The following was originally posted on The Intelligencer:

The prospect of being in a Hollywood movie alongside one of his comic book heroes and getting paid for it was too much for Dustin Widger to pass up Saturday afternoon.

So the 20-year-old Belleville man dropped into the Quinte Sports Centre to attend an open casting call for the movie, The Incredible Hulk, that will be released in June of 2008.

“I’m not an aspiring actor but it would be fun to do a movie... and make a little bit of cash,“ Widger said with a smile.

Kleiman Casting Ltd. of Toronto processed more than 200 movie-hopefuls over a three-hour period inside the hockey arena. Each person filled out a brief questionnaire listing some of their physical attributes, any experience they had with the military, weapons or firearms training, marital arts, sports, and whether they had a special driver’s licence and even a pilot’s licence.

Every applicant had his or her photo taken by the Toronto casting firm.

Successful applicants will be notified over the next couple of weeks.

The company was looking for fit/athletic males and females, 18 years of age and older, who were interested in playing soldiers in the movie being produced by Marvel Enterprises, creators of The Incredible Hulk comic books.

Local filming for the movie is scheduled to take place July 26 and 27 at CFB Trenton.

As extras, the chosen soldiers would be paid $10 an hour. Their work day would run from 12 to 16 hours both July 26 and 27.

Michaela McCrady, 18, is hoping to be selected.

“I thought it would be fun to be part of the Hulk and save some money for university,“ said the 18-year-old who just graduated from Nicholson Catholic College.

McCrady took drama in high school, has done theatre camps and plans to take more drama courses when she enters university next year.

Being in a movie, she noted, would give her a one-of-a-kind experience.

“You have nothing to lose trying,“ she said.

Older adults also waited in line for a shot at movie stardom.

Lindsay Thomson, 47, of Belleville, said it would be an interesting experience to be in a movie.

“But I really want to see how they shoot a movie,“ he said.

He’s also prepared to do whatever it takes when the director yells ‘action.’

“I feel I’m in shape and I’m ready to do whatever it takes as a soldier in the movie,“ said Thomson.

Dave Daley, 44, of Trenton, said curiosity got the better of him.

“My daughters are all excited about me trying out for a movie,“ said Daley, a captain with the machine shop at CFB Trenton.

“I think it’s really interesting to see how it’s all done and I’m willing to do any part,“ he said.

Zameret Kleiman, of Kleiman Casting Ltd., said she is looking for between 35 and 50 people from the casting call.

“They will be strictly soldiers in the movie,“ she said.

“I was told to find some military types, male and female. I’m very impressed with the look of the people who came here. We have a lot of great choices.“

Kleiman said she will study all the applicants’ photographs and narrow them down to a manageable number.

“I’ll show the photos to the director of the movie and he’ll make the final cuts,“ she said.

The director, Louis Leterrier, is making the sequel to the original Hulk movie directed by Ang Lee and released in 2003.

The new movie will star Edward Norton in the title role and, of course, dozens of soldiers selected from Saturday’s casting call.

“We’ll definitely get what we need and what we came here for today,“ Kleiman said confidently.

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The following was originally posted on ComicBookResources.com:

An article on Extra Online claims that director Louis Leterrier and producers from the upcoming film visited Tavares Bastos, Brazil to scout locations a possible October shoot.

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The following was originally posted on Variety.com:

Christina Cabot ("Fight Club") has joined the cast of Marvel Studios and Universal's "The Incredible Hulk," starring Edward Norton and Tim Roth. Louis Leterrier directs. Cabot will play an aide to General Ross (William Hurt), who pursues Norton's Bruce Banner. Lensing begins this summer in Toronto.

Thesp's credits include "Dancing at the Blue Iguana," "The Maldonado Miracle" and the upcoming "Pride and Glory," as well as HBO series "Tell Me You Love Me."

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The following was originally posted on UGO.com: and reported by Ashley Thompson:

With Who Wants to be a Superhero? Season 2 about to take flight on the SCI FI airwaves, we caught up with the almighty Stan Lee on a recent conference call to get the goods on what fans can expect from everyone's favorite "average Joe" crime fighters.

Lee and his thoughts on the next big screen version of The Incredible Hulk:

"I think it's a great idea because the Hulk is a terrific character and I think there were just a few things wrong with the first movie. I think those things can be rectified and remedied in the second movie, and I think the second movie will really surprise everybody. It'll be an enormous hit."

Stan Lee on the previous Ang Lee version of The Hulk:

"I was too busy admiring so many of the things that the director did, because he tried to get a unique comic book feeling into it; the way he laid one scene over another. I thought the way the special effects [were done] with the Hulk himself was very good. There was just some story points, which I think made it a little less pleasing to the audience than it should have been."

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The following was originally posted on SuperHeroHype.com:

In addition to Toronto, it looks like The Incredible Hulk will also film in New York City, according to the City of New York Mayor's Office of Film Theatre & Broadcasting's website. The production set up an office there from June 23 until October 5.

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The following was originally posted on Variety.com:

Film: EMA helps to heal the Green Scar
Org expands reach, assists the greening of 'Hulk'

The Environmental Media Assn. has spent the last 17 years singling out eco-conscious productions and corporate offices in the industry with its green seal designation, and as the number of eligible productions has grown, it looks to expand its influence by becoming an active part of productions.

The org is presently embroiled in creating a "green coach" program, which will send representatives to sets and offices to advise and observe. Last month EMA sent a green coach to the Gersh Agency, at the agency's request, and they plan to work closely with filmmakers on production of "The Incredible Hulk."

"Edward Norton told me he wants 'The Incredible Hulk' to be 'the greenest movie ever,' " says EMA president Debbie Levin. "So we've been working with (producer) Gale Anne Hurd and her team, just trying to see what we can do to push the envelope a little bit to make everything more eco-friendly."

The coaches will advise on myriad aspects of production - recommending purchases, suggesting ways to green the sets and, perhaps most tricky of all, helping producers navigate the fraught byways of carbon-offsetting.

"The carbon-offsetting business is kind of like the Wild West," Levin says. "You've got companies that are just saying, 'well, I'm going to plant a tree.' That doesn't do it anymore. What we really need are companies that are going to invest in wind farms in a third-world country, or solar power in a village, or doing research to try to work with different kinds of fuel. That's what we want to guide productions to."

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The annual San Diego Comic Con starts today, and this will be our first chance to hear about how The Incredible Hulk is progressing directly from Marvel Studios. The Marvel Studios presentation will take place this Saturday, July 28 in Hall H.

4:15-5:00 Marvel Studios— Marvel Studios proudly presents its Summer 2008 blockbuster line-up! First up, in association with Universal Pictures, comes Marvel's exciting new take on superhero icon The Incredible Hulk. Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, director Louis Leterrier and producers Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd and Kevin Feige will be on hand to discuss. Next up, in association with Paramount Pictures, Marvel is proud to present the big screen debut of legendary Marvel hero Iron Man. Director Jon Favreau, producers Avi Arad, Kevin Feige, and Tony Stark himself, Robert Downey Jr., are proud to unveil exclusive, never before seen footage from the film. Don't miss this sneak peak at two of comics' biggest superheroes that is sure to be full of surprises. Hall H

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The following was originally posted on Hollywoodreporter.com:

Universal's 'Incredible Hulk' bulking up with Nelson

Tim Blake Nelson has joined the cast of Marvel Studios' "The Incredible Hulk."

The movie, which Louis Leterrier is directing, sees Bruce Banner/Hulk on the run, trying to avoid capture long enough to cure the condition that turns him into a monster.

Nelson will play a scientist named Samuel Sterns. In Hulk lore, Sterns, aka "The Leader," is one of the Hulk's major antagonists, a menial worker in a chemical research plant who is bombarded with gamma radiation. He emerges from his accident not only green-skinned but also superintelligent, with an oversized brain.

Nelson joins a strong comic book movie cast that includes two-time Oscar nominee Edward Norton (Banner), Liv Tyler (Betty Ross), Tim Roth (villain Emil Blonsky/the Abomination) and William Hurt (General Ross, Betty's father).

Zak Penn wrote the latest big-screen adventure of the green goliath, which Universal Pictures is distributing domestically June 13, 2008.

The film is being produced by Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd and Kevin Feige, while Jim Van Wyck, David Maisel, Ari Arad and Stan Lee executive produce.

Nelson has appeared in "Syriana," "O'Brother, Where Art Thou?" and the HBO telefilm "Warm Springs." He also wrote and directed the Holocaust drama "The Grey Zone." Nelson recently was cast in the Shakespeare in the Park production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," playing Quince for director Daniel Sullivan. The production opens Aug. 7.

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THE INCREDIBLE HULK at Comic Con!

Get your mean, green Hulk fix at the Marvel panel on Saturday, July 28th at 4:15pm in Hall H. Actors Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, and director Louis Leterrier, along with producers Avi Arad and Gale Anne Hurd and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, will talk about the new film and answer questions from fans!

Calling all Hulk fans!

Are a Hulk superfan? Do you have a question for The Incredible Hulk filmmakers? Then stop by the Marvel Entertainment booth #2429 at Comic Con from 10-1 on Friday the 27th and 10-2 on Saturday the 28th, and ask the filmmakers of The Incredible Hulk your burning questions about the making of the movie. You could end up on the official movie website! Think you've got the best Hulk impression around? Show us what you've got!

Bruno

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Head on over to TheIncredibleHulk.net and check out the official site for the upcoming film.

Bruno

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The following was originally posted on The Kingston Whig-Standard:

The Hulk has arrived. Sort of. Filming for The Incredible Hulk, the next cinematic take on the rage-filled giant of Marvel Comics fame, began in Trenton yesterday.

But don't look for any towering superheroes or explosions: the actual Hulk is an entirely digital character, and scenes being shot here are relatively quiet.

The loudest noise is likely to come from the Bell 212 Twin Huey helicopters rented by the production team.

"We're thrilled to be here," executive producer Jim Van Wyck said yesterday during a brief interview.

The first scene was being filmed near the passenger terminal along Highway 2 at the base's eastern limit. Crews were planning to be shooting between about 3 p.m. and 3 a.m. both yesterday and today.

"We're getting some footage of Hummers and commandos coming through a gate," Van Wyck said, as extras in green camouflage milled around near the crew.

He said the Trenton shooting will amount to "probably about five to 10 minutes" in the final feature and involve mostly shots on the runway, with some filming happening inside a Canadian CC-130 Hercules air transport.

"People that work here will certainly recognize the base" on the screen, he said. "We're very excited about shooting C-130s and the base."

He added that comes with its own challenges.

"The biggest thing is we're inside a restricted area and so we need constant help from the base, and they've been incredibly supportive and helpful," he said, giving special recognition to Capt. Nicole Meszaros, a public affairs officer at the base.

The movie stars Edward Norton as scientist-turned-superhero Bruce Banner and Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, Banner's girlfriend and fellow scientist.

William Hurt takes over the role of her father, the Hulk-hunting Gen. Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross.

Tim Roth is Emil Blonsky, who in the comic books becomes the supervillain known as the Abomination after exposing himself to the same radiation that unleashed Banner's inner Hulk.

Of the major players, only Hurt and Roth are here. Neither was on the set for yesterday's initial shot.

The extras, meanwhile, are playing U.S. soldiers.

"Pretty much everybody is from this area," said Van Wyck.

Marvel's typically secretive security on the set makes even the base's usual military restrictions seem easygoing. All photography apart from production stills is banned, and Van Wyck said apologetically that very little can be said about the actual plot.

"All I can tell you is he's still being pursued," he told The Intelligencer last month. "The Hulk is a good soul. He's a defensive creature.

"It's just when he's attacked that he responds ... The response is usually fairly devastating and that's why he wants to find a cure: to rid himself of this thing that he becomes."

The devastation, however, is being saved for locations such as Toronto and Hamilton, where the pyrotechnics will be used. No such special effects are being shot in Trenton, Van Wyck said.

Filming is expected to last 18 weeks: 15 in Canada, two in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and one in New York.

Louis Leterrier (The Transporter, Alien: Resurrection) is directing; the screenplay has been written by Zak Penn, who also wrote the last two X-Men films.

The Incredible Hulk hits theatres June 13, 2008.

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