The Incredible Hulk

After the 2003 film Hulk, Marvel Studios reacquired the rights to the character, and writer Zak Penn began work on a reboot that would be much closer to the comics and the television series. Norton rewrote the script after he signed on to star, severing all ties to its predecessor by retelling the origin story in flashbacks and revelations. Filming of principal photography mostly took place in Toronto, Canada in 2007, and the film's crew went to great lengths to reduce the production's carbon emissions. Letterier's direction aimed to make the monsters look more realistic and frightening. He redesigned the Abomination, who in the comics is a reptilian KGB agent, into a mutant soldier with bony protrusions.

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At the time of the release of Ang Lee's Hulk, screenwriter James Schamus was planning a sequel, featuring the Gray Hulk. He was also considering the Leader and the Abomination as villains. During the filming of Hulk producer Avi Arad had a target May 2005 theatrical release date. On January 18, 2006 Arad confirmed Marvel Studios would be providing the money for The Incredible Hulk's production budget, with Universal distributing, because Universal did not meet the deadline for filming a sequel. Marvel felt it would be better to deviate from Ang Lee's style to continue the franchise, arguing his film was like a parallel universe one-shot comic book, and their next film needed to be, in Kevin Feige's words, "really starting the Marvel Hulk franchise". Producer Gale Ann Hurd also felt the film had to meet what "everyone expects to see from having read the comics and seen the TV series".

Leterrier, who enjoyed the TV series as a child and liked the first film, had expressed interest in directing the Iron Man film adaptation. Jon Favreau had taken that project, so Marvel offered him the Hulk. Leterrier was reluctant as he was unsure if he could replicate Lee's style, but Marvel explained that was not their intent. Leterrier's primary inspiration was Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's Hulk: Gray (a retelling of his first appearance). He replicated every comic book panel that he pinned-up during pre-production, from the many comics he browsed, in the final film. Peter David's run is also referenced in the film.

The first screenwriter, Zak Penn, said the film would follow up Hulk, but stressed it would be more tonally similar to the TV show and Bruce Jones' run on the comic. He compared his script to Aliens, which was a very different film to Alien, but still in the same continuity. Penn wrote three drafts, before departing in early 2007 to direct The Grand. Norton, who had rewritten previous films he starred in, wrote a new draft, which pleased the director and the studio in establishing the film as a reboot. Leterrier acknowledged the only remaining similarity between the two films was Bruce hiding in South America, and that the film was a unique reboot, as generally audiences would have expected another forty minute origin story. Leterrier felt audiences were left restless waiting for the character to arrive in Ang Lee's film.

Norton explained of his decision to ignore Lee's origin story, "I don't even like the phrase origin story, and I don't think in great literature and great films that explaining the roots of the story doesn't mean it comes in the beginning." "Audiences know this story," he added, "[so] deal with it artfully." He wanted to "have revelations even in the third act about what set this whole thing in motion". Instead, editor Kyle Cooper, who also created the Marvel logo (with the flipping pages) and the montage detailing Iron Man's biography in that film, edited together a three-minute opening flashback to the Hulk's origin. Norton's rewrite also added the character of Doc Samson and made references to other Marvel characters, while writing out Rick Jones and toning down S.H.I.E.L.D.'s presence. Norton rewrote scenes every day. Ultimately, the Writers Guild of America decided to credit the script solely to Penn.

Marvel chose the Abomination as the villain because he was the most famous enemy, and because he would be an actual threat to the Hulk, unlike General Ross. For the Abomination, Letterier updated his KGB background from the comics, making him a soldier. The character acts as Banner's foil: "a fighter, he's a machine, he's a very effective, cool-as-a-cucumber soldier that is over the hill - 38, 39 years old - has finished his life as a soldier, should be a Colonel by now and has never accepted that failure. He loves being a fighter, loves being on the field." Roth concurred the Abomination from the comic was rooted in the Cold War.