YOU WOULDN'T LIKE EDWARD NORTON WHEN HE'S MEDDLING
- By Jeremy Smith
- Published 03/11/2008
- News
Or maybe you would.After Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios' president of production, badmouthed Ang Lee's Hulk during last year's Iron Man set visit, I made a snap-judgment: this guy wouldn't know a quality movie if it chased him into a shed. So I'm actually inclined to take Edward Norton's side if it's true that he's battling Feige (and the rest of Marvel) over the final cut of The Incredible Hulk.
Nikki Finke is reporting that Norton, who's apparently quite the comic book geek himself, was granted "tremendous involvement and access" in the development process (i.e. he got to rewrite Zak Penn's script), and that he's now concerned with the shape of the finished product. Though Finke's story has plenty of comments from anonymous inside sources, it's also very short on actual detail; the best she can do is that the disagreement is a matter of "what's in the film and what's not going to be in the film". That helps. More generalities: it's either a spoiled actor throwing his weight around, or a case of Marvel not listening to Norton's suggestions.
The timing on this story sucks for Marvel and Universal. The theatrical teaser is scheduled to premiere tomorrow night on a whole mess of MTV outlets, and the fans have grown mildly suspicious of the silence surrounding the project. Compared to the very positive buzz surrounding Iron Man and The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk seems in danger of becoming the forgotten comic book movie of 2008. This makes the teaser premiere all that more critical. One plus: Norton assisted with the cutting of the trailer and is reportedly happy with it. If the teaser works, why not give him what he wants?
The Incredible Hulk smash June 13th.
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Comments
Comment #1 (Posted by Zuki)
"It's either a spoiled actor throwing his weight around, or a case of Marvel not listening to Norton's suggestions."
I would say it's both. I don't like that Norton revels in parading his "superior" intellect to undermine the work of the people behind the scenes, especially when he can have deniability of "I'm the actor." if his ideas turn to shit. But, he's been right more then wrong trusting those creative instincts so while I may clash philosophically with the juvenile way he handles it I can't argue with the results. So, I hope Norton wins.
Comment #2 (Posted by Michael Murphy)
wait, are you implying that Ang Lee's Hulk was good?
Comment #3 (Posted by Nicholas)
Fuck yeah, Lee's Hulk was good. I love that movie. It's one midnight showing by Edgar Wright or Eli Roth from everyone saying it's a great comic book movie.
Comment #4 (Posted by Hulk-A-Maniac)
Thanks, Beaks. Hope Marvel doesn't slaughter another sacred cow(still pissed 'bout DAREDEVIL, let alone SM3). I'd be inclined to take Edward Norton's side (look how great AMERICAN HISTORY X<racism & eugenics aside> & ROUNDERS turned out), if I didn't read him<Empire, I think> come just short of dissing Lee's HULK too. We'll see. Rather err on the side of the artists. Fuck the suits. Finally, with all due respect, can the site really make fun of Nikki Finke, when it features the crack journalistic skills of "cub reporter", Phil Owen? I know. Just sayin'.
Comment #5 (Posted by an unknown user)
this doesnt suprise me in the least. To quote nick after he heard that norton was cast, "He's going to fuck you". EVERY movie Norton has been a part of he has been EXTREMELY vocal about what is in and not in the movie. Just finished watching Down in the Valley last week and on the special features he claims he threatened the directror numerous times with scenes the director had taken out....and of course ang lee's hulk was a good movie...thats as close to an art film disguised as a comic book movie as we are gonna get (sorry, but i dont consider ghost world and history of violence comic book movies since they use far-fetched fiction as an allegory)
Comment #6 (Posted by Marc)
Lee's Hulk is wonderfully intelligent and doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator of just having mindless destruction on the screen.
People won't be happy with a hulk flick till roland emmerich and dean devlin make it.
Comment #7 (Posted by Bozz)
Actually it was Devin that warned the director about Norton. It was pretty hilarious. "Beware, he will fuck you in the ass", I think was the line.
Comment #8 (Posted by slater)
Lee's hulk was like good mouthsex. Half the bagscum out there wouldn't know a good movie if it ended up reaming their asses open.
Comment #9 (Posted by PlanBFromOuterSpace)
I also didn't dislike Ang Lee's Hulk, but my main issue with it was that it wasn't the film that it really needed to be, at least based on the way that they were marketing it. Had Universal pushed it as more of an adult movie in the first place, and not as something that kids would really go nuts for (translated: something that will sell toys), I think that people would have had a better idea of what to expect and wouldn't have been thrown for as much of a loop when it ended up being more of a psychological drama. The action that WAS in the movie wasn't too bad (except for the final fight), but there just wasn't enough of it, and no matter how many times I see it, the first hour never feels like it's going by any faster. That said, Hulk was still much more entertaining than Superman Returns, and at least the Hulk actually got to HIT someone.
Comment #10 (Posted by atomo)
I cant believe the scandal over Norton's antics in American History X havent been mentioned.
Comment #11 (Posted by Johnny Daywalker)
Thats the thing though this has been old hat for Norton since X. Find a compromise. The man thats directing this did The Transporter films and Unleashed hardly the work of a visionary. Ang Lee made a unique and visionary comic book film. Let Norton do his cut at least so we can see what he wanted. Universal there is dollars to be made. As for Feige lets see him make a film without Jon Favreau and Edward Norton.
Comment #12 (Posted by Matt Packer)
It's horses for courses - Norton had a huge amount of creative involvement in his Fight Club role, and the results were on the money. He had a huge amount of creative involvement in American History X and the results were a PR catastrophe, a furious Tony Kaye and a confused critical reception for an interesting film. Perhaps Marvel is trying to push really hard in the opposite direction from what Lee did, which was a highly introspective reading of a character best known for localized mass destruction. In its portrayal of an intense, lovesick scientist contaminated by a lab accident, Lee's Hulk reminded me more than anything of Cronenberg's The Fly, which ain't exactly your standard, fist-pumping action movie. I really enjoyed it because it's tone surprised me. Maybe Norton's trying to preserve some of that introspection. As for the new Hulk's current hype status, is it the case that it has too little buzz, or that Iron Man and The Dark Knight have too much? It has as good a chance as either of those - especially since its final trailer is a shoe-in to piggyback on Iron Man, and crowds will be intrigued by news of Downey's Tony Stark cameo.
Comment #13 (Posted by an unknown user)
I think the nerds got put off by the repression/oedipus theme but the hulk is much like what devin mentioned miller and moore did with comic books before. Lee's prescience will pay off in a few years because he played off a reinventing of the theme and a love of comic books (love the editing in the hulk) without making it into what devin and many of us hate about modern comic books "THE RAPE PAGES ARE IN!"
Comment #14 (Posted by RCA)
HULK SMASH!! HULK concerned that pant no rip when get big!!! Must DESTROY public property. HULK ashamed of "little" Hulk. No person see tears through dust and FLAMES!! Hulk only want HUG!!!
Comment #15 (Posted by Truth)
Ang Lee's Hulk is one of the best films ever made, and is certainly the best comic book film, period. One day, like Blade Runner it will rise from the ashes. In fact, it would appear that it has already begun to do so.
Comment #16 (Posted by bmicor)
I think its good atleast that Norton is passionate about this movie, if that is the case. Look at Tom Jane, he didn't agree with the direction of P2 and left. Good for him. Not enough Hollywood actors stand up for the movies they're in especially when they know its crap and just want to cash in. They go do PR and then thats it. Fight the power Ed, if that is indeed what you're doing!
Comment #17 (Posted by Original Gray Hulk)
Thanks, Beaks. 'Nuff said!
Comment #18 (Posted by afunk916)
I thought the Ang Lee's Hulk was great. I loved the creative was he cut from scene to scene and Nick Nolte had an awsome performance. All and All I think the Ang Lee had a better cast going for him, he just needed a better villian.