FANTASTIC FOUR Star Michael Chiklis Says Fox Almost Made a HULK vs. THE THING Movie
Back in 2005, Fantastic Four hit theaters, and while critics didn’t exactly embrace it, audiences showed up in a big way. The film pulled in around $330 million worldwide and quickly led to the follow-up, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer in 2007.
But, it turns out 20th Century Fox had much bigger plans for Marvel’s First Family, including a wild spin-off that never made it off the ground.
During a recent appearance at C2E2, Michael Chiklis opened up about the studio’s post-release mindset. With the box office success fueling momentum, Fox started tossing around a variety of expansion ideas. One of them would’ve delivered a showdown comic fans have loved for decades, The Thing vs. the Hulk.
Chiklis was actively pushing for it to happen. He said: "We’re doing the comics for 50 years for crying out loud. There is no end to the things that could be done in this world.
"One thing I wanted to do, and we were in discussions about at the time, and it just didn’t happen, was one of my favourite issues from back in the day when I was a kid was Hulk vs. Thing. And they just didn’t do it."
He didn’t hide his disappointment either. "They didn’t follow through on it, and I was bummed about that because I thought, man, that could have been so much fun."
According to Chiklis, the idea was genuinely in the mix at Fox during that window between the first and second films. He continued:
"This was a spinoff idea. There were so many ideas being bandied about between the first one and the second one. And quite honestly, I don’t know what happened after the second one.
"I didn’t hear from anybody for the longest time. It is what it is, but those movies, correct me if I’m wrong, but they made three-quarters of a billion dollars."
Despite strong box office returns, the franchise didn’t expand the way Fox initially envisioned. A Hulk vs. Thing movie sounds like a no-brainer, but there were real-world complications.
At the time, the Hulk’s film rights were tied up with Universal Pictures, which likely made any crossover a logistical headache.
And this wasn’t the only idea that slipped through the cracks. Fox reportedly explored several ambitious directions, including a crossover involving the X-Men and Daredevil, a possible connection to Deadpool 2, and even a new take on the team told through the perspective of Franklin and Valeria Richards. None of it materialized.
Even so, Chiklis still stands by what they accomplished. After showing some love for Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s take on Ben Grimm, he reflected on his own time with the character, saying, "I just feel strongly that we all really put in a great effort on those first two films, and I stand by them."
Looking back, the idea of a Hulk vs. Thing movie feels like one of those “what could have been” moments that comic book fans would’ve loved to see. Two powerhouse characters trading blows on the big screen? That’s the kind of chaotic fun that sells itself.
With the Marvel multiverse now wide open and massive crossover events like Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars on the horizon, who knows? Maybe somewhere down the line, that clash finally happens in some form.
Via: Popverse