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The Hulk |
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ABOUT THE PRODUCTlON
By 1968, the Hulk had taken over the entire book, which was then re-named The Incredible Hulk; the series ran to issue #474, ending publication in 1999, and was quickly resurrected in a new series (first called The Hulk, changed back to The Incredible Hulk with issue # 12), which continues current publication without signs of slowing. It seems in the world of heroes (Super, anti- and other), it's hard to keep the big green man down. The immense popularity of the creature also spawned a successful CBS television series (1977 1982), which starred Bill Bixby as scientist Banner and bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk. Following cancellation of the series, fans' enduring affection for the tale of hunted scientist and his angry alter ego urged network executives at NBC to bring back the Hulk to the television screen and ultimately, three more telefilms were created and aired in the late '80s. Hopes for a fourth installment were dashed when Bill Bixby passed away from cancer in 1993. During his career as a Marvel Comics character, the Hulk underwent several changes (early on, the creature was gray, not green, and a nocturnal being). Throughout, however, he was always linked to his alter ego, scientist Bruce Banner, and the two were intertwined in a constant, uneasy relationship. It was this relationship that seemed to keep alive the fans' enduring devotion to Banner/the Hulk and exactly this yin-yang dynamic that made the character ripe for a cinematic appearance. Executive producer and co-creator of the Hulk character Stan Lee remembers, "When I was younger, I loved the movie Frclnkenstein, starring Boris Karloff as the monster, and I also loved Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. One day, I figured, 'Boy, wouldn't it be cool to combine the two of them and get a character who can change from a normal human into the monster?' I always felt that in the movie Frankenstein, the monster was really a good guy. He didn't want to hurt anybody-he was just always being chased by those idiots holding torches and running up and down the hills. So I thought, 'Why not get a sympathetic monster, but let it be a guy who can change back and forth?' So, the Hulk became the first Super Hero who was also a monster." Producer/screenwriter James Schamus, Ang Lee's longtime filmmaking partner and collaborator, comments, "Unlike a lot of other Super Heroes, the Hulk is a Super Hero, a monster and a person, and the various Hulk comics include the drama between generations of families, the quest for his origins, how he came to be who he is the mystery of who he is...all of those things." It was the character's internal conflict and the dramatic dilemmas it posed that also attracte producer Gale Anne Hurd to the property. "I always thought the story of the Hulk, a presented in the Marvel Comics, had elements of Shakespearean tragedy that had great cinematic potential," Hurd says. "There was real, elementa drama of the human condition in this character What I always liked about the Hulk was that he was a hero, but not really a Super Hero, not wher compared to the other Marvel crime-fighting characters. The Jekyll and Hyde conflict intrigued me. Part of it is a cautionary tale, not only about th~ demons that we have to come to terms with inside ourselves, but it is also a bit of a commentary abou the ramifications of having the technology to creat a Hulk. The comic book dealt with Cold War issues but we've been able to update it and it's relevant, i not more relevant, now." Hurd, whose many blockbuster credits include Terminator and Terminator 2. Judgment Day Aliens, The Abyss and Armageddon, understands the notion of using computer generated imagery (CGI to further a film's characters and plot. She point out that the wait to make the film was fortunate as allowed technology to catch up to the special need of the Hulk. "The great news is that over the course of the 11 years this project has been in development, the technology caught up with our passion for the project. We now have the technology to create tht Hulk the way it should always have been approached. Now, with CGI, with the technique that have been developed at [leading visual effect house] Industrial Light & Magic, we are able to g beyond what could've been imagined on the television show or even on film. There might have been ways to put the Hulk onscreen before now, but it wouldn't have been The Hulk imagined by Star Lee and Jack Kirby," the producer comments. While the technology and interest in "comic book" movies may have auspiciously dovetailed Marvel, as producer and Marvel Studios CEO Av Arad points out, is very sensitive and selective wher it comes to allocating its characters and their worlds to filmmakers.
Producer Hurd, whose ability to assemble extraordinary ensembles of filmmaking and acting talent to create just that sort of dynamic, understood the keen sense of balance that would be a requisite of the project's director. She notes, "We always had Ang Lee on our list of potential directors. So when Universal suggested it, Avi and I felt that Ang would consider it because there is no more complex character than Banner/the Hulk. It's the ultimate split personality-two individuals that need to live with each other one way or another. They are tied in genetically, but they want to destroy each other and themselves at the same time. Looking at Ang's movies, I felt his keen interest in the inner soul, his sense of humor, his interest in family dynamics, in the relationships of fathers and sons, his inventive action in Crouching Tiger...he had all the ingredients to make a great movie." "We always thought that Ang was an incredibly interesting filmmaker because he never repeats himself," Arad adds. "He moves seamlessly among the different genres and there are very few directors who can handle anything. Because our character Bruce Banner and his alter ego the Hulk are deeply rooted in rich drama, you really want someone who is an actor's director. With Crouching Tiger, you saw that he could deliver something that was rich and epic in scale, but at the core, what really made that movie sucGessful was that you cared about the characters." James Schamus concurs with Arad, noting that the tale of the Hulk plays to Lee's interests and strengths. He adds, "We moved the script in directions that would allow Ang a chance to grapple with certain ideas-the familial conflicts, the search for Banner's past, the genesis of the Hulk. More importantly, I think that Ang also sees the emotional, positive side of the Hulk. He understands that the Hulk isn't simply a monster that is there to scare us, but that everyone has the Hulk in them and there is something very enjoyable, very empowering about experiencing hulkness. So, he was very interested in, for want of a better term, the entertainment side of the Hulk. He wanted to make it a very pleasurable experience, too." The director himself says, "I had just finished Crouching Tiger when the studio approached me about The Hulk. It seemed like an interesting extension of my work ... I called it my new Green Destiny [referring to the fabled sword in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]. The early Hulk comics were especially inspiring for me-the energy and dynamics of Jack Kirby's drawings, the dramatic freedom of the stories Stan Lee created. They dealt with huge issues and fears, and finding within those fears the will and imagination to understand them. I feel that everyone has a Hulk inside and each of our Hulks is both scary and, potentially, pleasurable. That's the scariest thing about them." Lee adds that The Hulk also offered the opportunity to delve into a variety of potentially opposing themes and topics, and the challenge of balancing and connecting them attracted him as well. He continues, "We addressed this question a bit in Crouching Tiger-how do you take a popular genre, like the martial arts film, and approach it with intelligence, without making it too cheesy but still fulfilling the demands of entertainment? We had similar challenges with The Hulk, but that is what is exhilarating about it. I think it's possible to treat this mixture in a very emotional way as well. The Hulk, like Crouching Tiger, is a weird combination of pop culture and realistic drama. I think by nature, these two aspects don't want to get along but I try to mix them. How much should be realistic? If it's too realistic, how can you believe in a green giant or that people can fly? How to combine something that is visually exciting, very free, almost like a childhood fantasy, with the reality of psychodrama, comedy, romance? These are contradictory elements, but to me, they represent the dilemma of my own life in filmmaking. The toughest thing for a filmmaker is to keep it balanced. It's like walking a constant tightrope and that's a thrill for me." |
From amazon.com
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The character of "The Hulk" first appeared in a eries of six Marvel Comics in 1962 as the creation of writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Two years el Ihe creature was pitted opposite Giant-Man in #59 of Tales to Astonish, and in the next issue of the series, earned his own separate story in the comic book.
"At Marvel, we view our comic books and characters as our children and we have to find them the appropriate surrogate parents, filmmakers who will bring something special to the project. Whenever you hear the word 'comic book,' some people see a fist with the word 'POW' on it. What they are really about are characters, very interesting people who have gifts and curses and complicated lives. Our movies must be made by real filmmakers and real actors because it takes tremendous range to play and deliver these roles," Arad notes.
