It’s strange to talk about Marvel TV and Marvel Studios as two separate entities, but that’s precisely what they are, in the eyes of Disney. And in the case of the former, things aren’t going so hot, as is proven by the latest news regarding “Ghost Rider.”
On the one hand, you have the film section (Marvel Studios, run by Kevin Feige) that is dominating the marketplace and is on a legendary box office run that has never been seen before. On the other hand, you have Marvel TV (run by Jeph Loeb). Poor, poor Marvel TV. The ignored stepchild of the brand, Marvel TV has had a decent share of hits (the first season of ‘SHIELD’ and the early Netflix era), but largely has become a bit of a laughing stock when compared to its film brethren (let’s all try to forget “Inhumans,” okay?).
And the news for Marvel TV keeps getting worse, as Deadline is reporting that Hulu has passed on the proposed rebooted “Ghost Rider” live-action series that the studio was hoping to create. Originally introduced in an earlier season of “Agents of SHIELD,” the Ghost Rider character was set to make his return with the same actor, Gabriel Luna, but none of the baggage from his earlier appearances. In fact, he was going to get a new lease on life, debuting alongside another horror-themed Marvel series, “Helstrom.”
The report says that “Helstrom” is still moving along, but due to a “creative impasse,” Hulu has decided to forgo plans for “Ghost Rider.” But even though it feels like Marvel TV is in desperate need of a win, the studio does have quite a few series in the works and on air. There’s ‘SHIELD’ over on ABC, along with whatever rumored projects are being developed with the network, and Hulu recently announced 4 new animated series that are going to tie together to make “The Offenders.” There’s also “Cloak & Dagger” on Freeform and “The Runaways” on Hulu, with both series about to crossover soon.
However, there’s no denying that Marvel Studios is the big dog in the Marvel hierarchy. And in the realm of TV, Marvel Studios is only going to keep expanding its domination, with a slew of Disney+ series that have the fans all excited.
So, long story short, Marvel TV is out of luck with “Ghost Rider,” but the studio is not dead yet. We’ll just have to wait and see if Marvel TV’s luck changes soon.