Marvel fans have long wondered whether a Planet Hulk film may be in the works, and Avengers director Joss Whedon recently addressed the reasons why he believes such a project may not work.

IGN interviewed Whedon during his current round of press appearances for Avengers: Age of Ultron, and broached the subject of a Planet Hulk film with the director. Fans have long speculated that a standalone Hulk film might be revealed in the near future, and rumors have persisted that the end of Ultron could possibly set up a new direction for the character, as the Inquisitr previously reported. According to Whedon, however, there are some difficulties inherent in bringing such a project to the screen.

“I always think that there are basically two Hulks. There’s horror movie Hulk and superhero movie Hulk,” Whedon began. “In the first film we got a taste of both and it really has to do with Banner’s attitude about who he is when he turns into the Hulk. And since the movie begins with the team together, the first thing we see is superhero Hulk, who has a level of cogency that makes him still useful and he isn’t just swatting things madly. But then, once the Scarlet Witch gets done with him, we get to see a vision of him that we have never seen before where he is completely out of control. And also clearly in a lot of pain. It was kind of beautiful to be able to go that far with him.”

Joss Whedon On Why ‘PLANET HULK’ movie Might Not Work! http://t.co/ZqDGWPYca0 pic.twitter.com/yv48eyrWXZ — Superhero Feed (@SuperheroFeed) April 23, 2015

Whedon also noted the varied legal issues surrounding the character of the Hulk. As Comicbook.com notes, Universal shares some of the rights to the Hulk, complicating the process of making a movie. While Whedon allowed that a film featuring the character is inherently difficult, due to the duality of Bruce Banner, he still asserted that legal issues were the most likely roadblock.

Were a Hulk film to get off the ground, Whedon also isn’t sure it should take the form of Planet Hulk, which would see the hero battling warriors on a far-flung world.

“It absolutely could be put onscreen. I don’t know if it should. I think part of what makes the Hulk great is the world around him and the Banner of it. And it would be mad expensive as well. I think if they were going to do a Hulk movie, they’d want to keep it more grounded.”

Whether or not a Planet Hulk film finds its way to the screen, Marvel fans will get to see the Jade Giant in action in just a few days, when Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron debuts worldwide.

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