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SDCC 07: The Incredible Hulk Roars
Edward Norton, Director Louis Leterrier and crew reveal a new direction for the green guy.
by Chris Carle
July 28, 2007 - The Marvel Studios Hulk panel began with a definitive statement from Marvel movie guru Kevin Feige: "This is the beginning of a whole new Hulk saga." Gone is the pensive Ang Lee take on the green monster, the new Hulk film, directed by Unleashed helmer Louis Leterrier, will take the character in a brand new direction.
Joining Leterrier on the project is Edward Norton, who wrote the screenplay and will star as Bruce Banner/Hulk in the film. Along with Producers Gale Anne Hurd, Kevin Feige and Avi Arad, Norton was joined at the panel by his co-star on the film, Liv Tyler, who plays Betty Ross.
The panel repeatedly stressed the different direction for this film from the previous one, citing the television show and comics as dual inspirations for the movie, dubbed The Incredible Hulk. At the panel, the first image of the new Hulk was revealed. He is a deep grey/green with a scarred hide and tortured face. As soon as we are able to post a picture, look for it on IGN.
Although the film is in just its second week of production, the cast and crew flew down to Comic-Con after a late night on set to answer questions from the enormous crowd.
Norton, who has a ton of input on the new film, was attracted to the project because it's "one of those great contemporary myths this suppression of your inner demons." He approached the project as "Reconstructing the story as a mythic saga." He went on to say that "something as rich a story as the Hulk has unlimited potential."
At several points throughout the panel, Norton pointed to his own love of comics. "I was a Marvel kid," he said, and recounted how he used to subscribe to several books in his youth. "Part of the fun of this is that there are all these tropes that weave through [Marvel comics] Part of the fun was referencing these."
Director Louis Leterrier echoed his sentiment, stating that the movie would be stocked with Easter eggs and homages that adept fans will catch. Although he grew up in France where Marvel Comics were not readily available, his love of the Hulk character grew out of the Seventies Bill Bixby series. "That's what really attracted me to this project," he stated.
Liv Tyler agreed, saying she was "a huge fan of the TV show as a little girl." Norton noted that the lessons he took away from the show helped him write the script. "When you watch that show, it doesn't talk down to the idea of the story," and that Bill Bixby plays Banner as "a moral person at war with this thing inside of him."
But Norton was quick to point out that the film would not be wholly based on the TV show. Rather, it will be an amalgamation of many sources. Since signing on to do the film, he has "had a lot of deep exploration of a lot of incarnations of the Hulk." Both he and Leterrier pointed to the Return of the Monster story arc as inspiration.
Although the film will explore the beginnings of the Hulk, Norton was hesitant to call it an origin story. "I don't even like the phrase 'origin story' The art of telling a story well is by answering those questions but not always by frontloading it. It seems obligatory, like you're hustling through it." He revealed that the Incredible Hulk story would seek to "spool out" the Hulk's genesis throughout the story.
When asked how he feels about playing such an iconic character, Norton responded, "It's kind of an honor and it's kind of ridiculous." He admitted that "making an effects-driven film is a new thing for me," and that "one of the questions I asked was, 'Once the Hulk pops out, does that take me out of the picture as an actor?'" Since CG technology has progressed to the point where an actor's performance can accurately be conveyed in animation, he felt assured, and even stated that "getting to play both halves" is something he was really looking forward to.
The crowd was warm and receptive to the panel's answers, and, like the Iron Man portion of the affair, there seemed to be a general sense of relief among comic fans with this creative team in place.
The Incredible Hulk will co-star William Hurt and Tim Roth. Roth plays Emil Blonsky, who comic fans will know is the alter ego of Hulk villain Abomination. A release date of June 13, 2008 has been set.
http://movies.ign.com/articles/809/809006p1.html
Edward Norton, Director Louis Leterrier and crew reveal a new direction for the green guy.
by Chris Carle
July 28, 2007 - The Marvel Studios Hulk panel began with a definitive statement from Marvel movie guru Kevin Feige: "This is the beginning of a whole new Hulk saga." Gone is the pensive Ang Lee take on the green monster, the new Hulk film, directed by Unleashed helmer Louis Leterrier, will take the character in a brand new direction.
Joining Leterrier on the project is Edward Norton, who wrote the screenplay and will star as Bruce Banner/Hulk in the film. Along with Producers Gale Anne Hurd, Kevin Feige and Avi Arad, Norton was joined at the panel by his co-star on the film, Liv Tyler, who plays Betty Ross.
The panel repeatedly stressed the different direction for this film from the previous one, citing the television show and comics as dual inspirations for the movie, dubbed The Incredible Hulk. At the panel, the first image of the new Hulk was revealed. He is a deep grey/green with a scarred hide and tortured face. As soon as we are able to post a picture, look for it on IGN.
Although the film is in just its second week of production, the cast and crew flew down to Comic-Con after a late night on set to answer questions from the enormous crowd.
Norton, who has a ton of input on the new film, was attracted to the project because it's "one of those great contemporary myths this suppression of your inner demons." He approached the project as "Reconstructing the story as a mythic saga." He went on to say that "something as rich a story as the Hulk has unlimited potential."
At several points throughout the panel, Norton pointed to his own love of comics. "I was a Marvel kid," he said, and recounted how he used to subscribe to several books in his youth. "Part of the fun of this is that there are all these tropes that weave through [Marvel comics] Part of the fun was referencing these."
Director Louis Leterrier echoed his sentiment, stating that the movie would be stocked with Easter eggs and homages that adept fans will catch. Although he grew up in France where Marvel Comics were not readily available, his love of the Hulk character grew out of the Seventies Bill Bixby series. "That's what really attracted me to this project," he stated.
Liv Tyler agreed, saying she was "a huge fan of the TV show as a little girl." Norton noted that the lessons he took away from the show helped him write the script. "When you watch that show, it doesn't talk down to the idea of the story," and that Bill Bixby plays Banner as "a moral person at war with this thing inside of him."
But Norton was quick to point out that the film would not be wholly based on the TV show. Rather, it will be an amalgamation of many sources. Since signing on to do the film, he has "had a lot of deep exploration of a lot of incarnations of the Hulk." Both he and Leterrier pointed to the Return of the Monster story arc as inspiration.
Although the film will explore the beginnings of the Hulk, Norton was hesitant to call it an origin story. "I don't even like the phrase 'origin story' The art of telling a story well is by answering those questions but not always by frontloading it. It seems obligatory, like you're hustling through it." He revealed that the Incredible Hulk story would seek to "spool out" the Hulk's genesis throughout the story.
When asked how he feels about playing such an iconic character, Norton responded, "It's kind of an honor and it's kind of ridiculous." He admitted that "making an effects-driven film is a new thing for me," and that "one of the questions I asked was, 'Once the Hulk pops out, does that take me out of the picture as an actor?'" Since CG technology has progressed to the point where an actor's performance can accurately be conveyed in animation, he felt assured, and even stated that "getting to play both halves" is something he was really looking forward to.
The crowd was warm and receptive to the panel's answers, and, like the Iron Man portion of the affair, there seemed to be a general sense of relief among comic fans with this creative team in place.
The Incredible Hulk will co-star William Hurt and Tim Roth. Roth plays Emil Blonsky, who comic fans will know is the alter ego of Hulk villain Abomination. A release date of June 13, 2008 has been set.
http://movies.ign.com/articles/809/809006p1.html
