Finally, It Comes Out: Edward Norton is Writing 'The Incredible Hulk'
Filed under: RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Scripts, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand
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Back and forth, back and forth -- The LA Times have finally come out and cleared up the rumor that Edward Norton started during ComicCon. As previously discussed, it was during Marvel's The Incredible Hulk panel where Norton made a comment that suggested he was writing the script. This confused a lot of people (including me) who were under the assumption that Zak Penn had (and was) penning the kind-of-sequel-but-not. Well, now it seems we know what happened. According to The LA Times, Penn was indeed the original writer and had written three drafts of the script prior to production. However, when the script needed more work -- and with Penn busy promoting his indie mockumentary The Grand -- Norton stepped in, offered up his own ideas, and came on as not only a writer, but also the film's star.
This, of course, is the story we're being told. As The Times even suggests, Norton is somewhat known around town for strong-arming his way into the writer's seat. There are rumors that he took it upon himself to re-write dialogue during Brett Ratner's Red Dragon -- not just his own, but also Anthony Hopkins'. Norton's reps insist that Ratner asked the actor for help, but others beg to differ -- not that it matters much; the film still turned out like crap. Keep in mind I'm in no way saying that Norton decided to take the role on the condition that he could re-write Penn's script, but it was part of his initial deal. And not for nothing, but if I was Penn, I'd be pretty pissed that I spent a whole year on three different versions of a script only to watch Norton come in and change up the entire thing. For all we know, Norton's additions helped the film, but one day I'd love to get my hands on both versions to see if Penn's would've translated better to the big screen. The Incredible Hulk is set to smash its way into theaters on June 13.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-15-2007 @ 3:59PM
Evan said...
I'd put my money on Nortan's version being better. I'm not impressed with Zak Penn's other writing credits (X3 - no; Fantastic Four - no; Elektra - no; X2 - only alright). I love Marvel comics, but those movies were disappointments.
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8-15-2007 @ 4:11PM
Erik Davis said...
Evan,
If I've ever learned anything, it's not to judge a script by the finished product. A lot of changes occur once a film is in production, so to say that those movies sucked because of Penn's scripts isn't very fair. Just my two cents.
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8-15-2007 @ 10:57PM
mayorjimmy said...
Or they could get someone to write it who.... oh i don't know.... WRITES COMICS FOR A LIVING?!?!?
for the life of me i'll never understand why they even hire writers for comic book movies. i mean it's not like they already have hundreds and hundreds of already written stories with illustrations available..... wait a minute.... THEY DO!!!!
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8-15-2007 @ 11:13PM
Eugene said...
Is it so hard to accept that sometimes the people who read the lines can write them too?
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8-16-2007 @ 12:46AM
mayorjimmy said...
it's not about if edward can write or not. i know actors can also direct and write. it's about the comic book industry as a whole never getting any respect from hollywood. think about how writers for the hulk must feel. "oh you wrote some stories? well thanks for working to make the character popular and marketable, we'll take it from here by bringing in our own writers and designers so we can reap the windfall of profits and fame. you just go on back to your picture stories little boys."
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8-16-2007 @ 1:20AM
Eugene said...
I'm not familiar with what comics Zak Penn has written.. I am familiar with the movies he's written though, and with a few exceptions, most have them have been giant stinkers.
Which comic book writers have tried to do movie scripts, btw? And what about the recent trend of hollywood writers coming in and writing comics?
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8-16-2007 @ 2:11AM
mayorjimmy said...
that's just it, nobody in Hollywood gives comic writers a chance. I'd love to see Grant Morrison write a movie. I'm convinced he's the only writer able to write Superman and Batman for who they should be. Neil Geiman is an insanely good writer.
comics give hollywood a chance, they hired Kevin Smith. they could have just said, "stick to movies pal" but they gave him a shot. do comic writers ever get the same kind of courtesy? hell no.
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8-16-2007 @ 10:45AM
Evan said...
Erik,
That can be very true (afterall, we usually blame the director for a bad movie, and directors will often blame the studio for screwing up their movie). But I don't know... Zak Penn has had some particularly bad luck with who handles his scripts then.
I wonder how many comic book writers have tried writing movies (and have seen them made... Neil Gaiman is the only one I know of for sure).
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