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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6Got40JN4rQ&pp=ygUZZ29kemlsbGEgeCBrb25nIHN1cGVybm92YQ%3D%3D

I am not sure if literally, anyone knows what's going on at Warners these days. Supposedly, there were people commenting about reading some excerpts of the script for TB2, which naturally suggested it's nearly completed, and that was months ago. If not closer to a year. Then Clayface was rumored to be the villain for the piece, only for a Clayface movie of all things, to be inexplicably announced soonafter. Then Mike Flanagan, who's script was so strong, that a Clayface movie got green lit in the first place, has now left the project, necessitating a "rewrite", which probably means it's about to go the way of the once announced "Sgt Rock" movie, that just recently got sh*tcanned (joining a slew of other projects that were announced, and subsequently cancelled).

Considering "The Batman", and "The Penguin" have been one of the few, the very few, actual successes Warners has had concerning DC within the last 5-6 years, it is highly unusual looking at what's going on, and this inability (or sabotage) to gain any sort of traction with either, TB or Penguin. Is it a case of Reeves having his own issues, and not having the interest in playing the (apparently) political game behind the scenes? Or could it be that "The Batman" is being purposely pushed back, but not officially cancelled, as something of a safeguard backup plan, since it's becoming more and more glaringly evident that Warners is waiting to see what happens with Gunn's "Superman", as it sure seems like there are those within the company who are pressing X to doubt on that one.

As par for the course, things remain just as fluid as ever.

I'll have to check out "John Carter" due to your recommendation, Silver. I *think* I have the DVD somewhere. Like you, I wasn't all that interested when it first came out, and I think I bought the DVD hobby store a few years back, but I have heard decent things about it, and your review certainly helps with curiosity, considering all the Planet Hulk similarities.

That's a very plausible way of adapting Ross for the TV show's format. Each TV episode usually featured at least one character that Banner would help on a personal level, and in this case Ross, while being an antagonist of sorts, could also be the beneficiary of David's kindness. Banner could help Thunderbolt reconcile with his daughter Betty, and in an ironic twist the general would never suspect the monster he's been hunting is the same Samaritan who salvaged his relationship with his daughter.

As per usual, an even better idea from Silver! I like that. Adds a little bit of more pathos to the events.

I've never read any of David's 21st century Hulk comics, but I have read some of his classic run from the eighties and nineties. 'Vicious Circle' (Incredible Hulk Vol 1 340) remains my favourite Hulk/Wolverine crossover. Most Hulk fans seem to regard David's tenure as a high point of the character's comic history, so I'm surprised to hear his second run was underwhelming. Maybe it's a Frank Miller situation, where his eighties Batman comics were legendary but every Batman story he wrote later in his career turned out to be trash. I suppose some writers use up all their good ideas for a particular character early on and have nothing left to give later.

There's a lot of truth in that. Yeah, Peter David's first and lengthy tenure on the Hulk book is well regarded. Personally, I can't help but have some nostalgic feelings when thinking back on that run, but it is one where you really have to get accustomed to the Hulk transforming into various versions quite a bit, which made the character feel like in a very constant state of flux for years (The Professor Hulk takes up a decent portion of David's time, and your mileage may vary with that). I guess you can say it, 'kept things interesting', but I do remember being a kid and thirsting for just a good old classic Savage Hulk adventure, and never really getting it. Unless I dug thru back issue bins, or trades or something like that. By the time Marvel brought back the Savage Hulk (late 1990s I believe), I was getting out of comics. When I eventually got interested again, I'm pretty sure this was during the Bruce Jones run. Which featured a Hulk some referred to as the Gravage Hulk (a mixture of the Grey and Savage Hulks), if I am not mistaken. Marvel pretty much kept this version going until Planet Hulk with the Green Scar Hulk, then back to Savage around 2008 to coincide with the TIH film, and where Marvel really started going overboard with Gamma related characters (Red Hulk, A-Bomb, Green Scar kids, Red She-Hulk, then later, the Totally Awesome Hulk, ect ect ect)

Honestly, and I am only assuming this, but I kinda take it that Peter David and Chris Claremont are essentially on the same page in always wanting to progress the characters/stories, rather than return to the status quo. I see the good and bad with that, though I tend to lean more towards returning the toys just like you found them when you exit. But that's just me. 

The First Avenger has a little more humour, but not an undue amount. Director Joe Johnston injects it with the same wartime adventure sensibility he brought to The Rocketeer, delivering a modern CBM with a distinctly Golden Age dieselpunk vibe. Some might say that TIC an CA:TFA represent the MCU still finding its footing, but I see them as hailing from a time when the studio was more creatively flexible and less bound to the one-size-fits-all house style it's subsequently favoured.

Yeah, a lot less formuliac, and more open to experimentation. Each film really had to stand on it's own, and focus on the situation at hand, rather than essentially be viewed as extended trailers for the next in-universe project, made by a assembly line of director's for hire.

I guess you can't argue with success, cause this was a beautiful thing for quite a while, and it was easy to get caught up in due to how unique it was, but as we are seeing as of late, it's simply not sustainable for the long term. I mean, I've never been a Trek guy, but I assume each film made some sort of effort to differentiate itself from the previous, rather than keeping things same and formulaic simply due to expectations...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zzU09Z5FnWo

Danish bodybuilder Sven-Ole Thorsen would've been a good choice for Red Hulk. He was only 1½ inches shorter than Ferrigno and was muscular enough to present a credible physical match for him. Thorsen's probably best remembered among movie buffs for portraying villainous henchmen in Arnold Schwarzenegger movies and for playing Tiger in Ridley Scott's Gladiator. He made numerous TV appearances, including as Omega in the 1990s Flash episode 'Alpha', so a guest shot on TIH wouldn't have been beneath him.

Obviously the Thunderbolt Ross Red Hulk didn't exist back when this show was made. But as you say, Johnson liked the idea of a red Hulk (it makes sense – red=anger) and could have created his own take on the concept that was unrelated to Ross, similar to the Dell Frye monster in 'The First'. Such a villain would have been well within the show's budgetary means.

Yeah, that would've been cool. It really is surprising that Johnson didn't go with his initial red color idea when conceiving "The First" 2 part story ideas for the Frye Hulk, but I suppose perhaps he might've been overridden again in implementing such a concept? Still, it's an interesting 'what if' as far as the series goes. As I think "The First" episodes do a good job in differentiating the Frye Hulk from the Banner Hulk, with the Frye Hulk being a murderer, and obviously malevolent, but I do think having the Frye Hulk being red, and built on par with Ferrigno would have ultimately hammered that home, and be even more visually chilling.

I reckon Ross himself also could have appeared as a separate villain. The Bixby Hulk is meant to be something of an urban legend, so it wouldn't have worked having the Army constantly pursue him. It's better having a tabloid journalist like McGee on his trail, whose credibility is dubious. But Ross could have appeared in a one-off episode as a general who learns of the Hulk's existence and becomes determined to destroy him. As far as casting goes, how about Dennis Weaver? He was a popular TV actor in the 1970s and would have been in his mid-to-late fifties at the time.

He could have become a recurring threat, similar to Colonel Lynch in The A-Team, but probably would have worked best as a guest villain in a standalone episode.

I like your idea of Weaver for Ross in a standalone episode. I think it could've been done as a nice nod to the comics, even if things would be changed for the comic-to-tv transition. Another idea I've had, is that Ross could've been depicted as a retired General who served in Korea, but by the mid-late 1970s, is feeling that the world has moved on, and that he's been essentially forgotten about (there was a real life sentiment of resentment between soldiers who served in Korea, and those who served in Vietnam. As "First Blood" touched upon this with Brian Dennehy's Sheriff Teasle having a immediate disdain for John Rambo, being that Vietnam vets were more publicly emphaszied than what Korean vets like himself received from the press in the 1950's), with this Ross witnessing the Hulk for himself (confirming the urban legend), and setting out for a collision course to regain the recognition he feels he deserves. You could also play into his pride/temper getting the better of Ross remaining rationale at times too. Even Betty could be in the episode as a potential-but-not-to-be love interest, that ultimately brings her dad back to his sense, and away from a possible suicide mission that he had set out for himself with the Hulk. Something like that, maybe? I guess it depends on what age range you would want Ross to be depicted. It's an interesting thought.

Despite his pigheadedness, I've always kind of admired Thunderbolt Ross. It takes serious balls for an ordinary human to repeatedly take on the Hulk in combat. Even before the whole Red Hulk thing, he was willing to go up against Banner armed with ordinary weapons.

Yeah, General Ross in the comics really never had any qualms about going into war alongside his soldiers, no matter the danger. That's an admirable trait, even if thunderbolt temper can sometimes get the better of his judgement. 

I haven't read 'Return of the Monster', but a Hulk story filtered through a post-911 lens sounds like an interesting concept. I'm also a huge X-Files fan, so if it evokes that series then that's another reason for me to check it out. I'll add it to my reading list.

You might like it, Silver. I do remember Bruce Jones was getting a lot of good publicity during his time on the Hulk title back in the day, but somewhere along the way, Jones' run started to become something of an afterthought. I do remember, towards the end of Jones' run, that the Abomination was revealed to be responsible for Betty's then-current death. I do know that when Peter David returned to the Hulk books, sometime after Jones, David evidently did not like what Jones did on the book, and essentially wiped out the "Return of the Monster" arc as being a manipulation of the villain, Nightmare, or something (which isn't much unlike what happened with the New52 Wonder Woman lore following Rebirth, funnily enough).

Peter David's return was shortly following Bruce Jones, and before Greg Pak started, and subsequently wrote "Planet Hulk". While Bruce Jones' run was considered controversial, I thought Peter David's 2nd tenure, to be perfectly honest, was rather unmemorable.

The first Thor movie wasn't too bad from what I remember. Kenneth Branagh imbued it with a Shakespearean flavour that was distinct from the other Phase One movies. But I never liked The Dark World. The Thor film series could have been the MCU's answer to The Lord of the Rings. Instead the studio downplayed the mythical grandeur of the source material in favour of obvious comedy centred on annoying side characters.

I don't know if it was following the first Avengers movie with all the Whedonism, or Guardians/Galaxy with Gunn's humor, or a combination of the two, but it sure seems like the template for MCU 'humor' was cemented somewhere around 2012-2014. As the sameness in jokes/quips was essentially seen in EVERY MCU that was coming out. With some end credit scenes/stingers literally only being amounted to comedic gags. I definitely don't think MCU's Phase One was overly serious/edgy or anything, but it's almost night and day with the often comedic tone Disney started conveying with MCU movies later on.

Ragnarok did seem to strike a chord with casual viewers, which I guess is why they doubled down on Taika Waititi's approach. I know people who aren't comic fans who enjoyed it, but to me it was just a waste of the Planet Hulk story. Similar to how The Flash wasted the Flashpoint story. In both cases the filmmakers took an epic saga in which the displaced hero fights for survival in a dystopian world and ultimately suffers tremendous personal loss, and reduced it to a goofy cameo-filled comedy bereft of the pathos that defined the original comic. At least Marvel had the excuse of not being allowed to make a straight-up adaptation of Planet Hulk owing to the legal situation with Universal. DC had no comparable excuse to screw up Flashpoint as badly as they did.

Yeah, both are examples where you can like particular scenes, but the films themselves, simply don't hold up. I guess the animated "Planet Hulk", and "Flashpoint Paradox" is about as good as it's gonna get for some time to come.

I only just watched Romulus last week, despite having the blu for months, I don't know, just haven't been in the mood, but I'll echo TDK's comments that it's alright, but more of a by-the-numbers entry in the series, than anything else.

Admittedly, I was very underwhelmed by what they did with Big Chap (though sure, Chap's actions are felt throughout the movie, I just wanted to see Chap a bit more, as I've always viewed Big Chap as THE Xenomorph), but the stuff with the synthetics was done pretty well, and I can imagine Ridley Scott must've been happy with that considering Prometheus/Covenant. The depiction and threat level involving the Hybrid, or whatever it's called, was, I thought, excellent, however the effect you're left with, is that I think it does diminish the Xenomorph threat level to some degree. Yeah, I know, the stakes have to be risen in each film, and the Hybrid achieves this, but you have to be careful with stuff like that, as you never want to lower the Xeno's in any capacity. They are forever the franchise.

Given Keaton's age, that's probably inevitable. If we take his original films semi literally, then B89 really did happen in 1989. So, it would be hard to shift the narrative into the future while keeping Keaton whatever age he is today.

The future setting, to me, could only really work as a disconnected elseworlds that's set in the Burtonverse. We haven't truly seen that Gotham since 1992, so a current0-day Burtonverse Gotham looking more futuristic (and not just a stand in for Chicago) these days, might've worked out alright.

As to your other point, it is a shame that his tenure as Batman came to such an undignified end. But his return to the character was apparently meant to coincidence with a younger, more diverse and exclusively female DC Trinity taking the lead. Basically, it was going to be the Super Girl Bosses, with Keaton being the male, pale and stale relic from the bad old days who needs to Do Better™ or something.

That's not a direction I ever would want to see Batman go, let alone Keaton's incarnation of the character.

Likewise. We probably did dodge a bullet there, so maybe things worked out for the best. Had he continued in the role, Keaton might well have gotten the Jake Skywalker treatment.

What would the DC equivalent of the M-She-U be? The D-She-U? The D-C-She-U? Or how about the DEI-C-U? Either way, it would've been awful seeing Batman and Superman get shelved in favour of their diverse-and-inclusive female replacements. The Flash (2023) had a lot of problems, but at least Keaton's Batman was mostly handled with respect. I still think we'll get a decent Batman-centric fan edit of out that movie one day.

Warners handling of DC is a crisis of infinite f**kups.

At least they're consistent.