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The Incredible Hulk is muscling his way to primetime TV. ABC is in very early stages of development of a live-action series adaptation of the popular Marvel comic book character. There is no writer on board yet with search underway. Marvel, which was acquired by ABC parent Disney last year for $4 billion, started a major push in TV in June with the launch of Marvel Television whose goal was to adapt Marvel characters and stories to the small screen. Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb (Smallville) and his team quickly zeroed in on The Hulk, with rumors of a potential Hulk live-action series first surfacing in mid-summer.
For the uninitiated, The Hulk is the giant, green, bulked-up and raging alter ego of quiet physicist Bruce Banner that was the result of Banner’s exposure to radiation in a gamma bomb explosion. Unlike other superheroes, Banner has no control over his alter ego and involuntarily transforms into the Hulk every time he gets angry. The previous Incredible Hulk TV series starring Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk and Bill Bixby as Banner ran on CBS from 1978-82. The character has also spawned a half-dozen TV movies and an animation series. On the big screen, The Hulk has been very busy lately, headlining two live-action/CGI movies, one with Eric Bana and one with Edward Norton in the title role. In the upcoming movie The Avengers, the Hulk/Banner is played by Mark Ruffalo.
The Hulk is the second major comic book character to get a primetime treatment for next season. Warner Bros. TV and DC Comics are developing a Wonder Woman series with The Practice creator David E. Kelley.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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this better not be a Smallville type crap where they focus on Bruce Banner’s younger years, where his rage comes from, etc and never focusing on the fact that he’s supposed to be THE HULK…
btw 10 years and Tom Welling STILL has never worn the suit?? Come on, it’s a joke that it’s still on and even sadder that people apparently still tune in with false hopes.
He’s going to wear the suit in the series finale irrational hater. Smallville is better than many shows and TV reality garbage, 10 years proved it.
Only in the series finale? After 10 years?? This is a big joke.
That was the plan the whole time. The writers/producers have stuck to their guns, their whole idea was to show what happened up to the point CK becomes the Superman we all know. Kudos to them. Having said that, I dont see why they cant continue with a Superman storyline and change the show to “Metropolis”.
The show has gone from Smallville (where he lives) to Smallville (lois’ nickname for clark). There’s no need to ever change the title really. He won’t exactly where the costume in the finale either, the final shot is him in clark attire, ripping open his suit to reveal the S shield of the classic costume. They are cameoing him in tights throughout the season though, starting in last season’s finale. Right now he’s got new red and blue leathers since his training is over, but no cape and suit yet. (though his mother did leave it for him.) He’s also flown a couple times, and starting last episode will be flying regularly. As for hulk, I look forward to it if they go the route of Bill Bixby like series. Though it’d also be neat if they tied it directly into the avengers line-up of movies, and picked up where the norton film left off, but with new actors. So we can have the leader, abom, and doc samson too, even eventually red hulk, she-hulk, and red she-hulk. Though those are more a far later season thing.
I don’t like Smallville, I have watched way more than 4 episodes and just don’t like it (I still think Supernatural is worse, so these same people doing The Hulk isn’t exciting for me, nor the news about anything “the hulk” anyway, though I’m not a hater either). But I have to say that Smallville, story wise (even if in a cheesy way), has done what it promised, the Superman world before Superman. You get a lot of the Superman story (Krypton, Kryptonite, Kal El, Lois and Clark, Newspaper, Clark’s family, some superpowers, other superheroes, Lex Luthor who was the most interesting character of the show when he was good), in the high school to college story it was supposed to be. So I have no problem with him not flying or wearing the suit, I have more of a problem having him since the beginning fighting with weird monsters and villains in a high school setting, Smallville turned from a typical town to the town where everyone should always expect the worse, with a high school that any other week will have a monster as a student. And in general, I dislike the cheap treatment of most of its characters, the contrived drama that isnt always convincing and the week action they try to enforce.
As a show, I dont like it, as a concept of no flying yet Superman, I am ok with it.
oh lighten up… It’s TV.
No, Smallville is a piece of shit.
I honestly tried to get into it last year, rented the first season and didn’t make it past the 4th episode – it’s that bad.
Off the top of my head, I can name at least 20 series that are better:
The Wire, The Shield, Oz, Sopranos, Supernatural, House, Burn Notice, Firefly, BSG, Farscape, Star Trek: TNG, Buffy, Fringe, Dexter, Justified, Deadwood, Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy & Californication.
-There. Give me 20 more minutes and I’ll come up with 100 more. Smallville is ass.
if you watched the first 4 episodes of startrek the next generation you would’ve given up too.
Exactly. I first watched it 10 years ago and couldnt get into it, but then in the 4th season I was switching stations and happen to see the Fortress of Solitude and talk of Zod and said “holy shit, they’re connecting this to the Donner films!” So I got back into it — for the most part, Ive liked it. There have been a lot of misses, but you have to take it for what it is. BTW, the whole Zod storyline last year I think was crap and done entirely wrong, a complete waste. But things are shaping up well this year.
Please display more geek rage, so everyone can remember why they used to shove you into lockers during high school.
If smallvillie is a crap why did it stayed on for so long?
We’ve asked that about Survivor and other reality TV shows for how long?
Almost never flown either..lame..
Want to see him fly and wear a cape? Watch a cartoon or open a comic book.
It’s SUPERMAN, what the hell has series been doin for 10 years then?
really a whole decade and he never once put on his suit? why are people why that crap?
It young CLARK KENT becoming Superman. How can you honestly not know this?
He can’t stand to fly. He’s not that naive.
Men weren’t meant to ride with clouds between their knees.
(Only the Fireflies song has gayer lyrics)
My wife loves Smallville and has watched it for years. I keep asking her if he’s started to fly yet and then I’ll start watching with her. Still waiting, lol.
I’d love to have seen Superman fly in Smallville by now, but I believe it was one of the original stipulations of the show that they weren’t ALLOWED to let him fly. Some kinda contract violation if they did, which is why he can only ‘jump high’ to this point. Lame, I know, and frustrating when it definitely could’ve come in handy over the years.
The purpose of Smallville was to deal with Clark Kent and how he became Superman so the focus of the show was not Superman but Clark (discovering his powers and learning to use them then to control them to not harm others).
They had stated in the beginning of the show that there would be no tights and no flights (they broke this briefly when Kal-el flew but Clark still can not and yeah it was a stretch for that). This premise has lasted over the 10 year span of the show and look at the fact that the show RAN 10 years which is 8 years longer than most shows on television (now days it is 9 3/4 years longer than most shows given that networks cancel shows after 3 episodes because they do not get super ratings (pun intended))
If I had to guess, they will break both of the rules in the final episode where Clark will don the famous red, yellow and blue and finally fly on his own.
Hulk has a proven track record with the early series and the movies. I am surprised they have not tried to bring back Spiderman since it also was an early series (Nickolas Hammond was in the staring role) and 3 VERY successful movies with a 4 rumored to be in the works.
Wow, well what do you know. Live long enough and even television is cyclical along with politics. The only other time we lived under a pluralist malaise “The Incredible Hulk” played on that cold hearted orb.
Dude, I’m not exactly sure what you are referring to with that comment, but wise up…we’ve been living under pluralism since the founding fathers adopted the constitution. Don’t bring “The Hulk” into it.
Uh… that’s what I liked about Smallville… I agree though, hopefully they don’t go young bruce banner, since he didn’t become the Hulk until he was an adult. Maybe focus on the time he was researching and then when the accident happened.
Tonight is Smallville’s 200th episode. It looks great.
he actually just recieved the suit, and will put it on in the near futeure, he also just learned how to fly, this season they r giving the viewers what they should have long ago
What is sad is 50 year old comic book geeks raging against entertainment aimed at youth. It’s was a show about teenage Clark Kent designed to appeal to teenagers and succeeding. The senior citizens still clinging to comic books are angry at getting old basically. They grew old and the comic book subjects didn’t. They actively worked to kill off all comic books aimed at children. These seniors actively worked to aim all comic book cartoons at adults. They wanted their comic book heroes to grow old with them and rage when they didn’t. The average age of comic book buyers is over 50. These seniors have strangled the potential next generation of fans in the crib. They wanted to do the same with Smallville and failed. If the seniors got their way, no comic book material would be aimed at anyone under 50.
I bet it’s more like 40.
Interesting point, just another example of how Baby Boomers and their selfishness have screwed things up for the younger generations.
hi i need make frined with all
I actually think a Bruce Banner focused series would be infinitely better than a series based around a crappy CGI Hulk. CGI on television can be really really bad.
I kno!!! They should work on a CGI adaptation of the DC universe similar to the cinematic trailer for DC universe online that would be amazing. or bring back justice league unlimited
plus they need to do a Luke Cage show that would be better than this I believe
People tend to forget that superman was about 30(or older) before he put the costume on…so 10 years isnt unrealistic. Not to mention, Smallville doesn’t follow the books very closely.
Smallville is like my favorite show.I love how it shows how superman discovered all his powers an all but i dont think it would work the same with hulk because the whole season would be boring working up to the point where he turns into the hulk and starts kicking ass so i think it wont be like smallville.Im also betting that this hulk will be cgi
Wow. Bold move Mr. Loeb. I approve.
Ay, caramba. This is NOT the most inspiring news out of Hollywood. Makes me sad for the state of creativity. The Hulk is so…… PLAYED OUT. Done. Worn.
What next? A 3-D re-boot of NBC’s “Manimal” series from the early 80s?
I respectfully disagree. The Hulk has been around since 1962, has sold millions of comic books, had one tv show run for several years, and two films. While it may not be entirely original obviously, comparing it to a failed show that ran for like 6 episodes 27 years ago is asinine.
Six episodes??? You must be from the new century crew who thinks that have all of the answers in the world. The Incredible Hulk ran for four years and spawned 82 episodes. Do the research or look foolish.
Reading comprehension fail. He said “Manimal” ran for 6 episodes, not “The Incredble Hulk”.
It ran for 5 seasons
How freakin’ stupid are you? The original Hulk TV show ran from 1978 to 1982…hardly “like 6 episodes”…moron!
He was referring to Manimal, not the Incredible Hulk… genius.
Another reading comprehension fail. Go back and read the post slowly. You will find that the moron is you.
Manimal would be a better re-make than the millionth Hulk re-make … no? of course … Manimal is the man! viva 80s!
i loved manimal
True. How many chances are they going to give this character? It worked in the 70′s/early 80′s, but Im not sure it can anymore. There seems to be very limited talent out there to pull these things off anymore. And ABC? Do I need the say anymore. You know they’re not gonna give it a chance to grow. Its like what someone mentioned before about Star Trek The Next Generation. If that was on the air now it would be cancelled. It took 2 years for that show to find its legs. I wish them luck but am not optimistic. (I will say Fox did give Terminator 2 years before pulling the plug, and I think they were right to, so maybe Im wrong.)
Dude. ‘Manimal’ in 3D?! Saaaaaahhhhh-weet! Better keep that one under your hat… ’cause SyFy will steal it.
Oh! Too late.
Who’s playing Mr. McGee?
And don’t tell me there won’t be a Mr. McGee. That would make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.
If it’s like “The Fugitive”, it will work delightfully
I worry about a TV version of the Hulk. Can they really do it justice with a small budget? I don’t think anyone would buy some body builder playing the Hulk, that character has to be huge and obviously more than human. The days of Lou Ferrigno in a green fright wig are long gone….
Actually the opposite it true. CGI is absurd! The thought of a human turning into a cartoon is what is ridiculous. They need to tone it down and use a real person. If they want to make a cartoon fine, but live-action has to use REAL people. Otherwise, this will fail just like the films.
i cant agree more they need to hire a real big bodybuilder and just enhance the action scenes because im starting to hate cgi
i want real live action real dude as hulk like old school hulk it worked better then the movie plus have you seen ”markus ruhl” that guy is the hulk!!
I prefer the cgi.
tough to get someone bigger than Big Louie, and I think that’s kind of silly compared with the movie cgi monster.
No!!! You cant tell me that the CGI Hulks have looked good. It makes it fake. Atleast Lou Ferrigno brought a little believability to the story.
“The previous Incredible Hulk TV series starred Lou Ferrigno in the title role”
I think Bill Bixby had a bit of a role in that series too
The title was, “The Hulk”. Not “The Banner”. I’m just sayin’…
Lou Ferrigno still looks good..
Just saw Lou at the NY Comic-Con this past week. He looks great.
Caught in the heart of a nuclear explosion,victom of Gamma Radiation gone wild, Dr,Robert Bruce Banner in times of stress is transformed into 7 feet 1000 lbs of unfettered fury the most powerful creature to “ever” walk the earth..
I wonder if the networks still think the name Bruce is too gay? For those who don’t know, they changed the name of Bruce Banner to David Banner because they thought Bruce was too gay sounding. Where would they get that kind of idea. I mean Bruce Wayne (Batman) lived with a teen boy…oh, never mind.
You have zero idea what you are talking about. That’s not why they changed the character’s name.
Kenneth Johnson, the show’s producer, changed the name from Bruce to David because he wanted him named after his SON. He’s even said as much in interviews over the years.
Actually, you’re both right.
Actually, you are both right. Kenneth Johnson thought the alliteration of comic book characters’ names (Peter Parker, Reed Richards, Bruce Banner, etc.) made them sound gay (his word), so he decided to change the name for the series. He chose “David” in honor of his son.
To set the record exactly straight, alliterative names have long been the tradition in comic books. I changed the name from Bruce Banner to David Banner because I was eager to do everything I could to move The Hulk away from its comic book origins. I chose David for the same reason that I named my son David: because it was a solid, substantive name that I liked. The comment that I thought an alliterative name or the name Bruce “sounded gay” is totally incorrect. It is also highly offensive and not something I believe nor would ever say.
Ok. Sure. You’re the “real” Kenneth Johnson, huh? So I suppose the fact that I heard you with my own ears and saw you with my own eyes say that you changed the name because “Bruce” sounded too gay means that it must’ve happened in some alternate reality? C’mon, man. Own up to it and get on with your life.
To Jamesb3 — you could not be more wrong. My husband, Kenneth Johnson, NEVER said that the name Bruce Banner sounded too gay. That deeply offensive statement would never come out of his mouth, and everyone who knows him knows this. There is no way you could have ever heard or read that. He wasn’t crazy about the alliteration, and he didn’t like the name Bruce — it was that simple.
Susan and Kenneth, thank you for the clarification. For the record, it is Stan Lee, creator of the Hulk, who has made that claim over the years, most recently in Kevin Smith DVD documentary, “Stan Lee’s Mutants, Monsters, and Marvels”. Lou Ferrigno has also repeated it, most recently in a June 16, 2008 USA Today interview.
And in an IGN.com interview with Kenneth in 2006, he seemed less emphatic when asked about the story, saying, “I don’t recall feeling that way at the time.” (Source: http://dvd.ign.com/articles/721/721851p2.html). I suppose your memory of the events has become clearer in the intervening years.
You think a film fails because of the majority? I think not. A film fails because it can’t make money.. If a film makes money how would it fail. the Incredible Hulk is the best in the business, literally..I couldn’t wait to see that movie.Yes The Ang Lee Hulk film was too cartoonish because the hulk dosen’t run he jumps. He might run to a fight but that’s the extent of his running. He don’t run from the Military and he sure as hell wouldn’t run from Satan himself..
Good one!
Actually, Stan Lee stated in an interview that he was the one that gave the name as David and not Bruce, honest mistake at a busy time.
His full name in the comics was as follows:Dr,Robert Bruce Banner
nuff said..Did you know the Hulk was originally Grey? He also looked like Frankenstein..But wayyyyy stronger lol
Wow, you make a good point. Personally I’ve read so many Hulk comics as a kid and young adult to qualify as a fan, but never noticed the name change! Makes sense though, Bruce is pretty lame.
Ron…how true!! But now the powers that be may make it ok that he is gay now….
My favorite part of this story is the second paragraph where Nellie describes what The Hulk is.
“Popular”?? Since WHEN?
Talk about flogging a dead green monster…!
I’ll be dumping my Marvel stock first thing!
“I’ll be dumping my Marvel stock first thing!”
lol you can’t dump your Marvel stock, it’s a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. As a Disney stockholder I think this is great news, finally that 4 billion Disney paid might be paying off, besides just the movies.
Marvel stock hasn’t existed in a while now.
Nowadays they probably want a name that sounds gay, sadly.
you comment is sad
the Hulk retures? Is ABC out of ideas?
of course not! they’re also developing true lies, alias, charlie’s angels, bbc’s spooks, romeo & juliet, prince of tides…
but they’re not out of original ideas. really.
you know who’d be great for this? chiklis. could you imagine him playing a kind of dorky guy who uses his super strength against villains?
yeah, abc’s not out of ideas yet…
Too bad they didn’t get the idea for the She-Hulk. Wonder if Chyna’s still available?
Nah… Rosie O’Donnell would be perfect for it.
With Rosie O’Donnell, they’d have to name it The Bulk
She Hulk would be quite fun if they use the Lawyer idea from the comics – a super powered Ally McBeal!
Too bad it wasn’t a She-hulk movie … I mean woman are totally out of control in being in control of the country … an appropriate analogy for the movie. Maybe a black man as a black hulk???? out of control black man destroying the country … hmmmm … perfect for this Obama age.
Yeah, that’s a real good idea. Way to inject politics into every conversation you can. You must be a real treat to hang out with.
lol that hilarious ”diary of a mad black hulk” staring tyler perry
With lame, tired ideas like coming from Hollywood, this is why people are watching cable!
All media sucks these days, not just theatrical releases. Quality of the country is all aspects is declining — especially its citizens: the source of all this decline.
This would do better on a cable network rather than a broadcast network.
If they do this on broadcast TV, they will try too hard to appeal to a wide audience, and will end up pleasing no one.
Thats a good point. Why are they doing the Hulk for regular broadcast, do a Thor for that. Hulk needs to go insane and KILL LOTS OF SOLDIERS!!!! You can’t do that on regular TV. I guess it’s going to be like the old series, so I’ll probably never watch it as the old series was too good to be remade.
GREAT Idea ABC! ABC is set for another hit! I hope it will be a show the whole family can enjoy together. My grandkids and I are looking forward to the HULK! Thanks ABC.
Jeph Loeb is a HACK. And a true laughing stock in the genre world. I fear for what he might come up with next. Marvel TV will be a disaster. And this is the first taste of it. Good luck.
Agreed. I was excited about this news until I saw Jeph Loeb’s name attached. Sadly he was the kiss of death for Heroes.
I have to agree; his run as writer on the Hulk comic book was tremendously underwhelming, and his stint as head writer of the “Heroes” TV series is credited for tanking that show after its first season, culminating in his firing by showrunner Tim Kring (which came far, far too late).
Ms. Andreeva loses points here for not even mentioning Bill Bixby’s name, who was undoubtedly the real “star” of the now-classic “Incredible Hulk” original TV series. Bixby’s performance as Banner not only drove the show, but gave it an emotional weight it otherwise might not have had. No performance in any TV-broadcast comic book superhero adaptation has come close.
I suggest you go back and read that article again because she did mention Bill Bixby right after Lou.
Is Charlie Finn playing David Banner or is he doing the Lou Ferrigno role?
So true…took the words out of my mouth. This has teeny bopper crap written all over it. …and it’s totally rational to hate Smallville…lame concept and show.
And teens shouldn’t have any entertainment? Comic book heroes belong to senior citizens only?
Hope it is better than the Hulk Movie and the Hulk Movie remake 3 yrs later.
The “hulk” will put them just ahead of NBC which is next to last in the ratings. I’m so excited I think I will go for a nap. Yan.
John Cena will play Banner
The Hulk? Again… I lost count, is this gonna be the 3rd or 4th time people aren’t interested?