A Different Take On the Superhero: Hancock
Imagine a superhero. Imagine him having incredible strength, enough to move mountains without even breaking a sweat. Then, decide to give said superhero the ability of supersonic flight – that is, the ability to fly faster than the speed of sound. Imagine him flying from one part of the world to another at the speed of your typical 747, but not the insanely fast speeds you’d see on someone like Superman. Then, give said superhero the one ability that is made out to be a rare ability and one that most often needs to be matched with some sort of weakness: invulnerability. Right now, this superhero sounds a whole lot like the “boy scout” of the comic book world, Superman, doesn’t he? Okay, maybe it also sounds an awful lot like Power Girl, Supergirl, Superboy, or even Superboy-Prime, but that’s beside the point. In other words, he sounds an awful lot like a “perfect” superhero.
Now, make him a bum. Yes, I meant that – a homeless, jobless, detrimental-to-society-in-every-known-way type of bum. Literally the type of person you’d encounter drinking his brains out in some back alley, sharing a fire with others who, like him, have no job and no home. Then, proceed to make him an honest-to-goodness alcoholic – and not one that’s on the road to recovery or manages to pull it off and still look admirable and heroic. In other words, no, we’re not making a super-powered version of the Iron Man, Tony Stark. Hell, while we’re at it, let us toss in a few other flaws. Give him a nasty little foul-mouth, similar to what you’d find in the anti-heroic Frank Castle, better known as the Punisher. Except make it just a touch more sarcastic, grim, and generally unpleasant to be around. Provide this hero an attitude to match that mouth of his, and make it so that he – like Batman – doesn’t really care about public opinion on what he does.
Now, make a movie about him.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is the concept behind Will Smith’s upcoming movie Hancock. Yes, he is a superhero with the aforementioned powers. However, he also has pretty much every single character flaw mentioned above, from being a shameless and hopeless bum to having an attitude so foul that nobody likes him – not even the very people he saves. Combine that with the fact that he often ends up causing a whole lot more damage than would have occurred had he not bothered to arrive, and you’ve got a very interesting take on the superhero genre as it is – not to mention the very archetype of the superhero. But there’s a touch more there. Smith’s character is near-universally despised and doesn’t seem to mind one bit, but there’s always a catch. As it turns out, one of the people he saved is intent on rehabilitating the hero. Essentially, he’s trying to turn Hancock into what public perception thinks a hero should be, which in itself seems like an interesting idea for a movie plotline.
What I’m worried about in this film, though, is the romantic interest. While it fits that Hancock, being the thoroughly despicable hero that he is, will eventually have an affair with the wife of the man trying to rehabilitate him, it does give off something unpleasant. The concept can be good, but it also has a lot of potential in basically becoming the superhero version of the movie Hitch.
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Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
With a signature blend of action, humor and character-based spectacle, the saga of the world's toughest, kitten-loving hero from Hell continues to unfold in Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. Bigger muscle, badder weapons and more ungodly villains arrive in an epic vision of imagination from Oscar®-nominated director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy). After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. Now, it's up to the planet's toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it's time to call in Hellboy (Ron Perlman). Along with his expanding team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development--pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann--the BPRD will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal. And Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who's accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Norton Blasts Media for "Distorting" Studio Rift
Actor Edward Norton has launched a scathing attack on the media - stating reporters have "distorted" stories to sensationalize a rift between himself and the studio behind his upcoming film The Incredible Hulk. The Fight Club star was allegedly caught in a series of aggressive outbursts towards the blockbuster's financiers Marvel Entertainment over a disagreement about the movie's final cut. According to reports, Norton didn't agree with Marvel's plans to re-shape the film into a series of action scenes, which led to rampant rumors he had strongly pitted himself against the studio. But the star refutes the rumors, stating such "disputes" were part of a "healthy" moviemaking creative process, and blames the media for "distorting" the truth in hope of securing a "good story." He says, "Every good movie gets forged through collaboration, and different ideas among people who are all committed and respect the validity of each other's opinions is the heart of filmmaking. Regrettably, our healthy process, which is and should be a private matter, was misrepresented publicly as a 'dispute', seized on by people looking for a good story and has been distorted to such a degree that it risks distracting from the film itself, which Marvel, Universal and I refuse to let happen." And the film's director Louis Leterrier agrees with Norton's claims, insisting it was the media's take on the rift which prevented a final agreement being stalled between the two battling parties. He explains, "Everyone was exhausted; it was like a little burst. (Then it) became public, (which) kept Edward and Marvel from talking to each other. (The purported feud) was nothing and then it became something big."
Bana Praises Norton Casting in New Hulk Film
Actor Eric Bana has praised movie bosses for replacing him with Edward Norton in upcoming sequel The Incredible Hulk. Bana, who played Bruce Banner in filmmaker Ang Lee's original 2003 movie Hulk, is pleased he wasn't offered the role as he may not have subsequently landed critically acclaimed parts in movies such as Munich. He tells Australia's Herald Sun newspaper, "If it came up in the right amount of time I might have (done it) but, you know, in an ideal world it has not been a bad thing for me. I think it's even better that they've got a new guy and better again that they've got someone of the caliber of Edward Norton. You know, I can't wait to see it. And I suppose if they had come back in the right amount of time I wouldn't have been doing films like Munich." But Bana insists he never considered making more than one Hulk movie when he signed up to appear in the original film. He adds, "I never went into the first one thinking I was going to do three films. I didn't think the word franchise, or the word sequel. To me it always appeared as a one-off opportunity." Shooting on The Incredible Hulk is scheduled to begin this summer in Toronto, Canada.
Norton To Play Hulk?
Hollywood actor Edward Norton may be set to play comic hero The Hulk in a new movie, according to media reports. The Fight Club star is rumored to take over the role from Troy actor Eric Bana, reports Hollywood film publication Variety. The 2003 film, which starred Bana alongside Jennifer Connelly and directed by Ang Lee, was a commercial flop and received mixed reviews. Marvel Studios insist the sequel, which is tentatively set to be released next summer, will "be less serious than the first one and more in tune with the comic book series." The new installment will be directed by The Transporter's Louis Leterrier. Norton, twice nominated for an Oscar, was seen last year in both The Illusionist and The Painted Veil.
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