The Incredible Hulk Movies Thread

Edward Norton is The Incredible Hulk!

Edward Norton has been set by Marvel Studios to play Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk.

The Louis Leterrier-directed film will be distributed by Universal Pictures on June 13, 2008. The movie will shoot this summer in Toronto.

Norton takes over a role played in the Ang Lee-directed Hulk by Eric Bana. Though that film opened strongly, it didn't fare as well as other Marvel efforts, including Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four and, most recently, Ghost Rider.

Marvel Studios, which has a $525 million credit facility obtained through Merrill Lynch, made The Incredible Hulk its second film under that arrangement, and seeks to make a sequel that is less self-serious and more in line with the comic series and TV show. Leterrier directed the action-filled Transporter and its sequel, as well as Unleashed.

The new movie begins with Banner on the run, trying to avoid capture long enough to cure the condition that turns him into a misunderstood green menace.

"Edward Norton is a rare talent and one of the most versatile actors in the business," Marvel Studios production president Kevin Feige said in a statement. "His ability to transform into a particular role makes him the ideal choice to take on the character of Bruce Banner and the Hulk. Edward is perfectly suited to bring one of the most popular and important Marvel icons to the bigscreen in a new and exciting way."

The script for The Incredible Hulk was written by Zak Penn, who had a hand in crafting two "X-Men" films and Fantastic Four for Marvel.

The movie is being produced by Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd and Marvel's Feige. Jim Van Wyck, David Maisel, Ari Arad and Stan Lee are executive producing.

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Interesting casting choice there... [face_thinking] [/color]

 

He's a good actor, but this movie? Seems like an odd choice for him.

 

Too bad it's not Eric Bana.

 

Norton is a great actor. I assume he needs a big hit in his quiver in order to get the more personal films he want to make happen. It's not unusual for Hollywood stars to do this, though this is a first for Norton.

 

Zak Penn Talks About Norton as The Hulk

When it comes to bringing Marvel Comics characters into the movies, you can't get much more knowledgeable than Zak Penn, who's written or been involved with the last two "X-Men" movies, both "Hulk" movies, Elektra and a bunch of the Marvel movie-related video games. In two weeks, Penn's second movie as a director, the poker comedy The Grand, will be premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, and by pure chance, ComingSoon.net/Superhero Hype! had a chance to talk to the writer less than 24 hours after the casting announcement that Edward Norton would be starring in the upcoming The Incredible Hulk. Of course, we had to ask him for a few words about the news.

"I couldn't be happier about Ed Norton," he told us. "I worked on the first 'Hulk' movie and I remember talking about how awesome it would be if we got Ed Norton to play this part. He really was up for it the first time. I think Ed Norton's one of the best actors working, and even I was pretty shocked that he wanted to do it. It's one of those rare things where it turned out better than I [expected]. Look, there's a lot of really good actors who wanted to do it even before I wrote my script. I'm not just saying this, but I cannot think of a better person to play Bruce Banner. In this case, Ed Norton would have been at the top of my list.

"To me, the thing about Bruce is that he's a physicist, he's a super-smart guy who has a lot of repressed anger. To me, that is the essential thing you need to know about him. He could be tall or short, but you have to believe that he's a physicist, you have to believe that life is frustrating for him physically. Ed went to Yale. He's a really smart guy. He has an intelligence that you can see on-screen, which a lot of people who are great actors don't project that. He projects the guy that is smarter than you, and he also projects anger in a lot of his movies, 'Fight Club' being the most obvious example. If you think about 'Fight Club,' he has a lot of similarities to the Hulk as a character. Tyler Durden is his Hulk."

We also asked Penn to describe his take on the movie in terms of whether it's a sequel, a revamp or something different. "It's not going to be a sequel, but it's hard to describe," he admitted. "The best description I would say is something like 'Batman Begins' where it's not necessarily out of continuity with the other movies, though that was more of an origin story. It's much more of a reboot, the way that 'Aliens' is a sequel to 'Alien,' but the kinds of movie are different. It keeps the mythology of the worlds, but it's a totally different structure. It's more of an action movie than the first one was. This one is much more of a thriller, I would say. I don't think it's unfair to say like a 'Bourne Identity' type feeling to it. Certainly I've mentioned that the Bruce Jones comic book run were very influential or the TV series. It definitely harkens back much more to that, emphasizing a guy on the run with a secret, who cannot feel emotion and cannot risk having any close relationships with people for fear what it's going to do to them."

"The first movie is not about Bruce Banner dealing with the repercussions of being the Hulk, it's much more about him becoming the Hulk," he continued. "He gets taken to a base and put under observation pretty quickly. This movie is about Bruce Banner on the run and what life is like. There's stuff that I didn't want to deal with that was in the first movie. You're not going to see anything about his father or his experiments or anything, because to me, as a fan, that was the part that I found most frustrating and nooooooo dogs. I liked the fight, but I didn't like the poodle."

"There's a lot of skepticism towards this project, particularly online, despite the first movie, it's not just that," Penn opined to us, realizing the hurdles the second movie has to face. "Every time I go online and I read these people talking about 'X-Men 3.' I me

 

This movie is one big slap in the face to Ang Lee.

While part of me is looking forward to it, for some reason I think that not only will it be more action-oriented but it will be more targeted towards families a la Fantastic Four.

However, if it is indeed similar in tone to The Bourne Identity, then just maybe it'll be worth it.

 

Well, the first one wasn't good at all, so I'm not sure that that's gonna matter much.

Edward Norton as Bruce Banner? Sorry, I don't see it - Bana was much better, one of the good points of the first movie. I remember Norton from The Italian Job, and still think of him as an annoying thief.

 

I would recommend checking out Ed Norton in FightClub, 25th Hour, Primal Fear or American History X, and you will see what Norton can do with a tormented character. Each of these the character has a duality that will be good for Bruce Banner. I am sure Norton can do well as the modern day Dr. Hekyll/Mr. Hyde.

 

The first Hulk movie is grossly underrated. Like Batman Begins it actually invests a lot of screentime in Banner's origin. Perhaps the dogfight was a bit much, but I found it an enjoyable action sequence. Not too mention that Hulk was ILM's most natural looking digital character until Davy Jones. And Eric Bana is the perfect "every man" for the role of Banner.

Unlike other origin stories, this feels quite fresh. And I guess I'm in the minority, but I really loved the Greek tragedy-esque father-son dynamic.

The only thing I would have changed was the editing style. It was fresh, however, I think it called to much attention to itself. We don't need to be reminded at every scene that we're watching a comic book movie. In this genre, unless it's Mystery Men or The Incredibles, audiences like to believe that what they're watching is real.

 

Liv Tyler is Hulk's Betty Ross!

Marvel Studios announced today that Hollywood starlet Liv Tyler will join the cast of the highly-anticipated, new big screen adaptation of The Incredible Hulk. Tyler has signed on to play Betty Ross, the longtime love interest of Dr. Bruce Banner aka The Hulk. She joins two-time Academy Award® nominee Edward Norton who has already been cast in the title role. The film, which is being directed by Louis Leterrier (Transporter 2, Unleashed), and distributed by Universal Pictures, is scheduled to smash into theaters on June 13, 2008.

As Betty Ross, Tyler will take on the lead female role. Ross is a scientist and has been Bruce Banner's key ally in the quest to rid him of the Hulk. Bruce's condition has immensely complicated their longtime romance, and has finally forced Betty to try to put the past behind her. The new movie's story unfolds when the pursuit for The Hulk - the world's most misunderstood, primal force of fury - heats up, finding Bruce Banner on the run attempting to cure his condition before his pursuers capture him. This chase is something that Betty cannot ignore - sweeping her right back into Bruce's life and the heart-pounding action that follows.

Tyler first came to the attention of Hollywood in Bernardo Bertolucci's Stealing Beauty. Shortly thereafter, Tyler earned starring roles in several successful movies, including That Thing You Do!, and Inventing the Abbotts. Her featured performances in the blockbuster sensations Armageddon and more recently "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy further solidified her status as one of Hollywood's hottest actresses. Tyler will next appear on the big screen in the upcoming comedy Smother and the horror thriller The Strangers.

"Liv is not only a classic Hollywood beauty, but an undeniable talent. Her roles in such blockbusters as 'The Lord of the Rings' and indie favorites like 'Stealing Beauty' have helped her develop a unique blend of dramatic and action-adventure experience that are perfectly suited for taking on Betty Ross," said Kevin Feige, President of Production, Marvel Studios. "We believe the chemistry between her and Edward Norton will explode on screen, adding another compelling dimension to the film."

Filming on The Incredible Hulk is slated to begin in Toronto this summer.

The Incredible Hulk film is being produced by Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd and Kevin Feige and will be executive produced by Jim Van Wyck, David Maisel, Ari Arad and Stan Lee. Tyler is represented by David Guillod of United Talent Agency and managed by David Schiff of The Schiff Company.

Universal Pictures will distribute The Incredible Hulk film both domestically and in various international territories.

 

LMAO! Sounds like significant changes, might as well restart the franchise.

Pity, Hulk wasn't as bad as, say, Daredevil, but commercially...alas. It didn't deserve this, as much as I myself whined about the film.

Then again, the casting changes might me feel curious to see the sequel.

*shrug* Spidey is still the ultimate victor.

 

*shudders*

I'm of the minority that thinks all three Spidey movies are crap, minus a few performances (Dafoe, Molina, and Church).

The Punisher is the best Marvel film I've seen, followed closely by *gasp* the Hulk. Seriously. The Hulk is quite possibly the most underrated comic book film to date.

But Liv Tyler? Yikes. Norton was a great decision, but I'm not so sure about her...

 

The Punisher is the best Marvel film I've seen

Yes, because a movie that basically repeats every other action movies is clearly the best! That said, it's still better than Daredevil and it's unholy spin-off, Elektra. Plus Travolta made me more sympatehtic towards the villain rather than the psychotic hero.

Tsk, go watch 'Hard to Kill', methinks that was the title. Or, a more recent one, 'Man on Fire'.

 

I actually really enjoyed Daredevil. The Director's cut really changes it from a poor movie to something decent.

 

Edward Norton has stated that he was forced to do The Italian Job (something technical with his contract) and that it reflected in his work.

 

When compared to other Marvel movies, yeah, it is.

IMHO

 

Tim Roth Cast as Hulk Villain

The Incredible Hulk will be matched against the oversized adversary Abomination, and Tim Roth will play the villain's alter ego, Emil Blonsky.

Variety says Roth is joining Edward Norton and Liv Tyler in the Louis Leterrier-directed film, which is being financed by Marvel Studios and distributed by Universal Pictures on June 13, 2008.

Blonsky is a KGB agent who deliberately exposes himself to the gamma rays that caused Bruce Banner to morph into the Hulk. Blonsky has upped the dosage, making him larger and stronger than the Hulk, but unable to change back to human form. He blames Banner for his problem, and makes his best efforts to destroy the Hulk.

The Incredible Hulk is being produced by Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd and Marvel's Feige. Jim Van Wyck, David Maisel, Ari Arad and Stan Lee are executive producing. Zak Penn wrote the script.

 

Roth facing off against Norton? - I'm there!

 

now we need to know who is playing "Thunderbolt" Ross. they should just get Sam Elliot back for it. he was perfect in that role

 

At the moment it's looking like Liv Tyler is going to be the weak link in the cast. I don't dislike her, but she's not in the same league as Norton and Roth. I worry that the film may flag when she's on-screen with Norton, especially as love-dialogue in comic-book movies tends to be very badly written.

 

who else do people think could play "Thunderbolt" Ross?

 

Looks like my question is answered:

William Hurt is Gen. Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross

Oscar winner William Hurt has joined the all-star cast of Marvel Studios' The Incredible Hulk.

The movie, which Louis Leterrier is directing, sees Bruce Banner/Hulk on the run, trying to avoid capture long enough to cure the condition that turns him into a monster. Hurt will play Gen. Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, the man who has dedicated his life to capturing the Hulk -- and who also is the father of Banner's love interest, Betty Ross.

"Hulk" is shaping up to having one of the stronger comic book movie casts in quite a while as Hurt joins two-time Oscar nominee Edward Norton, who is playing Banner, Liv Tyler as Betty and Tim Roth as villain Emil Blonsky/the Abomination.

Zak Penn wrote the latest big-screen adventure of the green goliath, which Universal Pictures is distributing.

The film is being produced by Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd and Kevin Feige, while Jim Van Wyck, David Maisel, Ari Arad and Stan Lee executive produce. Shooting is slated to begin this summer in Toronto.

 

I was hoping that Sam Elliot would come back but William Hurt is a great actor and will probably do a fine job. This movie has a really strong cast and should wind up being quite good. I'm excited!

 

I agree. This and Iron Man seem to have the best casting for a comic book movie next to Batman Begins

 

Sam Elliot was the General Ross, but I've got confidence in Hurt and I think he'll do a fine job.

Don't forget the Dark Knight when mentioning good casting for a comic book film. Bale, Freeman, Caine, Oldman, along with newcomers to the series Heath Ledger (I really have a good feeling that he's going to be amazing and become a star after this), Aaron Eckhart (an actor who deserves much for credit than he receives), Maggie Gyllenhaal (one of the few great actresses out there), and Anthony Michael Hall.