An article in Variety has gone largely unnoticed over the weekend. In the article, Variety is able to confirm through producer Gale Ann Hurd that Lou Ferrigno, the bodybuilder who played the part of the Hulk in the old TV series, will actually be adding his voice to the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk.
Hurd says Ferrigno was a last-minute addition to a panel on the movie at New York’s Comic-Con. Director Leterrier invited him to “audition” onstage.
“Lou did this amazing, ‘Hulk smash!’ ” says Hurd. “And (director Louis Leterrier) said, ‘Come in, we’ll record you next week.’ Everybody thought it was either a staged event or we wouldn’t really do it. But the next week Lou came in in L.A. and his voice is the voice of the Hulk.”
What does this mean for a character that doesn’t actually speak? Well, that’s not exactly true. It seems that Hulk’s verbal skills and intelligence have varied in the comics, but he’s never been as mute as the TV version and he will, apparently, be speaking in this film.
This is good news for die hard fans who were hoping Marvel would be able to repeat the success of Iron Man with their second offering of the summer. Adding Ferrigno as the voice talent for Hulk gives the studio added street cred with fans who were largely disappointed with the first Hulk film.
You can read the article here.
The Incredible Hulk stars Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, and William Hurt and opens in theaters on June 13, 2008.
I have mixed feelings about this movie. I did not watch the first one because it had such bad reviews, so I did not bother. I loved the show as a kid. I do like Ed Norton and Tim Roth a lot so it might be worth the trip, I can’t decide.
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I don’t think you should use the first Hulk as a basis for whether or not you’re going to see this one. There’s so much that’s completely different about the productions that I don’t think it would be a fair comparison.
I think this one will be a lot more like Iron Man and a lot less like the first Hulk - if that helps.
Well - I saw Iron Man twice in the theater because it was just that good, plus I’m a huge Robert Downey, Jr. fan!
The Trousered Apes last blog post..Who was Jesus of Nazareth? Parts 5 thru 10 of 10 with Dr. Craig
Granted I am not the demographic on this movie, but I am really on the fence with this one. I like Edward Norton a lot… but the CGI Hulk in the previews looks, well, so CGI that the movie ends up looking cheesy to me. Sorry… I wish I could get gung-ho about this one.
I think this one will be good, but I do agree a bit with Jina…the Hulk being all CGI makes it hard to “connect” with the character.
Even though Iron Man has a lot of CGI scenes, there is still a real suit with a real guy inside in other shots, and it makes it easier to connect.
Well - I think the way the CGI was handled and how it was blended in with the story helped a lot. Even though you knew they were using CGI - it did not really pop out of the background and become distracting.
Even if you compare LOTR with Gollum to the previews for the Hulk - the CGI is quite evident and I think that is mainly my issue with it. They could do a better job and making blend with the surroundings. Even Jackson’s remake of King Kong was good in this respect.
The Trousered Apes last blog post..Who was Jesus of Nazareth? Parts 5 thru 10 of 10 with Dr. Craig
Yeah, I agree with Jina. That’s always been my problem with the movies of the Hulk. Not only does the CGI look bad, but it just seems stupid that one man can grow to be that big - it defies even the most fundamental logic. And he’s still wearing the same pants!
Jina and Jason are right. CGI ruined it. If they had Ferrigno playing the hulk again, it would make a better movie for me. That way I’d believe the blue jeans not ripping totally off when he became the Hulk.
That’s just stupid! Have u ppl ever even read a hulk comic, his size and strenght r wat make him the hulk! Otherwise he’d be just another musclehead!
Yet the Hulk was played by a man in the television series and most fans seem to think Lou Ferrigno’s depiction of him is the one that all others should be measured by - hence the excitement of Ferrigno’s involvement in this movie.
@Starkfan85: Can’t understand you. Try to speak clearer next time.