While Io9 revealed the news exclusively last month, Deadline is now reporting that the genius behind Pan's Labyrinth & Hellboy, Guillermo Del Toro, and executive producer behind Battlestar Galactica David Eick, are locked for placing Marvel TV & ABC Studios' live-action 'Hulk' series in full effect.
"It will mark Marvel’s first series project for ABC and ABC Studios since Disney's acquisition of Marvel last year and the launch of Marvel's TV division in June. It also marks del Toro's first TV project. Details of the premise are sketchy but I hear that the series will follow an origin story. In it, physicist Bruce Banner, whose alter ego is the green and raging Hulk, will be in his mid-twenties, less reactive and more energized as the world is still his oyster.
Del Toro and Eick will break the story for the pilot script together, and sharing story by credit. Eick will write the script, with del Toro attached to direct subject to his availability. Unlike the two Hulk movies, in which the monster was a pure CGI creation, the series will employ a mixture of prosthetics, puppetry and CGI. Del Toro will also oversee the designing of the Hulk character, which is expected to draw on previous comic book incarnations, as well as the original 1978-82 Incredible Hulk TV series, with a few wild tweaks on the old look."
Deadline further claims that Marvel TV identified The Hulk as a property they wanted to pursue for a TV series in the summer and, along with ABC Studios, launched a search for a writer to pen the adaptation. And Eick spoke on the idea of a Hulk series to Del Toro. Apparently, Deadline also got a few words from both Del Toro & Eick on the new gig.
"I have always been attracted at the combination of comic book heroics and monsters, Jack Kirby's Demon or Kamandi or DC's Deadman or Marvel's Dr. Strange, Morbius, Metamorpho, Mike Mignola's Hellboy, etc" Del Toro said. We coalesced a respectful but powerful way of retelling the Banner/Hulk story in a fresh way."
"I've enjoyed the challenging, rewarding process of revisiting beloved characters," Eick said. "[Hulk is] one of the crown jewels of the Marvel world for generations", [and it's a ] dream opportunity to join one of my all-time film-making heroes, Guillermo del Toro, in a faithful but unique retelling of the primal, emotionally-rich tale of one of my all-time comic book."
Marvel Studios is considering launching the Hulk Tv adaption following the 2012 release of the highly-anticipated
Avengers movie, which Mark Ruffalo is signed on to portray the Goliath's better half. What do you think?
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