Marvel's Hulk Movie Journey: From Pitch to Ang Lee's Vision

Marvel Audio Dramas and Trailers

• 🎧 Wolverine: The Long Night is highlighted as a new audio drama podcast, aiming for a "movie without visuals" experience with strong sound design and voice acting.
• 🎬 The trailer for Deadpool 2 is praised for its advertising strategy, focusing on tone and character rather than revealing major plot points.
• 💥 The Infinity War trailer is described as visually stunning, featuring nearly every Marvel hero and anticipating a significant cinematic event.
• 😟 The Venom teaser trailer is criticized for being uncompelling, with the hosts hoping for a stronger narrative to overcome the lack of exciting visuals.
• 🌟 Black Panther is anticipated with high expectations, with discussions around its advanced technology, particularly the materialization of vehicles, and the potential for a strong explanation within the film's lore.

The Road to the Hulk Movie

• 🎬 Marvel Studios began discussions with Universal Pictures in late 1992 to develop a Hulk motion picture, moving beyond the TV series and movies.
• 💡 Early pitches for the Hulk movie included fighting terrorists or sharks, concepts deemed uninspired.
• 🏢 The sale of MCA (Universal's parent company) and subsequent pressure to create profitable films influenced the development of movies like The Nutty Professor and The Lost World.
• 🎬 Director Joe Johnston was initially attached to direct the Hulk movie but left the project, leading to screenwriter Jonathan Hinkley taking over directing duties.
• 🦈 Hinkley's script involved the Hulk battling insect men in the desert, a concept that evolved from earlier ideas.
• 💥 The project faced numerous challenges, including script changes, budget concerns, and discussions about potential directors and comedic actors like Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler.

Ang Lee's Vision and Sound Design

• 🎨 Director Ang Lee eventually took on the Hulk project, envisioning the film with a unique artistic approach, comparing the Hulk's essence to a serenity rake and even a jellyfish.
• 🔊 The podcast also delves into the creative process of sound design, specifically deconstructing the creation of Hulk's footsteps.
• 🦶 Hulk's footsteps are created using barefoot sounds with a sandy hiss, combined with a slow pacing to indicate massive size and a low-frequency earthquake rumble for added weight.
• 🔊 The discussion touches upon audio terminology like "air" and the recognition of iconic sounds like the Wilhelm scream and Goofy's scream.

Marvel's Release Schedule and Future

• 🗓️ Marvel Studios is planning a busy release year with Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Ant-Man and the Wasp.
• 🕸️ The connection of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse to the cinematic universe is debated, with the hosts considering it potentially part of an alternate universe.
• 🤔 Concerns are raised about audience cannibalization due to the high volume of Marvel releases.
• 🚀 The potential for Ant-Man and the Wasp to tie into the events of Infinity War and offer clues about future storylines is discussed.