The Incredible Hulk (film)

This article is about the 2008 film. For the 2003 film, see Hulk (film).

The Incredible Hulk
Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) stands with the Hulk facing back, in a city landscape with tanks on the road and helicopters hovering in the sky with spotlights.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLouis Leterrier
Written byZak Penn
Based on
Hulk
by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPeter Menzies Jr.
Edited by
Music byCraig Armstrong
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures[a]
Release dates
  • June 8, 2008 (2008-06-08) (Gibson Amphitheatre)
  • June 13, 2008 (2008-06-13) (United States)
Running time
112 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$137.5–150 million[2][3]
Box office$265.5 million[3]

The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character the Hulk. Produced by Marvel Studios and Valhalla Motion Pictures, and distributed by Universal Pictures,[a] it is the second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It was directed by Louis Leterrier from a screenplay by Zak Penn, and stars Edward Norton as Bruce Banner alongside Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, and Christina Cabot. In the film, Banner becomes the Hulk as an unwitting pawn in a military scheme to reinvigorate the "Super-Soldier" program through gamma radiation. He goes on the run from the military while attempting to cure himself of the Hulk.

After the mixed reception to Universal's 2003 film Hulk, Marvel Studios reacquired the rights to the character, though Universal retained distribution rights. Leterrier, who had expressed interest in directing Iron Man for Marvel, was brought onboard and Penn began work on a script that would be much closer to the comics and the 1978 television series of the same name. In April 2007, Norton was hired to portray Banner and to rewrite Penn's screenplay. His script positioned the film as a reboot of the series, distancing it from the 2003 film to give the new version its own identity. Norton was ultimately not credited for his writing. Filming took place from July to November 2007, primarily in Toronto, with additional filming in New York City and Rio de Janeiro. Over 700 visual effects shots were created in post-production using a combination of motion capture and computer-generated imagery to complete the film.

The Incredible Hulk premiered at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, on June 8, 2008, and was released in the United States on June 13, as part of Phase One of the MCU. It received praise for its action sequences and was considered an improvement over the 2003 film, but it was criticized as lacking in depth. The film grossed $265.5 million worldwide. After various production disagreements between Norton and Marvel Studios, such as over the final edit of the film, that Marvel Studios deemed not collaborative, Norton was replaced in the role of Banner by Mark Ruffalo for future MCU content starting with The Avengers in 2012.


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  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBFC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "The Incredible Hulk (2008)". The Numbers. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference BOMIncredibleHulk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Disney+ was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Disney+2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).