Ang Lee Disects The Hulk

"I wasn't particularly taken with the existing script that Universal prepared," Lee says. He was interested, however, in researching the Hulk on three levels:

"Scientifically, I am doing an academic study on how a cell can expand and how a person can become a Hulk.

"Technically, I am asking myself, 'How do I create the Hulk?' You can't have a big guy, paint him green and put comic book pants on him. The Hulk is not human. He's 9 to 12 feet tall, 1,500 pounds. I guess I'll go with digital (photorealistic animation).

"Culturally, I need to know, 'Why does it work?' On a psychological level, 'Why is he so popular?'"

Lee finds the character's long-running success unusual because the Hulk is a "very sad monster" and a superhero at the same time, an unlikely combination, and a paradox that will inevitably, like the character, need more investigation.