Wizard Insider: The Abomination

Still on the topic of the Hulk movie, rumour has it that The Abomination will be the Hulk's on-screen nemesis. Well good for them! It was stupid having Banner's father as the protagonist in the first movie. Finally someone that gives the Hulk a run for his money in this movie!

Wizard Universe has the latest news:


WIZARD INSIDER: THE ABOMINATION
There’s double the gamma-fueled trouble this time around as the Abomination appears in the ‘Incredible Hulk’ movie

By Wade Gum

Posted December 5, 2007 11:50 AM

When “The Incredible Hulk” hits theaters June 13, 2008, the Hulk won’t be the only giant wreaking havoc on the big screen. In addition to avoiding the U.S. military and General Thunderbolt Ross, the Hulk will have to deal with a mighty villain who can match his immense size and strength: the Abomination. Since his first appearances in the ‘60s, the Abomination has been a constant thorn in the Hulk’s side and engaged in plenty of destructive brawls with him. Before these two behemoths battle it out, get a primer on the Hulk’s big green bad guy and what he’s capable of doing.

ORANGE MEETS GREEN
The actor responsible for bringing the Abomination to life is English actor Tim Roth, familiar to most movie fans as Mr. Orange from “Reservoir Dogs” and Pumpkin the robber from “Pulp Fiction.” Even though he’s primarily known for his work with Quentin Tarantino, Roth’s an experienced villain, playing the antagonist in“Rob Roy,” “Planet of the Apes” and “The Musketeer.” After squaring off against Liam Neeson and Mark Wahlberg, Roth should have no problem holding his own against Edward Norton, the actor portraying Bruce Banner/the Hulk. “Marvel has done an incredible job of casting their first two movies so far and I hope fans see that, too,” said screenwriter Zak Penn, talking about “Hulk” and “Iron Man,” the first two movies Marvel is developing in-house.

THREE-HEADED MONSTER
As opposed to the completely computer-generated Hulk from Ang Lee’s film, director Louis Leterrier has decided to take a triple-headed approach to the special effects. A combination of makeup, animatronics and CGI will be used to depict the Hulk and the Abomination. “When you see the Abomination,” said producer Avi Arad, “you’ll see something really special. He’s capable of amazing feats.” Fortunately, Roth is no stranger to dealing with special effects. He was buried under pounds of makeup to transform him into the simian General Thade in “Planet of the Apes.” There has been speculation that Norton will participate in motion capturing for the Hulk. If that’s the case, Roth could also be doing some motion capture to make the Abomination’s moves his own.

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
In addition to retelling the Hulk’s origin, the film will also demonstrate how the Abomination came into being. Given the nature of the Hulk’s powers, it’s only natural that someone would attempt to re-create the accident that gave Bruce Banner his abilities. Enter Emil Blonsky, a mercenary desperate for power. Envious of the Hulk’s strength, Blonsky allows himself to be exposed to more gamma radiation than Banner, transforming himself into a gigantic green beast with immense strength.

One aspect of the comic origin that might not make the film is the name of Blonsky’s villainous alter ego. “The villain is going to be the Abomination, who will not be called the Abomination out loud because it’s a silly, silly name,” Leterrier stated. “It’s so hard to work in. ‘Hey, what should we call that guy?’ ‘He’s an abomination!’”

ULTIMATE HULK?
It’s rumored that the film will follow the Hulk origin story set forth in The Ultimates, in which Bruce Banner injects himself with a super soldier serum and unwittingly gains the ability to transform into a monster. If the comic series is any indication, the U.S. military will be eager to use Banner’s powers for their own gain, possibly using the serum on new recruits like Blonsky.

The Abomination can’t match the Hulk’s strength, so those close to Banner like Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) may become targets of his rage. Additionally, the Abomination might not be the only villain fighting Banner in the film. Tim Blake Nelson plays Samuel Sterns, known to comic fans as the super-intelligent Leader. If he makes an appearance in the movie, the combined smarts of the Abomination and the Leader may be too much for the Hulk to handle.

THE TALE OF THE TAPE
The Hulk may be the strongest there is, but the Abomination comes in a close second. They are equally strong when in a normal state but the Abomination cannot increase his strength when his anger increases like the Hulk can. He also cannot transform back into his human state. Once Roth becomes the Abomination, that’s the last you’ll see of him in the film. The Abomination is also at a disadvantage because he isn’t as familiar with his powers as the Hulk is with his. “When this guy transforms, he’s not used to having these properties,” said Leterrier. “Like he’s much heavier, and we talked about how when he walks down the sidewalk, his weight destroys the sidewalk and he’s tripping.” The only area in which the Abomination has a leg up on the Hulk is in the area of smarts. Whereas the Hulk retains none of Banner’s genius intellect, the Abomination’s mind is exactly the same as Blonsky’s.

Iron Man and Hulk movie cameos

Whoa! This is some big news indeed, if it does indeed prove to be MORE than just gossip. Kind of like the April Fool's Day prank I concocted this year when I "released" an article saying that Captain America was going to cameo in "Spider-man 3" especially after he gained massive media coverage when he died in the comics.

But if this one is true...could it mark the first real cameo from ANOTHER character about to feature in his own movie in the comic book movie world?


IRON MAN AND HULK MOVIE CAMEOS
A rumored Iron Man/Hulk scene may lead to a shared Marvel Universe on the big screen

By David Paggi

Posted December 5, 2007 11:30 AM

An insider source has informed Ain’t It Cool News that possible cameos are in the works for two upcoming Marvel Studios movies, “Iron Man” (May 2, 2008) and “The Incredible Hulk” (June 13, 2008). It’s unclear which character might be making a cameo, but the theory currently running is that it might actually be a joint scene that would appear in BOTH movies. This new information jives with the theory that Sam Jackson’s rumored role in “Iron Man” as Nick Fury would lead to a shared Marvel Universe on the big screen, possibly paving the road to an eventual “Avengers” film.

Click here to see the full article: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34962

"Hulk" director speaks

I loves me a good comic book movie, though 2003's "Hulk" was pretty tragic, despite all the hype about Ang Lee making it. Jennifer Connelly was a scorching hot Betty Ross though, and I thought Eric Bana was pretty good too.

Anyway, here's an interview with the upcoming sequel to "Hulk", Louis Leterrier:


'HULK' DIRECTOR SPEAKS
In an exclusive interview, director Louis Leterrier discusses Ang Lee’s film and why he chose the villains he did for 2008’s ‘Incredible Hulk’

By Rickey Purdin

Posted November 27, 2007 3:15 PM

Best known for street-level martial arts flicks such as “The Transporter” and “Unleashed,” director Louis Leterrier gamma-irradiates the big screen on June 13, 2008, with the release of “Incredible Hulk.” Starring (and written by) Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, the titular alter ego of the Green Goliath, along with Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, “Incredible Hulk” acts as a fresh start for the monstrous hero from Marvel Studios after director Ang Lee took a stab at the franchise in 2003.

“It’s a fresh start because I saw there is a real fan base for Ang Lee’s movie,” said Leterrier of Lee’s ill-received “Hulk” in an exclusive interview with Wizard. “I didn’t want to offend [those fans] in any way, and also I like the movie. It was very interesting. [But] it was weaker ground to build a big franchise upon so we decided to scrap it and establish it from bases that are more comic book-based and TV show-based.”

“Incredible Hulk” will still feature several elements from the Ang Lee film such as General “Thunderbolt” Ross (played by William Hurt) and his hunt for Banner. But the development of other antagonists takes place in the film, as well. Heading for those comic book roots, Leterrier pit Hulk against someone very familiar to comic book fans.

“Obviously, General Ross is the villain, so he had to be in it,” added Leterrier. “But the Abomination, Emil Blonsky, was who Marvel wanted to put in this chapter—the first chapter of our new saga—because he’s the most famous. He’s an enemy that can actually threaten the Hulk. It’s very important for me that there is a danger. When Bruce Banner is Hulk, I didn’t feel in Ang Lee’s ‘Hulk’ that there was any threat. He was invincible. So with Abomination there’s actually a monster that can, you know, kill him when he’s in the Hulk form.”

Played in human form by Tim Roth, Blonsky isn’t the only new character. Look for Doc Samson (played by Ty Burrell) and Samuel “the Leader” Sterns (played by Tim Blake Nelson) when the film powerbombs into theaters next summer.

What If? Planet Hulk

Planet Hulk has been one of the most critically-acclaimed stories to come out of Marvel over the last couple of years, reinvigorating the Hulk character and making it one of Marvel's best selling titles again.

But what if things didn't go quite the way as the story unfolded in the series? What if someone threw a spanner in the works? What if the story became part of my favourite "What If?" single issues?

[PREVIEW] WHAT IF? PLANET HULK
Tree stories, one issue and a stunning cover by Planet Hulk artist Carlo Pagulayan!

Posted October 3, 2007 10:15 AM

As the summer’s biggest comic book event, World War Hulk, rages on, acclaimed writer behind it now turns his attentions to what could have been in What If? Planet Hulk. From Planet Hulk and World War Hulk author Greg Pak, artists Leonard Kirk, Rafa Sandoval and Fred Hembeck, comes this special extra-sized one-shot showing just how the year’s top selling event could have gone in three different paths! First, what if the Hulk had arrived at the intended destination of the Illuminati? Could this peaceful planet have tamed the savage Hulk? And then, what if Hulk died and his wife instead led the army against Earth? Finally, the one page story you demanded: what if Banner, not the Hulk, landed on Sakaar? That’s tree stories, one issue and a stunning cover by Planet Hulk artist Carlo Pagulayan!

That’s three different outcomes for the Hulk straight from the man writing some of the most exciting stories in the character’s history! Greg Pak and friends bring you three stories that could—perhaps should—have been featuring the Incredible Hulk as you’ve never seen him before! It’s What If? Planet Hulk and once you’ve finished this special extra-sized one shot, your jaw will be on the floor!

WHAT IF? PLANET HULK
Written by GREG PAK
Penciled by LEONARD KIRK, RAFA SANDOVARL & FRED HEMBECK
Cover by CARLO PAGULAYAN
Rated A …$3.99
On-Sale—10/24/07

Loeb, McGuinness hulk out

Believe it or not, Planet Hulk was just the first part of a trilogy of an epic Hulk saga that Marvel had planned!

Planet Hulk was A New Hope, World War Hulk is The Empire Strikes Back, and the next part of the epic arc will no doubt rock as hard as the previous two arcs.

And who better than the creative team behind Superman/Batman to tell the stories of the Hulk post-WWH?

Well...Greg Pak, I suppose. A little bit disappointed that he's not the one ending the trilogy, since he WAS the guy who created the whole Planet Hulk and World War Hulk storylines. Ah well.


LOEB, MCGUINNESS HULK OUT
The writer and artist will have fans seeing red (and green) as they help Greg Pak and Carlo Pagulayan conclude the epic arc that began with ‘Planet Hulk’

By Kevin Mahadeo

Posted September 10, 2007 9:05 PM

He’s mean, he may or may not still be green, but he definitely remains the Marvel U.’s biggest smashing machine!

From being blasted into space by his so-called friends to experiencing yet another life-mate dying tragically in his arms, it’s no wonder why the Hulk has been seeing red this past year as he smashed and bashed his way from the battle planet of Sakaar in “Planet Hulk” through Earth’s mightiest heroes in “World War Hulk.” With so much already going on, retailers were rocked out of their seats at Baltimore Comic-Con when Marvel announced longtime collaborators Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness would be pulling up a chair to the Hulk’s creative green table—where the team of Greg Pak and Carlo Pagulayan will also be sitting.

“The Hulk mythos is busting out all over,” reveals Pak. “We have two giant stories that require two giant creative teams.”

Pak also reveals that those “giant stories” constitute the final part of the super-secret Hulk trilogy planned since the conception of “Planet Hulk” in 2006. And what better way to end the trilogy than to bring back the artist who first breathed life into it?

“I thought [Carlo] couldn’t top his pencils with the last couple issues of ‘Planet Hulk,’ but he keeps getting better with every issue,” Pak enthuses. “He’s already done a few covers and designs for the new project, and they’re out of this world.”

Loeb and McGuinness collaborated on a number of works previously, including stints on Action Comics and Superman/Batman for DC. Both Loeb and McGuinness have wanted to go toe-to-toe with the Hulk since returning to Marvel, says Hulk editor Mark Paniccia. And after the events of World War Hulk, he says, “It’s go time!”

“They’re bringing an incredible amount of enthusiasm and inspiration to the project,” says Paniccia. “You’ll see in [their] first issue that they’re going in full throttle.”

As if that announcement weren’t enough, minds were nearly blown with the release of an image “penciled by the electrifying Ed McGuinness, inked by dazzling Dexter Vines and colored by Jazzy Jason Keith,” featuring an extremely ticked-off half-red/half-green Hulk!

“It is pretty mysterious, isn’t it?” jokes Pak.

Paniccia teases it could be symbolic, it could be two characters, or it could be one character. “Maybe environmentally friendly Hulk and artificial cherry sweetener Hulk?” Pak jokes. “Or maybe it’s a Valentine Day’s story—jealous Hulk and romantic comedy Hulk?”

However, that story may still be a way off—early 2008, according to Paniccia and Pak. Before then, Pak will be co-writing an arc on Incredible with the “supercool” Fred Van Lente of Super-Villain Team-Up fame beginning with issue #112. Marvel is keeping information on this arc under gamma-irradiated lock and key, but Paniccia reveals that while the action will reach high-intensity levels, it all boils down to a mystery.

“There are things going on that just aren’t adding up for our cast. By issue #4 or #5, there will be some monstrous reveals.”

LOEB, MCGUINNESS HULK OUT
The writer and artist will have fans seeing red (and green) as they help Greg Pak and Carlo Pagulayan conclude the epic arc that began with ‘Planet Hulk’

By Kevin Mahadeo

Posted September 10, 2007 9:05 PM