The Incredible Hulk panel at the New York Comic Con seemed to set the stage in quite possibly reversing the taste left in fandom’s mouth by Ang Lee’s 2003 artsy interpretation of the comic icon.
Director Louis Leterrier was joined on stage by the film’s producer Gale Anne Hurd and Kevin Feige, president of production for Marvel Studios.
Leterrier, known best State-side for his work on The Transporter Euro-action flicks told the crowd he had just got into town from Seattle where he was working on the film’s score, composed by Craig Armstrong.
“It’s Star Wars good,” he told the crowd. A statement greeted by a skeptical grown mixed with cheers. “We will have a final mix next week.”
When asked what’s new, Feige replied simply: “We have a kick-ass villain.”
Which was the cue to roll the footage of John Hurt as Gen. Thunderbolt Ross and Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky, discussing the decidedly painful use of a “super soldier” formula injected into the subject’s deep muscle tissue and the bones. (Later in the panel it was hinted that the vial was the same colors as Captain America.)
After the footage, Tim Roth joined the panelists on stage. Leterrier and Feige made it clear that this version of The Hulk was not meant to diminish what Ang Lee created, but to move the story in a direction more familiar to the fans. To make it a more traditional approach to the character:
“We needed a big ass fight in this movie,” Feige said. “The Abomination is as big as it comes. We wanted the Hulk to be a hero. Against this guy the Hulk is the underdog.”
Leterrier premiered a five-minute clip, not yet complete, of Ross and Blonsky pursuing the Hulk. We see Banner being chased through what looks like an Ivy League university or tony hospital while his nemesis’ daughter Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) looks on. The U.S. Army uses tear gas which only unleashes The Hulk. We see him tussle with Blonsky. Despite looking human, Blonsky is amazing acrobatic, strong and quick. The clip ends with Blonsky gets kicked in the chest by The Hulk.
Asked if this incarnation of The Hulk would speak the film’s director Louis Leterrier joked about the green Goliath’s famous phrase: “Hulk Smash? We should put that in.”
Later in the panel a fan asked how influenced he was by the 1970s Hulk TV show.
“In France Marvel Comics were not that popular," when he was growing up. “But The Hulk TV show was very popular. Bill Bixby was absolutely amazing in it. And a guy called Lou Ferrigno was in it …”, which was the cue for the fan-favorite to walk onto the stage to huge applause.
Ferrigno walked across the stage, stood behind Leterrier and Kevin Feige, president of production for Marvel Studio and flexed his muscles to even more applause.
“You see what I started?” he joked to the appreciative crowd.
Ferrigno told the audience how he auditioned for the 1980s animated Hulk TV series and cupping his microphone in his hands bellowed: “Hulk Mad! Hulk Smash!”
At which point Leterrier said Ferrigno is going to do the Hulk voice in the new movie, invited the actor to the studio and that it was “a deal.”
The panel ended with the premiere of the new Hulk trailer, though the director said it was incomplete and using an alternative soundtrack, the ad built on the previously released trailer, explaining in quick succession that Bruce Banner has been in hiding, traveling the world, working on trying to find a “cure” for his malady. We see General Thunderbolt Ross played perennial sci-fi movie actor John Hurt ordering a “snatch and grab” operation to bring Banner back to the U.S.
Next we see Banner, played by Edward Norton running through the streets of what looks like the slums of Rio de Janeiro. The scenes of the Hulk/Blonsky fight are shown. Then we see scenes of Blonksy becoming, well, lumpy and finally we see the Abomination and Hulk throwing down in Midtown.
The audience ate it up, but after the credits a scene was appended to the trailer that seems to lay rest to one of the biggest Hulk rumors on the net: We see General Ross with what appears to be a black eye (or he is rip-roaring drunk) holding up a bar with a drink in his hand. We cut to the bar door opening, and like an old-school western we see a man in silhouette enter the bar and we hear Robert Downey, Jr.’s voice. Due to the screams in the audience what he says is barely audible, but then he walks up to Ross, we see Downey’s face. Ross compliments him as “always having the nicest suits.” Then Downey says to Ross: “I hear you have an unusual problem?”
