HULK Star Josh Lucas Has Nothing But Good Things To Say About Ang Lee's Divisive Marvel Movie

Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk was nothing if not unique, and it definitely split the opinions of comic book fans. However, actor Josh Lucas (Glenn Talbot) has nothing but good things to say about his experience!

By JoshWilding - Jan 04, 2023 05:01 AM EST

Filed Under: Hulk

Ang Lee's Hulk was released at a time when the superhero movie genre was very much in its infancy. It joined a small club that included titles like Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man, but the filmmaker's unique approach to adapting a comic book for the screen split opinions.

Quite literally attempting to bring a comic book to life in a movie, the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon director didn't lack vision, but the technology wasn't really there to pull it off.

A moderate hit at the box office with a $245 million haul, the movie remains a disappointment in the eyes of many, including Lee himself. Five years later, Marvel Studios released The Incredible Hulk, and actually retained elements of this Jade Giant's origin story (albeit with Edward Norton replacing Eric Bana).

During a recent interview with The Playlist, Glenn Talbot actor Josh Lucas reflected on the experience and defended Lee's vision while acknowledging the ways in which Hulk fell short.

"If people ask me who my favorite directors are, I almost invariably will tell you my number one is Ang [Lee]," the actor revealed. "I don’t use this word genius, but I think he’s truly up there as a, if not brilliant, genius filmmaker. Like you say, he was swinging for the rafters on ['Hulk']. I don’t think the technology was quite where his brain was."

"I know he was pushing the team of people who were on the CGI of 'Hulk' to make something that, technically, maybe wasn’t capable of being at the level he wanted it yet. And so I think he was very frustrated with that movie by not being able to get what he wanted and what was in his brain."

"But I also agree with you, the way he was morphing, the way pages were flipping. I mean, he was creating a visual comic book," Lucas added. "And I haven’t seen anybody do it quite the same way he was doing it – think about it, that’s twenty years ago, right? So, there’s an incredible auteur filmmaker beneath this monster, an early Marvel movie. I have nothing but respect for it."

Hulk was a weird movie in a lot of ways, but there's a lot about it that we can appreciate. It's certainly worth revisiting, anyway, and a fun glimpse at the unique things that can be done when comic books are adapted for the screen. With that in mind, we can't help but wonder whether it would receive a better response today!

What did you guys think about 2003's Hulk movie?

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HULK Star Josh Lucas Has Nothing But Good Things To Say About Ang Lee's Divisive Marvel Movie

Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk was nothing if not unique, and it definitely split the opinions of comic book fans. However, actor Josh Lucas (Glenn Talbot) has nothing but good things to say about his experience!

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HULK: Marvel Studios May Have Finally Regained The Rights To The Jade Giant's Solo Franchise From Universal

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