Q: When we last talked, you mentioned your dream of directing a major science fiction movie. Do you consider your dream achieved now that you’re directing Hulk 2?
A: Overachieved. I truly realize the great opportunity I have been given. In the actual state of pre-production, I can make the movie I really want.
Q: How is it going between you, Marvel and Avi Arad?
A: Marvelously. And what’s extraordinary about Marvel, and more since they became independent, is that they are motivated people who want to make a good movie and are always looking for ideas to make it better. That’s the reason Ang Lee and Eric Bana were in the first movie. They are not the kind of people that obviously come to mind for making a production like this but are genuine artists that could elevate Hulk to something more than just a simple action film and, in my opinion, achieved it. Marvel gave them creative freedom, like they did with Sam Raimi on Spider-Man when hiring Tobey Maguire. Don't get me wrong, I would never compare myself to theses guys, that would be out of place, but now I better understand the pleasure they had making these movies the way they wanted.
Q: Have you already selected your actors?
A: I have some ideas. I can tell you that they are not people you expect to see in these kinds of movies. Marvel and I agree on this and they consider that the movie doesn’t need an action hero like Bruce Willis or Tom Cruise.
Q: What can you tell us about the story?
A: In fact, it’s the story that convinced me. The first time they contacted me, I was very hesitant. They came back because they loved Unleashed. We met and they told me about the story. I must admit, it took me 30 minutes to say yes. As a moviegoers and a fan of the character, they were handing me something I always dreamed to see on the big screen. It won’t be a sequel to Ang Lee’s film but it won’t be a remake or a re-imagining either. It will be a new adventure with different characters, new intrigue, new monsters. We will quickly get to the heart of the story because I think people know the character and I don’t want to shoot 45 minutes to get to the first Hulk-out or about the reasons that make him a monster. The first movie had a lot of Bruce Banner’s story and a little of Hulk’s. This one will be 50/50.
Q: Rumor has it that you convinced everybody when you showed storyboards of two completely wild scenes that didn’t have anything to do with the original script. Is it true?
A: It’s Stéphane Levallois who works with me on the artistic direction of the film. Stéphane is an exceptional artist, rare and complete, and this movie needs his eye. As you must expect, I won’t tell you what those scenes are about but if I manage to put them on screen the way I imagined them, they’re going to be quite good. Avi Arad’s reaction was what I hoped for. He and his partners had never seen something like that in a movie and naturally wanted to have it in their own (laughs). And then we come back to the creative freedom we have been given; they changed the script to put those scenes in.
Q: Lastly, what can we expect of the character’s design? Will you use the same as the previous movie?
A: No, he will be truly different. It’s in Stéphane Levallois’ hands. If you only take the face, it needs to be redesigned for the SFX , on one hand, but also because the first Hulk had a lot of Eric Bana. And if we’re going to have a different actor for Banner, the Hulk must also be different. Also, I don’t want to have a 45 feet tall Hulk that gets bigger when he gets madder. I don’t want to make Godzilla. This Hulk will be 9 feet tall and his height won’t change. I see this character as a tortured soul, prisoner of his superpowers and always on the run by fear of hurting others. If I need to state any references, I’d say mostly Jeckyl and Hyde, Frankenstein and even Edward Scissorhands.
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