LOS ANGELES - Those Hulk-dogs that you've seen in "The Hulk" were not just the vivid imagination of the screenwriter.
James Schamus said it's all been done before, albeit differently in this latest incarnation of the angry green behemoth.
"It's quite different, but there was a story that involved the dogs of war that the Hulk did battle with," Schamus told The Associated Press. "It's funny because on the Internet sites a lot of the fans didn't remember that was there."
Before the film's release, chat rooms were abuzz with questions about their inclusion. Schamus said he was amused by those leaking the plot.
"It's like 'dogs, what's that?' And, I kept thinking, 'It's in the comic book!'" he said laughing.
The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, "The Hulk," fell to second place, dropping 70 percent from its $62.1 million opening. The film took in $18.4 million to squeak past the $100 million mark after 10 days in theaters.
Universal executives were disappointed with the second-weekend numbers, although they still expect to turn a profit.
Adapted from Marvel Comics' "The Incredible Hulk," Ang Lee's version takes a more dark and dramatic approach than other recent comic-book flicks. Reviews were mixed, though the film received solid performances from Jennifer Connelly (news), Nick Nolte (news) and Eric Bana (news).
Schamus said people need to look beyond North America to see how popular "The Hulk" is.
"This is a character that has a gigantic, pardon the pun, a gigantic following around the world," he said. "In places like Latin America, I would say 'The Hulk' has a bigger profile than he does here in the (United) States."
So that begs the question: Will there be a sequel? Schamus said it's all about demand.
"That's up to you, the people, (to) decide," he said. "Whether even if they'll be a 'Hulk 2,' of course.
"There's 40 years of Hulk, from the earliest ones with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby all the way through (these) just incredible creations from a number of great artists. So, you have enough to play with as long as you want to play."