1/1/2007
Happy New Year, everybody! For those wondering what coverage of "The Incredible Hulk" there was in the Wizard 2007 Movie Spectacular issue... well, ask and ye shall receive. Here're the snippits of Wizard's interview with "Hulk" writer Zak Penn and his comments regarding the new film:
WHERE DO YOU STAND ON THE HULK MOVIE NOW?
I'm literally in the middle of it. I'm writing it right now. So that's where I stand on it.
ARE YOU STARTING OVER AND IGNORING THE FIRST FILM?
No. I wouldn't say that we're starting over. Bruce [Banner] is in a similar position in terms of where he was left in the first film because to my mind - here's an example of something that got me in trouble. I wrote a draft of "The Hulk" in 1996. I was the second writer on the original "Hulk" movie. My feeling then, as it is now, is that someone has made an incredible adaptation of the Hulk character and that was the TV show and it's cheesy looking, but the central idea of this guy who's this horrible secret chasing him around everywhere he goes was incredibly compelling and it really worked. The only part that didn't work was the FX, which is obviously no longer the case. That's where the first movie leaves you off; that's kind of where I wanted to start.
YOUR SCRIPT WOULD HAVE BEEN A CONTINUATION OF THE TELEVISION CONTINUITY IN A WAY THEN?
My draft of the first "Hulk" opened with him already having transformed into the Hulk. It opened with him at a roadside bar with these guys picking on him and him saying, "Don't make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry," and then transforming, and then you flash back to reveal how it all happened. Part of the way that this "Hulk" came about is that they went back and read my draft. They went back through all of the stuff that they had commissioned and said, "This is more of the tone that we wanted." So it doesn't really require us ignoring the first movie, but that said, there's a lot of stuff in the first movie that I'm not even going to touch on because I don't see any need to and I don't think that it's going to help us. But that said, we're not going to contradict it either. We're not going to write a new origin.
YOU'LL REFERENCE IT, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAMPLE FROM IT?
Right, and I would like to reference it a little bit for the people who liked that movie, but at the same time I don't want it to be like "X-Men" where it's all totally interwoven because, first of all, there aren't enough setups in the first movie to merit that. I mean, Talbot is dead and his dad is dead.
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But wait, there's more! There's also Wizard's own section of what they'd like to see in the new "Hulk" film, again word for word what they wrote:
HOW TO BUILD A BETTER "HULK" MOVIE, ONE STEP AT A TIME
Hulk dogs. Ponderous pacing. Crazy, grizzled Nick Nolte. Jennifer Connelly. Okay, so the first "Hulk" movie didn't quite get everything wrong, but it wasn't nearly the movie comic fans were hoping for. Now that the franchise is being rebooted under the direction of Louis Leterrier ("The Transporter") for a June 2008 release, there's a unique opportunity to get it right. Here's what we'd do to create the ultimate "Hulk" movie:
KEEP IT SIMPLE
A selfless act exposed Bruce Banner to radiation and unleashed his inner demons. Simple. The origin shouldn't get more than a cursory mention, but there's no need to deviate from the classic, simple origin. Take a cue from "Spider-Man 2" and cover that in a stylistic way in the opening credits so we can get right to the meat of the story.
BORN TO RUN
The Hulk's not quite a superhero, so he works best when he's cast as the innocent man just trying to be left alone. Look for inspiration from the old TV series and pit Banner on the run from sinister government forces who want him for their own means. Being on the lam gives Banner strong and identifiable goals - he wants to avoid his enemies, he wants to try and find a cure and he wants to eventually get back to girlfriend Betty Ross.
STICK TO THE ROSSES
This ain't no sprawling, ensemble picture - it's called "The Hulk", not "Hulk and Friends". Keep the supporting cast small, exemplified by two characters: Betty Ross and her father General Thunderbolt Ross. They're the perfect foils for Bruce - both are searching for him, but one wants to love him and bring him peace and one wants to capture him and use him for war. Plus, who can't relate to a girlfriend's disapproving father?
MONSTER SMASH
It seems really obvious, but - Hulk smash. That's what he does. Let him smash. Seeing him go ape-poop on some tanks was one of the highlights of the first movie, but does anyone really want to see U.S. soldiers getting beaten up at this point? Give him some really nasty, unsympathetic enemies. That way when the Hulk cuts loose we can cheer along with him without any mixed emotions. At the end of the film he can take the fight straight to his enemies... and smash everything in sigh except the movie cameras.
SHELL OUT THE GREEN
It goes against our instincts to say this, but... there should be a major Hollywood star playing the Hulk. While normally that sort of stunt casting can be distracting, part of the appeal of the Hulk is that he's an everyman, but twisted and perverted into something terrifying. It doesn't have the same emotional heft to see a nobody undergo that transformation as it would for someone who the audiences and really identifies with... say, Russell Crowe. Bonus: Crowe has experience playing a troubled scientist, a brawler and being in love with Jennifer Connelly!
IT TAKES A VILLAIN
The makers of the new "Hulk" movie have already made a really smart decision - they've announced the Abomination will be the villain for the film. While it's easy to identify with Banner, it can sometimes be difficult to sympathize with the property-destroying Hulk. Simple solution? Put him up against a villain that's even tougher, smarter and uglier than he is. Then the audience will be rooting to see the Hulk succeed against all odds. Not to mention you'll get some truly groundbreaking (literally!) fight scenes.
LIGHTEN UP!
While the central Jekyll and Hyde concept of the Hulk is... well, kind of a bummer, there's no need for the film to feel like a non-stop tragedy. Throw some comic relief into Banner's life on the lam, and let the audience experience some exhilaration when the Hulk gets to cut loose and do what Hulks do. You walk out of the "Spider-Man" films wishing you could swing on a web... why not walk out of "The Incredible Hulk" wishing you could clobber the Abomination and send him flying three states away?
There's some more content in there that I'm sure I forgot to write about, including a snippit of director Louis Leterrier being named as one of The New Power Brokers: The next wave of Hollywood talent behind upcoming comic book films, but you have to find the issue and read for yourself. Still, I hope what I wrote helped out a bit.
Sincerely,
Stuart Green
They really seem to be ignoring the first film. *sigh*
