Another key Marvel-based film project moved closer to fruition as director Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) began principal photography on The Hulk.  Along with Daredevil (see 'Daredevil Shooting Starts'), and X-Men II, The Hulk will be released in 2003, and like both of those films, The Hulk is an A-list compendium of top drawer talent both in front of and behind the cameras.  Eric Bana, who portrays The Hulk, is hardly a household name, but he is a fine actor who is going to play both Bruce Banner and, with the help of Industrial Light & Magic, the supersized Hulk as well.  Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly heads a strong supporting cast that also includes Sam Elliott, Nick Nolte, and Josh Lucas.  Cinematographer Fred Elmes (Blue Velvet), production designer, Rick Heinrichs (Planet of the Apes), editor Tim Squyres(Crouching Tiger), and ILM's Dennis Muren (Jurassic Park) all team with director Ang Lee (see 'Crouching Behemoth, Hidden Hero') on what might well turn out to be one of the most interesting Marvel-based films of them all.

 

Universal's press release touting the start of shooting on The Hulk sheds some light on director Lee's approach to the material, which combines the elements of the blockbuster effects-intensive superhero movie with 'the brooding romance and tragedy of Universal's classic horror films -- for The Hulk is at once a superhero and a monster, a wish fulfillment and a nightmare.  Lee and his team have gone back to the moving, early incarnations of the character created in May 1962 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, staying true to the subversive spirit of the early Marvel years, while updating and projecting The Hulk into the dangers and aspirations of contemporary times.'  Here's hoping they can pull it off.