Marvel’s newest superhero series, She-Hulk, has found its lead in Orphan Black actress Tatiana Maslany.
The award-winning star is said to be in the final stages of negotiations to play the spunky lawyer Jennifer Walters, also known as She-Hulk. The character is the cousin of The Incredible Hulk/Bruce Banner and is the last superhero character created by Marvel founder Stan Lee.
According to Deadline, the Disney+ TV show will delve on her origin story and will touch on the emergency blood transfusion she receives from her cousin. Unlike The Hulk, however, Jennifer doesn’t change her personality when she transforms into an emerald-green superhero.
Disney+ has tapped Kat Coiro to direct the series, while Rick and Morty writer Jessica Gao will head the writers’ room.
A warm welcome to the Marvel world
Immediately after the story broke, The Incredible Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo has given Maslany a shoutout and welcomed her in the Marvel family.
Welcome to the family, cuz! @tatianamaslany #SheHulk https://t.co/VXcaE9Fine
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) September 17, 2020
Fans are also going crazy over the casting choice, with one saying that Marvel got the pick right.
Once again, the MCU does not miscast! Tatiana Maslany welcome to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as 💪 SHE-HULK! pic.twitter.com/IUnSMUd8FL
— BLURAYANGEL 🦇 (@blurayangel) September 17, 2020
https://twitter.com/marvelxglow/status/1306691373282799617?
Prior to the casting announcement, there were speculations that GLOW and Community actress Allison Brie would lead the series. The actress even addressed the rumors and said she gets regular updates from the fans about She-Hulk.
“It is always funny to me when something kind of takes off on the internet,” Brie said in one interview.
Ruffalo teased Banner’s appearance
In April, Ruffalo confirmed that he’s also in talks to reprise his superhero role for the Disney+ series. However, he told Variety that the deals aren’t completely sorted out, but there is something on the table.
“If we come up with something good, that would be really interesting,” the actor said.
Expounding more on his role in the series, Ruffalo said that he wants Banner, the smart professor, to become a “gentle guiding presence of She-Hulk as a friend.”
But he also said that he doesn’t have much control over the writing process. His ideas would make sense since his character is prominent in the comic books source materials.
Disney+ has not confirmed when production for She-Hulk should begin. But it is one of five Marvel superhero shows in the pipeline for release between late 2020 to 2022. Given the timeline of production amid a COVID-19 setting, the show might debut on the streaming platform in 2022 rather than earlier.
Disney+ first announced plans for the She-Hulk series during the D23 Expo in the summer of 2019.
Image courtesy of Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)