Unlike characters like Superman, Batman or Spider-Man, who are very associated with a single city, the Incredible Hulk is a character without a home, a character who wanders America occasionally smashing shit up when he gets angry. While the first Hulk movie ended up in San Francisco, don’t expect the new Hulk movie (ie the semi-reboot) to do the same; according to Coming Soon, the film will see Hulk duking it out with The Abomination in New York City. And get this: it’ll actually BE New York City, as the film will do some shooting in my old home town.
The new setting is only mildly surprising; the movie is mostly shooting up in Canada, which isn’t a location that lends itself to the only landscape that is actually associated with the Hulk (and which Ang Lee used in his film), the desert. What’s interesting is that a desert gives the filmmakers a canvass upon which to digitally paint the Hulk and the Abomination that’s a touch cheaper to deal with – no people, cars or buildings. Now I find myself wondering what the budget of this movie is going to be.
Between this and Cloverfield and the trailers for I Am Legend (where jets blow up New York bridges) and probably a bunch of other things I’m too pre-coffee to think of, it looks like the post 9/11 kid gloves in regards to New York City are really and truly off. Remember when we thought no one would make a movie with explosions anymore? Or when we thought no one would make a movie with buildings being destroyed again? Or when New York City was generally off-limits for destruction? No snark: thank God that’s over.
Universal is doing an Incredible Hulk panel at the San Diego Comic Con on Saturday, so look for more info (but not much, I would assume, as they haven’t started working in a big way yet) next weekend.