unknown reasons.

Despite the generally poor reception of DotIH, producer New World Productions still owned the rights to Marvel characters and was eager to continue developing them. Eventually, Marvel Comics bought New World's "Family Filmworks" division outright. ^[4]

In 1991, work began on a potential standalone She-Hulk TV series, with original series writer Jill Sherman Donner as producer. She completed a draft pilot, titled "Metamorphosis." On vacation from a crusade to expose corruption, assistant district attorney Jennifer Walters runs into Bruce Banner - unrelated in this version - who is revealed to have faked his death. When Jennifer is shot by a hitman, the stage is set for Banner to both save and change her life. In another sharp departure from the comics, this She-Hulk would've acted much like Lou Ferrigno's near-mindless original, more familiar to TV viewers.

Filming began in the Virgin Islands in 1991. Unfortunately, prospective parent network ABC did not believe initial hire Mitzi (Baywatch) Kapture had the chops to carry a full TV series and persisted in trying to recast the role even as Kapture was playing it, offering it first to Melissa Gilbert, then volleyball star Gabrielle Reece.^[5] Reece was interested and appropriately physically imposing, but apparently insisted that her She-Hulk have golden skin, as she considered the canonical dull green "not pretty".^[6] So much production money was spent on the superfluous search that New World finally lost patience and cancelled filming.

The film

With Bill Bixby's death in 1993 came the definitive demise of the She-Hulk TV pilot. New World decided to take one last stab at the green superheroine, this time for the big screen. B-movie staple Larry Cohen was chosen to direct a script commissioned from Carl Gottlieb (screenwriter of the first three Jaws movies). The exact plot of the film - and whether it took cues from the existing "Metamorphosis" pilot script - is unknown.

The lead role this time went to Danish actress Brigitte Nielsen, best known as the similarly Amazonian Red Sonja. Photos were released of Neilsen dressed as Jennifer Walters in a red coat, while her superheroine persona sported an all-green leather jumpsuit and pale-green makeup with darker highlights. The photoshoot was evidently done in hopes of attracting more investors to the project.

Those investors never materialized, and - while its production got farther than most scrapped Marvel films - She-Hulk, the big-screen version, was never finished either. Though no official reason has been given, it was likely due to Marvel's generally less-than-stellar cinematic reputation at the time, especially after the disastrous Howard the Duck.^[7] It is also claimed that the studio could not afford the budget for the flying car that She-Hulk drove in the comics.^[8]

Availability

None of the footage or production materials for the TV series has ever surfaced, and the only released materials from the film were the publicity stills, along with a mockup poster that popped up on eBay.^[9] It's unlikely that any footage or a trailer was ever filmed for this project.

Since then, of course, Marvel's onscreen stock has gone up considerably, making the She-Hulk's eventual appearance all but inevitable. On December 10th, 2020, Marvel Studios announced the character's MCU debut will be in a comedy series for Disney+, with Tatiana Maslany in the lead alongside Mark Ruffalo and Tim Roth reprising their roles as Hulk and the Abomination respectively.^[10] The series is set to premiere on August 17, 2022 and studio chairman Kevin Feige has stated that she will then go on to appear in future MCU movies.

On November 12th, 2020, the green leather costume that Brigitte Nielsen wore in the photoshoots resurfaced in the Icons & Legends of Hollywood auction held by Profiles in History.^[11] It was bid in between $800-$1,200, though it's unknown if anyone actually bought it. Given that most of the items in the catalogue were identified as coming from Planet Hollywood’s collection - and that one of the celebrity founders of Planet Hollywood was Sylvester Stallone, who was once married to Brigitte Nielsen^[12]^[13] - the costume's provenance seems legitimate.

Gallery

Publicity stills taken of Brigitte Nielsen in character.
The green leather jumpsuit that Brigitte Nielsen wore in the photo shoots of She-Hulk.

External Links

References

↑ Savage She-Hulk 1.1 Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21
↑ The Incredible Hulk (1982) Enter She-Hulk Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21
↑ The Death of the Incredible Hulk Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21
↑ New World Entertainment Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21
↑ Comic Book Legends Revealed 07-24-2015
↑ Comic Book Legends Revealed Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21
↑ A She-Hulk movie came really close to happening
↑ Tarantino’s Muse Nichole Galicia Wants Marvel Studios She-Hulk Role Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21
↑ The poster for She-Hulk Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21
↑ Tatiana Maslany Stars in new ‘She-Hulk’ Comedy Series Coming to Disney+ Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21
↑ https://profilesinhistory.com/flipbooks/A120Icons3v8/mobile/index.html/ The flipbook for the Icons and Legends of Hollywood auction] Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21
↑ Planet Hollywood | About Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21
↑ Sylvester Stallone’s Ex Brigitte Nielsen Said He ‘Begged’ Her To Marry Him’ Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21

[1] Savage She-Hulk 1.1 Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21

[2] The Incredible Hulk (1982) Enter She-Hulk Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21

[3] The Death of the Incredible Hulk Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21

[4] New World Entertainment Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21

[5] Comic Book Legends Revealed 07-24-2015

[6] Comic Book Legends Revealed Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21

[7] A She-Hulk movie came really close to happening

[8] Tarantino’s Muse Nichole Galicia Wants Marvel Studios She-Hulk Role Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21

[9] The poster for She-Hulk Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21

[10] Tatiana Maslany Stars in new ‘She-Hulk’ Comedy Series Coming to Disney+ Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21

[11] ttps://profilesinhistory.com/flipbooks/A120Icons3v8/mobile/index.html/ The flipbook for the Icons and Legends of Hollywood auction] Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21

[12] Planet Hollywood | About Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21

[13] Sylvester Stallone’s Ex Brigitte Nielsen Said He ‘Begged’ Her To Marry Him’ Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21

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-{{NeedingWork|poor article organization}}
 {{InfoboxLost
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 }}
-'''''She Hulk''''' is an unreleased 1990s live-action film based on the Marvel superheroine of the same name (also known as Hulka) and was to have been played by Brigitte Nielsen with Larry Cohen as the director.
+'''''She-Hulk''''' is an unreleased 1990s live-action film based on the Marvel superheroine of the same name, starring Brigitte Nielsen with Larry Cohen as director. One of many attempts to bring the character to film, it ultimately managed only to illustrate the obstacles Marvel's cinematic efforts faced prior to the emergence of the MCU.
-==Production==
+==Background==
-The character of She-Hulk was first introduced in ''Savage She-Hulk'' #1 (1980) and made her television debut in the eleventh episode of the very short-lived animated series ''The Incredible Hulk'' (1982-83).<ref> https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Savage_She-Hulk_Vol_1_1 </ref><ref> https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7r09ca </ref> In the end of the 1980s, Bill Bixby, the original actor of Bruce Banner for ''The Incredible Hulk'' TV series, teamed up with the television department of independent production company New World Pictures to produce a series of telefilms that picked up where the series left off after its cancellation in 1982 and played a lot more with the Marvel crossover appeal that. the original show always lacked The third and final installment, ''The Death of the Incredible Hulk'', was to feature a major appearance from She-Hulk, though its unknown what actress was considered to play the part.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_the_Incredible_Hulk#Production</ref> Ultimately, she was cut out of the final draft for the film, though She-Hulk's story in the entertainment industry did not end there.
+The character of Jennifer Walters, ''aka'' the She-Hulk, was first introduced in ''Savage She-Hulk'' #1 (1980). Walters is a rising young criminal lawyer and cousin of Dr. Bruce Banner, the original Incredible Hulk. When Banner is forced to give her a blood transfusion she becomes the likewise super-strong, super-durable She-Hulk - albeit unlike her cousin she is able to control her transformations, during which she retains not only self-awareness but her formidable wit and intelligence. Eventually, she fully embraces her alter-ego and also becomes the premier legal resource of the Marvel superhero community.
-Despite the generally poor reception of DotIH, New World Productions did not want to throw the towel in just yet as they still owned the rights to Marvel characters and sure enough, Marvel Comics ended up buying New World's "Family Filmworks" division. <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Pictures#New_World_Entertainment_(1987%E2%80%931992)</ref> In 1991, work began on a potential ''She-Hulk'' TV series with Jill Sherman Donner, writer and producer of several episodes from the original Hulk series, hired to produce it. After many rough drafts were rejected, she completed the first draft for the pilot known as "Metamorphosis." In the script, assistant district attorney Jennifer Walters is haunted by the murder of her parents during childhood and vows to prove that a respected businessman is actually a criminal mastermind. She takes a forced vacation to the Caribbean where she runs into Bruce Banner, who is revealed to have faked his death and is now living as a pool boy. While cousins in the original comics, in this film, both Banner and Walters aren't as they have somewhat of a romantic tension. Upon getting shot by a hitman hired by the evil businessman, Banner's doctor friend convinces her to give Jennifer a blood transfusion that ultimately transforms her into the She-Hulk; a plot-point that was borrowed from ''Death'' where Bruce gives a Russian spy a blood transfusion. Unlike the comics however, where Jennifer was able to retain her intelligence while transforming, this movie's version would've had her acting the same as Ferrigno's Hulk. Filming began in the Virgin Islands in 1991 with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno reprising their legendary roles as the scientist and his inner-demon. The biggest problem with developing the ''She Hulk'' TV series was finding the right actress to play the leading part. At first, Mitzi Kapture was hired though ABC decided a low-profile actress was not fit for the main part (eventually, Mitzi landed the lead role for ''Silk Stockings''). They would later consider Melissa Gilbert, best known as Laura Ingall from ''Little House on the Prairie'', but her lack of interest in the superhero genre further strained production and was ruled out. The last person to audition for Hulka was volleyball player Gabrielle Reece and according to Sherman Donner, her portrayal of She-Hulk would've had golden skin instead of green, as she considered "not pretty"; with bright red hair and green eyes also included.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20160617130243/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/11/27/comic-book-legends-revealed-499/2/</ref> Bradford May, a cinematographer for movies like the ''Darkman'' sequels and ''The Monster Squad'', was chosen to helm the project, though so much production money was spent on finding the actress to play Jennifer Walters that the production company lost patience and cancelled filming. None of the footage that was shot in the Caribbean has ever resurfaced.
+==On TV==
+The character made her television debut in the eleventh episode of the very short-lived animated series ''The Incredible Hulk'' (1982-83).<ref>[https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Savage_She-Hulk_Vol_1_1 Savage She-Hulk 1.1] Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21</ref><ref>[https://dailymotion.com/video/x7r09ca/ The Incredible Hulk (1982) Enter She-Hulk] Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21 </ref> She did not appear in the iconic live-action ''Incredible Hulk'' TV series, however ''The Death of the Incredible Hulk'', the final TV-movie follow-up - produced some years after the series cancellation in 1982 -  was originally planned to heavily involve her, though it's unknown who was to play the part.<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_the_Incredible_Hulk#Production/ The Death of the Incredible Hulk] Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21</ref> Ultimately she was cut out of the final draft for unknown reasons.
-With Bill Bixby's death in 1993, so came the end of the ''She-Hulk'' TV pilot. Though New World decided to take one last stab at the green superheroine, this time for the big screen. Carl Gottlieb, screenwriter of the first three ''Jaws'' movies, was hired to write the script and B-movie director Larry Cohen was put in the director's chair. Hired to play Jennifer Walters this time was Danish actress Brigitte Nielsen, best known for the lead role of ''Red Sonja''. Photo sessions were taken with the actress where she dressed up as Jennifer Walters in a red lawyer's coat, and her superheroine persona with an all-green leather jumpsuit and green highlights in the face with pale-green makeup. These were done in the hopes of publicizing the project to attract investors. The exact plot of the film is unknown, though it could've taken a few cues from the "Metamorphosis" pilot originally scripted in 1991.
+Despite the generally poor reception of DotIH, producer New World Productions still owned the rights to Marvel characters and was eager to continue developing them. Eventually, Marvel Comics bought New World's "Family Filmworks" division outright. <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Pictures#New_World_Entertainment_(1987%E2%80%931992)/ New World Entertainment] Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21</ref>
-==Cancellation==
+In 1991, work began on a potential standalone ''She-Hulk'' TV series, with original series writer Jill Sherman Donner as producer. She completed a draft pilot, titled "Metamorphosis." On vacation from a crusade to expose corruption, assistant district attorney Jennifer Walters runs into Bruce Banner - unrelated in this version - who is revealed to have faked his death. When Jennifer is shot by a hitman, the stage is set for Banner to both save and change her life. In another sharp departure from the comics, this She-Hulk would've acted much like Lou Ferrigno's near-mindless original, more familiar to TV viewers.
-While production got farther than most scrapped Marvel films, ''She-Hulk'' was never released or finished and though no reasons have been given as to why, it might have been due to the less-than-stellar reputation that Marvel-based movies had at the time (ie. ''Howard the Duck'', Roger Corman’s ''Fantastic Four'').<ref>https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a31257578/she-hulk-movie-brigitte-nielsen/ </ref> Other reasons may have been that the investors were uninterested in the publicity stills and that, supposedly, the studio could not afford the budget to make the flying car that She-Hulk drove in the comics.<ref>https://paperfacesllc.wordpress.com/2019/09/22/tarantinos-muse-nichole-galicia-wants-marvel-studios-disney-plus-she-hulk-role/</ref> Its unlikely that any footage or a trailer was ever filmed and the only remaining pieces of production memento include a poster that went for sale on eBay and publicity stills of Jennifer’s two alter-egos.<ref>https://www.ebay.com/itm/274788316711</ref> On November 12, 2020, the green leather costume that Brigitte Nielsen wore in the photo shoots resurfaced in the Icons & Legends of Hollywood auction held by Profiles in History. It went for a bid between $800-$1,200, though its unknown if anyone actually walked home with it. Given that most of the items in the catalog were identified as coming from Planet Hollywood’s collection, its possible that the costume came into possession of the theme restaurant chain.<ref> https://profilesinhistory.com/flipbooks/A120Icons3v8/mobile/index.html</ref> It's worth noting that one of the four celebrity founders of Planet Hollywood was Sylvester Stallone, who was once married to Brigitte Nielsen.<ref>https://www.planethollywoodintl.com/about/</ref><ref>https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/sylvester-stallones-ex-brigitte-nielsen-said-he-begged-her-to-marry-him.html/</ref>
-On December 10, 2020, Marvel Studios announced they were starting production on a comedy series for Disney+ named ''She-Hulk'' with Tatiana Maslany set to play Jennifer Walters, along with Mark Ruffalo and Tim Roth set to reprise their roles as Hulk and the Abomination respectively.<ref> https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/she-hulk-tatiana-maslany-mark-ruffalo-disney-plus </ref> It is set to be released sometime around 2022 and Kevin Feige has stated that she will appear in future MCU movies.
+Filming began in the Virgin Islands in 1991. Unfortunately, prospective parent network ABC did not believe initial hire Mitzi (''Baywatch'') Kapture had the chops to carry a full TV series and persisted in trying to recast the role even as Kapture was playing it, offering it first to Melissa Gilbert, then volleyball star Gabrielle Reece.<ref>[https://legendsrevealed.com/entertainment/2015/07/24/was-gabrielle-reece-cast-as-the-she-hulk-in-a-failed-she-hulk-tv-pilot/ Comic Book Legends Revealed 07-24-2015]</ref> Reece was interested and appropriately physically imposing, but apparently insisted that her She-Hulk have golden skin, as she considered the canonical dull green "not pretty".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160617130243/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/11/27/comic-book-legends-revealed-499/2/ Comic Book Legends Revealed] Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21</ref> So much production money was spent on the superfluous search that New World finally lost patience and cancelled filming.
+==The film==
+With Bill Bixby's death in 1993 came the definitive demise of the ''She-Hulk'' TV pilot. New World decided to take one last stab at the green superheroine, this time for the big screen. B-movie staple Larry Cohen was chosen to direct a script commissioned from Carl Gottlieb (screenwriter of the first three ''Jaws'' movies). The exact plot of the film - and whether it took cues from the existing "Metamorphosis" pilot script - is unknown.
+The lead role this time went to Danish actress Brigitte Nielsen, best known as the similarly Amazonian ''Red Sonja''. Photos were released of Neilsen dressed as Jennifer Walters in a red coat, while her superheroine persona sported an all-green leather jumpsuit and pale-green makeup with darker highlights. The photoshoot was evidently done in hopes of attracting more investors to the project.
+Those investors never materialized, and - while its production got farther than most scrapped Marvel films - ''She-Hulk'', the big-screen version, was never finished either. Though no official reason has been given, it was likely due to Marvel's generally less-than-stellar cinematic reputation at the time, especially after the disastrous ''Howard the Duck''.<ref>[https://digitalspy.com/movies/a31257578/she-hulk-movie-brigitte-nielsen/ A She-Hulk movie came really close to happening]</ref> It is also claimed that the studio could not afford the budget for the flying car that She-Hulk drove in the comics.<ref>[https://paperfacesllc.wordpress.com/2019/09/22/tarantinos-muse-nichole-galicia-wants-marvel-studios-disney-plus-she-hulk-role/ Tarantino’s Muse Nichole Galicia Wants Marvel Studios She-Hulk Role] Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21</ref>
+==Availability==
+None of the footage or production materials for the TV series has ever surfaced, and the only released materials from the film were the publicity stills, along with a mockup poster that popped up on eBay.<ref>[https://ebay.com/itm/274788316711/ The poster for She-Hulk] Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21</ref> It's unlikely that any footage or a trailer was ever filmed for this project.
+Since then, of course, Marvel's onscreen stock has gone up considerably, making the She-Hulk's eventual appearance all but inevitable. On December 10th, 2020, Marvel Studios announced the character's MCU debut will be in a comedy series for Disney+, with Tatiana Maslany in the lead alongside Mark Ruffalo and Tim Roth reprising their roles as Hulk and the Abomination respectively.<ref>[https://marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/she-hulk-tatiana-maslany-mark-ruffalo-disney-plus/ Tatiana Maslany Stars in new ‘She-Hulk’ Comedy Series Coming to Disney+] Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21</ref> The series is set to premiere on August 17, 2022 and studio chairman Kevin Feige has stated that she will then go on to appear in future MCU movies.
+On November 12th, 2020, the green leather costume that Brigitte Nielsen wore in the photoshoots resurfaced in the Icons & Legends of Hollywood auction held by Profiles in History.<ref> https://profilesinhistory.com/flipbooks/A120Icons3v8/mobile/index.html/ The flipbook for the Icons and Legends of Hollywood auction] Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21</ref> It was bid in between $800-$1,200, though it's unknown if anyone actually bought it. Given that most of the items in the catalogue were identified as coming from Planet Hollywood’s collection - and that one of the celebrity founders of Planet Hollywood was Sylvester Stallone, who was once married to Brigitte Nielsen<ref>[https://planethollywoodintl.com/about/ Planet Hollywood | About] Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21 </ref><ref>[https://cheatsheet.com/entertainment/sylvester-stallones-ex-brigitte-nielsen-said-he-begged-her-to-marry-him.html/ Sylvester Stallone’s Ex Brigitte Nielsen Said He ‘Begged’ Her To Marry Him’] Retrieved 9 Aug ‘21</ref> - the costume's provenance seems legitimate.
 ==Gallery==
 <gallery mode=packed heights=200px>
-File:Brigitte Nielsen She-Hulk stills.jpeg|Publicity stills taken of Brigitte Nielsen as her characters.
+File:Brigitte Nielsen She-Hulk stills.jpeg|Publicity stills taken of Brigitte Nielsen in character.
 File:She-Hulk auction list.jpeg|The green leather jumpsuit that Brigitte Nielsen wore in the photo shoots of ''She-Hulk''.
 </gallery>
@@ Line 28: / Line 41: @@
 ==External Links==
 *[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She-Hulk Wikipedia page for ''She-Hulk''.]
-* [https://legendsrevealed.com/entertainment/2015/07/24/was-gabrielle-reece-cast-as-the-she-hulk-in-a-failed-she-hulk-tv-pilot/ Was Gabriel Reece Cast as the She Hulk in a Failed She-Hulk TV Pilot?]
+*[https://legendsrevealed.com/entertainment/2015/07/24/was-gabrielle-reece-cast-as-the-she-hulk-in-a-failed-she-hulk-tv-pilot/ Was Gabrielle Reece Cast as the She-Hulk in a Failed She-Hulk TV Pilot?]
-* [https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://aratzforever.blogspot.com/search?q%3Dshe%2Bhulk%2Bnielsen Hulka (the movie we'll never see)]
+*[https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://aratzforever.blogspot.com/search?q%3Dshe%2Bhulk%2Bnielsen Hulka (the movie we'll never see)]
 ==References==
@@ Line 35: / Line 48: @@
 [[Category:Lost films]]
+[[Category:Lost literature]]
 [[Category:Completely lost media]]