Spoilers Marvel Cinematic Universe spoiler-heavy speculation thread

[The Nth Doctor]

Note that none of those examples required a fully CG photo-real human capable of emoting. It's literally the hardest thing to do since the human brain is hardwired to notice anything "off" when it comes to other humans. Even the Hulk effect in the movies is a little uncanny valley, saved mostly by the green and the exaggerated proportions. Trying to do that on even a lavish TV budget for more than one scene a season seems more trouble than it's worth. Like I said though, it might not even be that kind of show.

Fair points, although Carnival Row is still a pretty good example. Granted neither of the two leads have such requirements (just wings and flight), but some of the supporting characters do. But, as you said, it's all academic until we know how the show is going to be structured.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Interesting, she's obviously talented but not who I'd picture in the role just from a physical standpoint.

That was my first thought, that Jennifer herself was fairly tall. But if anyone can do (only?) two different personas better than anyone else, it's Tatiana.

This one I really look forward to.

 

[JD]

It's not quite the same since he's not a fully human character, but I believe they've said K-2S0 will be a regular character on the Cassian Andor show, so Disney is willing to give the D+ shows the money they need to have CGI characters in prominent roles.

 

[Christopher]

But if anyone can do (only?) two different personas better than anyone else, it's Tatiana.

Sure, but unless something's changed, Jennifer and She-Hulk aren't really separate personalities like Banner and the various Hulks, just the same person with different degrees of self-confidence.

It's not quite the same since he's not a fully human character, but I believe they've said K-2S0 will be a regular character on the Cassian Andor show, so Disney is willing to give the D+ shows the money they need to have CGI characters in prominent roles.

I saw "the D+ shows" and thought for a moment that you were giving them a near-failing grade. They should've thought through that name a bit more...

 

[Reverend]

Fair points, although Carnival Row is still a pretty good example. Granted neither of the two leads have such requirements (just wings and flight), but some of the supporting characters do. But, as you said, it's all academic until we know how the show is going to be structured.

As you say, in that example the people looking creature designs are still mostly played by actual people in heavy prosthetics. Additions like wings and flight are a relatively simple matter of compositing. All of the 100% CG creatures are by design inhuman looking enough that the uncanny valley isn't a concern. See also: talking polar bears, creepy monkeys, shape-shifting animal-demon things etc...

All very skilfully done of course, but the issue isn't the fidelity of the VFX as a whole, but the technical complexities of the very tricky effect in question: a human looking full CG body replacement that can emote from performance capture and read as photo-real in the same frame as actual people.
Doable, of course, but involved and expensive even for a big budget movie, let alone a TV show, even a lavishly budgeted one. Even the Professor Hulk effect doesn't quite get there. It avoid the uncanny valley sure, but you can 100% tell it's CG and there's no mistaking him for a large person in green make-up. And that is literally bet best money can buy right now for ANY production.

They might be able to *just* get away with a digital double in masters or wide shots, but mediums and singles would be VERY labour intensive.

Bottom line: I suspect they'll be best served just avoiding going full She-Hulk as much as possible.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

If they want to avoid She-Hulk, wouldn't an easier decision have been doing ANY other of the hundreds of characters they have instead of her?

I suspect we'll see more She-Hulk than not. They know what they're doing.

 

[Turtletrekker]

I'll gladly take that bet because I don't even think for a minute they're going to go this route.

As per the usual drivel posted by a certain poster.

 

[Turtletrekker]

If they want to avoid She-Hulk, wouldn't an easier decision have been doing ANY other of the hundreds of characters they have instead of her?

I suspect we'll see more She-Hulk than not. They know what they're doing.

Agreed. First, you don't hire an actress of Tatiana's range and only have her play one half of the character. Second, we know they're doing the CGI character route with K2SO in the Cassian Andor series. Granted K2SO doesn't have to have changing facial expressions and such, but it does to use CGI tech. Unless, of course, Third, perhaps the CGI process has been refined to the point that it isn't as cost prohibitive as it once was. We also know that Disney plus has been using a lot of practical effects in lieu of what normally have been CGI effects in The Mandalorian. At any rate, I'm sure that Tatiana will be playing both aspects of the character and that Marvel wouldn't be producing this show if they weren't 100% certain and the effectiveness of their ability to pull off the character, whatever route they go.

 

[JD]

I apologize if some covered this up thread and I missed, but how physically different are her two personas? In most of the artwork I've seen, She Hulk looked pretty much the same as Jennifer Walters, just with green skin.

 

[Christopher]

I apologize if some covered this up thread and I missed, but how physically different are her two personas? In most of the artwork I've seen, She Hulk looked pretty much the same as Jennifer Walters, just with green skin.

Jennifer Walters is 5'10", She-Hulk is 6'7" or more. She's called the Jade Giantess for a reason. Shulkie is also considerably more muscular and curvaceous, although of course a lot of comic-book characters are less muscular and/or curvaceous in live-action when they're played by naturally proportioned performers. (Maslany, meanwhile, is 5'4".)

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Comic book Wolverine was 5' 3" (and probably just as wide). Jackman is 6' 3", but I can't imagine a better Wolverine.

And every artist draws characters so differently at times, it's hard to pin stuff like that down.

Tatiana will effin' nail the acting parts without a doubt.

 

[Christopher]

A thought occurred to me: They could do what the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit films did (and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with Mr. Hyde) and use forced perspective tricks and compositing to make Maslany look bigger than she actually is, rather than using CGI. She-Hulk is generally rendered as muscular in a slender way rather than a huge, bulging way (though I think that's changed in recent comics), so Maslany could bulk up to that level and hide it as Jennifer with loose clothes. Or they could go the "Skinny Steve" route if she's just Jennifer briefly at the start before turning into Shulkie permanently.

 

[Anwar]

Jennifer Walters is 5'10"

?
Isn't she 5'1'?

https://www.writeups.org/she-hulk-marvel-comics-jennifer-walters-earliest/

 

[Caretaker]

?
Isn't she 5'1'?

https://www.writeups.org/she-hulk-marvel-comics-jennifer-walters-earliest/

Online, I've seen three different heights: 5'1", 5'3" and 5'10".

 

[JD]

They announced 4 directors for the Ms. Marvel series, the directors of Bad Boys for Life, Adil El Arabi and Bilall Fallah, Meera Menon, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. I haven't seen Bad Boys for Life, or any of Obaid-Chinoy's stuff, but Meera Menon has directed episodes of Titans, The Magicians, and The Walking Dead, so I'm pretty sure I've seen some of her stuff, and all of those shows have been consistently well done.
They've also started working on casting.

 

[Skywalker]

Bad Boys for Life was an entertaining action flick.

 

[JD]

One thing I forgot to mention, which stood out to me in a positive way, is that the names all sound Middle Eastern, and two of them are women. It's nice to see them going for people that should know how to handle the characters realistically.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Let the vetting begin, sounds like they hit the correct check boxes.

EDIT: I guess I shouldn't be so cynical. Meera Menon has a nice mix of genre contribution in her resume. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has done a lot of socially conscious work but doesn't seem to have much experience doing fiction TV/movies.

 

[Christopher]

Let the vetting begin, sounds like they hit the correct check boxes.

Don't vilify it. It should be obvious that people actually from the culture in question are a better choice to represent it than just more white men trying to fake it. Kamala Khan was created by Muslim-American writers and editors, and part of the appeal of Ms. Marvel was how authentically it captured her cultural experience as a Pakistani-American daughter of immigrants, giving the book a texture that distinguished it from anything else in comics. Of course it's a good thing that the show is trying for the same authenticity. Diversity of creative voices isn't about "quotas" or "check boxes." It's about what should be the obvious fact that writers draw on their experience and background, so the wider the range of backgrounds you have to draw on, the richer the breadth of stories that can be told, and the more authentically different points of view can be portrayed. There is no valid reason to have a problem with that.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Sure, but you'd be the first one to say something if the check box wasn't ticked. I do agree it's better to have authentic voices and that it is a good thing. I'm not crazy that each and every single time it's not the case that it's attacked not because of the actual qualifications, skill or interest of the people involved but because the check box wasn't ticked. That wasn't the case here so I really shouldn't have made my comment but I feel a dumb sense of honestly to not delete things I post and pretend I didn't say it.