Red carpet ready for green giant
The monster movie of the summer is set for a London premiere today in the shape of comic book blockbuster The Hulk.
The action film has already demolished box office competition in the US.
Now it is set to take Irish and European cinemas by storm when it opens later this month.
The film’s giant green hero will not be making appearance at tonight’s charity screening in London’s Leicester Square.
Whereas the 1970s TV series featured former Mr Universe Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk, the monster in Ang Lee’s film is computer-generated.
Australian actor Eric Bana, who plays the Hulk’s alter-ego Bruce Banner, is due to attend, along with co-star Jennifer Connelly.
The Hulk is the latest Marvel Comics creation to make it on to the big screen, following in the footsteps of X-Men and Spider-Man.
He first made an appearance as The Incredible Hulk in a 1962 comic strip, which was turned into the hugely successful TV series starring Bill Bixby in the late 1970s.
The story revolves around mild-mannered scientist Bruce Banner (renamed David in the TV show) who is transformed into the Hulk when a nuclear experiment goes wrong.
The monster appears whenever Banner is in a rage, leading to the immortal lines: “Don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”
The new film is from Taiwanese director Ang Lee, best known for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the Oscar-winning adaptation of Sense And Sensibility.
