The Incredible Hulk
Short description
Scientist Bruce Banner lives in hiding, having been exposed to gamma radiation that turns him into a huge green creature whenever his anger takes over. He stays away from people and searches for a way to undo the change, while keeping in touch with Betty Ross, the woman he left behind. The military, led by her father, General Ross, wants to capture him and use his condition as a weapon. A soldier named Emil Blonsky volunteers for a procedure meant to copy Banner's strength, and the result pushes Banner into a confrontation he never wanted.
The film was directed by Louis Leterrier, the fourth of his features and the one that followed Transporter 2. Zak Penn wrote the screenplay, with Gale Anne Hurd, Avi Arad and Kevin Feige producing. Edward Norton plays Banner, Liv Tyler plays Betty, Tim Roth plays Blonsky and William Hurt plays General Ross. It runs 114 minutes.
It was released in June 2008 and cost about 150 million dollars to make, earning roughly 265 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.6 from 562,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.3 from 13,155 votes. A critics' rating of 6.4 from 238 reviews sits close to those audience scores, suggesting a broadly mixed but not hostile response.
What's left behind the scenes
- When Bruce walks through the town of Chapas in Mexico in tattered pants, they reach his ankles. In the next scene, he is sitting exhausted at the market, with his pants at knee level. And in the following one, where he wants to buy new clothes, they are back to reaching his ankles again.
- Edward Norton, known for frequently rewriting the scripts of the films he stars in, also participated in the development of the script this time, editing it to suit himself, resulting in the introduction of new characters into the film.
- All weaponry in the film is branded "Stark Industries," that is, the company of Tony Stark, Iron Man – another character from Marvel comics.
- Producer Gale Anne Hurd called this film a "requel" (a mix of a remake and a sequel) to the 2003 "Hulk." Although these two films take place in different timelines, the storyline of "The Incredible Hulk" continues the events of the 2003 picture.
- In the original comics, the monster wears purple pants, or rather what remains of them. Interestingly, when Elizabeth suggests Bruce wear purple pants, he refuses. This amusing moment is explained by the fact that in the US, purple clothing is mainly worn by members of the LGBTQ+ community.
- When Bruce Banner delivers a pizza order, he gives a mini-pizza to the security guard. This is actor Lou Ferrigno, who previously played the Hulk in the series "The Incredible Hulk" (1978-1982).
- Having gained full control over film adaptations of its comics, Marvel Studios was able to do what fans had long asked for – weave together films about superheroes who are familiar with each other from the original comics. For example, Robert Downey Jr. has a small role in "The Incredible Hulk" as Iron Man.
- Ray Stevenson was considered for the role of Emil Blonsky.
- Stan Lee played a small role in the film. He played a man who drank soda contaminated with infected blood.
- Matthew McConaughey auditioned for the role of Bruce Banner, but was rejected.
- The scene of the final battle between the Hulk and the Abomination takes place among the ruins of a courthouse. This was Norton's idea – he wanted the columns in the Greek style to allude to ancient Greek mythology, portraying this fight as a battle of demigods.
- Director Louis Leterrier originally wanted Mark Ruffalo for the role of Bruce Banner, who eventually played the character in 'The Avengers' and joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe. David Duchovny, Liev Schreiber, and Matthew McConaughey were also considered for the role of Banner.
- During filming, director Louis Leterrier broke his leg.
- Hulk first appeared in the comic book "The Incredible Hulk" #1 (May 1962).
- Sam Elliott, who played General Ross in the 2003 film "Hulk," wanted to play the character again, but the role went to William Hurt.
- In the first film – "Hulk" (2003) – the main character could increase in size and reach incredible proportions. This was abandoned in Letterier’s film. In full accordance with the comic, Hulk in the second film is approximately 2 meters 70 cm tall. He also doesn't look like Edward Norton, but he has a scar and a mole on his face in the same place as the actor.
- William Hurt played General Ross, basing the character on the image of the obsessed Captain Ahab, who endlessly pursued Moby Dick.
- When Bruce rides his bicycle to deliver pizza and infiltrate the laboratory, a "bicycle bell" is heard twice, but there is no bell on the bicycle.
- A tie-in game of the same name was based on this film.
- Principal photography for "The Incredible Hulk" began in July 2007 and lasted 88 days. It started in Toronto and finished in November in Rio de Janeiro.
- Tim Roth suggested making his character, Emil Blonsky, a military officer. In the comics, Blonsky was a KGB agent.
- Liv Tyler accepted the role without reading the script.
- At the beginning of the film, Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is watching Brazilian TV. One of the series, "Taking Care of Father Eddie" (1969), features a man being slapped. This is Bill Bixby, who played David Banner in the series "The Incredible Hulk" (1978).
- The Brazilian city where Banner is hiding is called Porto Verde, which translates from Spanish as "green port," a hint at the Hulk's skin color.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
