Thursday, November 8, 2001

DAVID HAYTER TALKS HULK MOVIE

David Hayter, writer of Universal Pictures' upcoming Incredible Hulk movie, said that casting an actor unknown to most of the American audience can be a positive.

Eric Bana, an Australian who earned strong reviews for the Australian film Chopper, has been cast to play Bruce Banner in Hulk, which should go before the cameras early next year.

Hayter, who also wrote X-Men, likens Bana to Hugh Jackman, another Australian, who played Wolverine.

"The first time anyone saw Hugh Jackman, it was as Wolverine," Hayter told The Continuum. "You get a unique actor for the role.

"Everybody seems to like (Bana). My agency, William Morris, and Marvel are really excited about this guy and think he's going to be a huge star."

The Hulk is being directed by Ang Lee as his first movie after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The movie is currently being rewritten by Lee's production partner, James Schamus.

Hayter, who has met with Lee, expects some changes in his script.

"Whenever a director is handed a script, even if he likes it, it is still tailored to the director's vision," Hayter said.

Hayter did a ground-floor reworking of past attempts at the Hulk, which has seen such writers as Jonathan Hensleigh, Michael Tolkin and Michael France.

"For my own part, I came at it from the point of view of the character of Bruce Banner and the incredible battle he fights with his inner demons," Hayter said. "We all know what it's like to wrestle with controlling our anger at times, but if he loses it, then he rages through the city and tears it to pieces."

Industrial Light & Magic will be providing effects for the movie, and it appears the Hulk will be CGI.

"I would imagine so," Hayter said. "He's pretty big, much, much larger than the average Lou Ferrigno."

The Incredible Hulk is being targeted as a summer 2003 release.

SPIDER-MAN MOVIE'S GREEN GOBLIN

The first officially released image of the Green Goblin from the Spider-Man movie on Wednesday was accompanied by several details of his costume and arsenal.

The Green Goblin costume, created by Spider-Man costume designer James Acheson, is made of 65 sculpted pieces bolted to pearlescent green vinyl. Acheson's inspirations for the design included Japanese art prints, reptilian patterns, comic books and spacesuits.

It took 30 minutes and three people to get Willem Dafoe, who plays Norman Osborn and his evil alter ego, into the costume.

The Glider, the Goblin's preferred mode of transportation, houses an arsenal of machine guns, pumpkin bombs and mini-sidewinder missiles. It is also equipped with tridents that detach from the Glider for combat in close quarters.

Norman Osborn assumes his ghoulish persona after his test with an experimental formula goes awry. The formula increases his intelligence and strength but also drives him insane.

"I was drawn in by the dynamics of playing the dual character of Norman Osborn and the Green Goblin," Dafoe said. "It was challenging, but it was also the most fun I've had on a movie in a long time."

"There is no better actor to bring this character to life," Spider-Man director Sam Raimi said. "Willem continually amazed us with his talent, his ideas, his versatility and his generosity to the other actors."

THE TICK PREMIERES

The Tick live-action series, at one point targeted to begin last February, finally begins on Thursday night on Fox.

The series is based on the comic book by Ben Edlund, and follows an animated series that ran on Fox Kids and Comedy Central. It stars Patrick Warburton, David Burke, Liz Vassey and Nestor Carbonell.

"The pilot contains about the most action we could even afford," Edlund said. "We have to be extremely clever and think this stuff through. It's going to be a rough year, but we'll get to point where the tone of the show, which is it's not an action-comedy, it's a comedy about action.

"Things had to change to some degree, but I think the spirit of the comic is there and we're going to keep working to make it more and more like the comic book, oddly enough. Because we can't afford the action from the cartoon series. That's very expensive."

The Tick's costume, designed by Colleen Atwood, has an open face, making him look like what Edlund joked as "a big, blue Teletbubbie."

"We think it came out pretty well," Edlund said. "The remote control antennae are hot."

Here's how the pilot is described:

"The Tick leaves the bus stop he has been protecting to fight for justice in The City. When he arrives, he meets up with Arthur, a mild-mannered accountant who has recently left his job in corporate America to pursue his dream of becoming a superhero. The two meet Captain Liberty and Batmanuel, two crime-fighting superheroes who live in The City and hang out at the Lonely Panda, a Chinese restaurant that has a large superhero clientele. The Tick and Arthur are tested when they discover that the Red Scare is in town to kill former President Jimmy Carter."

The pilot was written by Edlund and directed by executive producer Barry Sonnenfeld. Edlund and Sonnenfeld make a cameo in the pilot, and Christopher Lloyd guest-stars as Arthur's supervisor.

Edlund said that the pilot took about four months to make. It was shot on the same stages used for Spider-Man and Men in Black in Culver City, Calif.

IMAGE COMICS' FUSED!

Steve Niles, whose writing credits include Hellspawn, Spawn: The Dark Ages and the Spawn movie sequel, will launch a new comic, Fused!, in March from Image Comics.

Niles is teaming with penciler Nat Jones, inkers Kevin Conrad and Rich Bonk and colorist Todd Broeker.

Here's how the Fused! "Canned Heat" story is described:

"A young robotics engineer, Mark Haggerty, becomes the unwilling pawn of a scientist on the run from rogue factions of the government. In the course of routine tests, Mark becomes permanently fused with an experimental robot suit and then finds himself accused of murder and the target of a worldwide manhunt.

"Now on the run, separated from his wife and rapidly becoming amalgamated with this complex exo-skeleton machine, Mark falls under attack from misguided government forces and a special unit of government-sanctioned superheroes.

"The day before, Mark Haggerty was a simple man, peace-loving and gentle. Now trapped inside a powerful, indestructible shell, he will long for yesterday, but he will have to fight to see tomorrow."

MUTANT X'S "THE MEANING OF DEATH"

The week's episode of the syndicated Mutant X television is "The Meaning of Death."

The episode was written by Brad Falchuk and directed by Graeme Campbell.

For a complete synopsis, with pictures and spoilers, CLICK HERE. And look for more on The Continuum's visit to the Mutant X set for this episode soon.

UNIVERSE #3 FEATURES THE DARKNESS

Top Cow president Matt Hawkins has provided The Continuum with promotional art from Universe #3.

The issue, written by Paul Jenkins and illustrated by Clayton Crain, reveals the fate of Jackie Estacado following his fiery departure from life in Darkness #40.

"Universe #3 is a pivotal issue in Top Cow continuity as it not only has Jackie Estacado's first appearance since Darkness #40, but the book also introduces the character of Dark Tom, who will become incredibly important throughout Universe, Witchblade, Darkness, Tomb Raider and Inferno," Hawkins said.

Here's how the issue was solicited:

"To some, Hell is a state of mind. To others, it's a place. But Tom Judge now knows the truth: that Hell is right here, right now, and it's coming apart at the seams. As Earth and Hell begin to merge and the Rapture grows ever stronger, Tom meets an old friend who may have important clues as to the nature of the universe, and where Tom fits in to the framework. There may be yet a way to halt the inevitable End of All Things but in doing so, Tom will have to make the most difficult choice of his life."

BRIEFLY