3rd Incredible Hulk Trailer

The New Hulk Trailer came out with Speed Racer and The Hulk is looking better.

Superhero Hype have posted a new Incredible Hulk Trailer. I'm not sure if it's because it's low quality but the Hulk is looking much better. Now that Iron Man has come out this is the film I am most interested in seeing because unlike The Dark Knight and Hellboy 2 it is unknown if this film will be good. The uncertainty of the project, mixed with the behind the scenes drama  make me curious if this will be a slam dunk or an utter failure. Here is the newest trailer:

The shot with the Hulk and Betty sitting in what looks like a cave while it is raining (this was in the last trailer as well) is what gives me hope for this project. That shot and a few others are classic imagery from the Hulk mythology. My one big gripe is Norton turning into the Hulk while he is strapped to the bed - it looks like the scene in Scooby Doo when Scrappy turned into a monster - disappointing.

Unfortunately, this trailer came out with Speed Racer so hardly anyone will have seen it. Let's hope it's also attached to The Crystal Skull or Prince Caspian.

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The Captain America - Zak Penn Blunder

Zak Penn told ComicMix that he is working on the Captain America film. But then his representatives contacted ComicMix to inform them that he isn't, even though they transcribed the interview correctly.

Either Penn has a very overactive imagination or he violated the confidentiality part of his contract. If you read the interview you also find out that Penn isn't necessarily to blame for crap like Fantastic Four; that the new Hulk film is Norton's baby since Penn hasn't been involved in months; and there may be a young X-Men movie. They better bring back Cyclops.

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More on The Incredible Hulk Trailer

How long would you like to see two green monsters battle on screen? 6 minutes, 18 minutes, 30 minutes, 2 hours - find out if you'll get your wish when the Hulk fights the Abomination.

Here are some updates on the previous Hulk trailer post. The director of  The Incredible Hulk, Louis Leterrier has confirmed that the effects shots from the teaser trailer released yesterday are not yet finished. He also said that the scene in the trailer where Hulk and the Abomination square off is the start of the final battle between the two gamma monsters. Here's a clip of what he said about the fight:

But our final scene, our final battle – unlike a normal movie where the final fight scene is six minutes long, ours is 26 minutes long! So you get 26 minutes of two monsters pummelling each other through New York City, jumping up and down, ripping helicopters from the sky and stuff.

26 minutes that might be a tad long, let's hope it works out. You can read the full interview yourself at empire online where they have a shot by shot analysis of the Hulk trailer with Leterrier. He makes no mention of Tim Blake Nelson's scene as Samuel Sterns (aka The Leader), however.

The official Incredible Hulk site is also up and those non-US citizens can now watch the teaser trailer there.

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The Incredible Hulk Trailer

The trailer for The Incredible Hulk if finally out. [insert excited sound]...

The first Incredible Hulk trailer was just released, check it out while you can at the end of this post before YouTube removes it. If you're in the US or have IP address cloaking software you can watch the trailer in HD at Mtv.com.

It looks like the film will be really exciting and everything Marvel have been promising - more action, a proper villain and a more heroic Bruce Banner/Hulk. Norton's performance looks to have all the right elements to it - the kind of "accidental hero torn between his curse/happiness and his moral responsibility to everyone else" thing.

In terms of design the new Hulk looks far better than the previous film and the Abomination looks downright awesome. However, in this trailer the CG is looking very obviously CG. Hopefully they will sort this out before the films release. I'm not overly worried about this, though, as I would rather watch a great film with average graphics than the other way around.

Here's the Abomination and another Hulk pic:

Enjoy this trailer while it's still around.

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Deadpool and Gambit Heading to the Big Screen

Super Hero Hype is reporting that Deadpool and Gambit will be in the new Wolverine movie. Many suspected some type of Deadpool cameo since both Deadpool and Wolverine were part of the Weapon X project but Gambit is a bit of a curve ball. It will be interesting to see how they introduce him especially since this film is set in the past (too far back for Brian Cox to reprise his role as Stryker) and Gambit is meant to be the around the same age as Rouge. Word has it that Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder) and Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights) are set to play Deadpool and Gambit respectively.

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Who was Watching the Watchmen?

Fox are suing Warner Bros. and may bring the Watchmen film to a halt.

WB anticipated big budget adaptation of Watchmen has hit a major snag in its production. Fox has filed a lawsuit claiming that they in fact own the rights to the project which is already well into production.

According to Super Hero Hype:

Fox claims that between 1986 and 1990, it acquired all movie rights to the 12-issue DC Comics series and screenplays by Charles McKeown and Sam Hamm. In 1991, Fox assigned some rights via a quitclaim to Largo International with the understanding that the studio held exclusive rights to distribute the first motion picture based on Watchmen, according to the lawsuit.

When Largo dismantled, the rights were transferred to producer Lawrence Gordon. Under a "turnaround agreement" between Fox and Gordon, the producer agreed to pay a buy-out price to Fox if he entered into any agreement with another studio or third party to develop or produce Watchmen, among other things.

Now, Fox claims that neither Gordon nor Warner Bros. has paid the buy-out price or advised the studio of any other conditions required under the agreement, including procedures necessary to acquire the rights to Watchmen from Fox.

The whole thing smells a little odd. WB own DC Comics for one thing. Secondly, is this some kind of smear tactic against WB who have a major film on track for a 2009 release. Of course the writers strike has severally halted production especially of big budget effects films, which need longer amounts of time in post-production. Finally, it's a bit odd that they've waited this long to start legal proceedings, it's not like WB has been hush, hush about this film's production.

If Fox do succeed there will be a lot of pissed off Watchmen fans who were foaming at the mouth for the Zack Snyder adaptation.

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Marvel Superheros Back in Action

Marvel Studios have signed an interim deal with the Writer Guild of America, which means they will be able to begin hiring writers to work on their projects effective immediately. Marvel are launching their first two film productions (Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk) this summer (US). With Thor, Captain America, Ant-Man and The Avengers in development.

This means that Marvel will have the upper hand for the 2009/2010 film years. This will put a lot of pressure on the other studios to end the strike. Warner Bros. has already had to postpone it's Justice League movie.

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The New Batman Teaser Poster

Here is the new teaser poster for the new Batman film coming out next year. It looks fantastic as has been the rest of the promotional material for this film. Click the image for the high-res version.

For those of you who don't know Heath Ledger is the new Joker and his version looks to be way more twisted than the Nicholson version. Here is a picture also this is the new Bat suit, which is the first Batman costume ever with a moveable neck.

And if you haven't seen the teaser trailer, watch it here. At the end you will hear Ledger talking as the Joker and he sounds like a completely deranged clown. Perfect.

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Watch the Pumpkin Rott - Slowly

As part of their marketing for the new Batman film, The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. have set up a flaming pumpkin animation here. The right hand side is slowly rotting in, I'm sure, anticipation of Halloween.

This film already had a similar marketing tactic that resulted in the first photo of Heath Ledger as The Joker being revealed. Will this rotting pumpkin result in the first image of Aaron Eckhart as Two-Face? Find out on Halloween.

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The Low Down on Hulk 2

The low down on the differences between Hulk 1 and 2. And check out the cool Edward Norton as the Hulk pic. I made it! What do you mean it’s not good? Go to hell…It was announced on Friday that Liv Tyler will be playing Betty Ross in The Incredible Hulk, the semi-sequel to 2003’s Hulk. This is yet another announcement that moves the series further away from the disappointing Hulk. So for those of you who haven’t been paying attention, here is a brief comparison of what’s different.

Director:
Hulk – Ang Lee
Incredible Hulk - Louis Leterrier

Ang Lee went into the Hulk with an impressive resume of dramatic work (The Ice Storm, Sense and Sensibility) and delivered a film criticised for being too dramatic and lacking action. Leterrier couldn’t be any more different. Coming from an action background (The Transporter Movies, Unleashed), Leterrier has an eye for the visual and his movies have always looked bigger than their budgets.

Screen Writer:
Hulk – James Schamus
Incredible Hulk – Zak Penn

Schamus has almost exclusively written movies for Lee and his Hulk screenplay offered a father/son conflict, angry poodles and a cut-and-paste villain. Penn on the other hand is preaching a script with more action, featuring Bruce Banner on the run from the authorities and his darker persona. However, this is the guy who cooked up Elektra.

The Hulk/Bruce Banner:
Hulk – Eric Bana
Incredible Hulk - Edward Norton

Bana was relatively unknown (and generally still is) when he played the Hulk. Some criticised his performance for being to wooden, but many wanted him to return for the sequel. Norton on the other hand is a much bigger name and generally has a good record with script selection. Plus, he will often put his foot down when he thinks a director is taking a project in the wrong direction, which could be helpful here.

Betty Ross:
Hulk - Jennifer Connelly
Incredible Hulk – Liv Tyler

The casting of Tyler definitely reflects Marvel’s desire to make this into more of a popcorn film. Connelly is better known for her dramatic work and there is a definite melancholy in her performances, which is pretty much the opposite of Tyler.

The Villain:
Hulk - David Banner
Incredible Hulk – The Abomination

Nick Nolte played one of the most irrelevant villains in film history in Hulk (which in my opinion was what was wrong with the movie – and of course the poodles). Instead of taking an actual villain from the comics they took bits from here and there (mainly, Zzzax and Absorbing Man) to create Hulk’s father. The sequel will pit Hulk against The Abomination, a giant radiation freak similar to the Hulk, who in the comics was originally from the KGB.

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