HULK MOVIE UPDATE

Eric Bana, star of The Hulk, said it was a challenge to portray the transformation scenes.

"I remember the first day it was time to turn into the Hulk," Bana told Extra in an interview that aired on Monday. "There was so much kind of confusion. 'What am I going to do, just kind of get down and Hulk out?'"

"It was just a great challenge, a great imaginary challenge," said Nick Nolte, who plays David Banner, Bruce's father.

In other Hulk news:

* The Hulk adaptation is being released by Marvel Comics on Wednesday. Click on the images above for a preview.

The adaptation is written by Bruce Jones, who also writes The Incredible Hulk comic.

"It's a completely different world (than the comic), but I can't wait for the movie," Jones said. "I can sit down with my popcorn and enjoy it like everybody else and still go back and enjoy our take on Banner."

* The soundtrack for The Hulk will be released on Decca/UMG Soundtracks on June 17.

Scoring the original soundtrack is Danny Elfman, whose many credits include Batman and Spider-Man.

The soundtrack also includes a new exclusive track, "Set Me Free," which was inspired by the film and recorded by an all-new super group featuring Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots; vocals), Slash (Guns N' Roses; guitar), Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses; bass), Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses; drums) and Dave Kushner (Suicidal Tendencies; guitar). This is the first-ever commercially available track from this new hard rock mega-group and can be downloaded exclusively on Apple's iTunes Music Store from June 8-17.

The currently unnamed band was invited by director Ang Lee to see an early cut of the film, which inspired them to write a powerful song that would match the movie in both theme and intensity.

"Writing songs is really cool, but if you get inspired to do it for a really good movie, the outcome is more fulfilling," Slash said. "We got a certain energy from watching the film, and we wanted to do something that would be really appropriate for it. The Hulk is a very dramatic version of the same stuff that we all go through. All this bottled-up tension is what the song's about, so it's a pretty good marriage: the theme of the song and what The Hulk is all about."

Said Weiland, "Ang Lee had a lot of intensity about the movie and his art form." He met with the band following their screening and provided some additional ideas and inspiration for lyrics that would closely reflect the story of Bruce Banner and his struggle with his monstrous alter-ego, The Hulk.

* Bana will be a guest on NBC's The Late Show with Conan O'Brien on Thursday, June 19.

ULTIMATE SIX

Marvel Comics will release Ultimate Six in September. The six-issue mini-series is written by Brian Michael Bendis, with art by Trevor Hairsine and Danny Miki, and covers by John Cassaday.

"It involves another group you know and love that has a six in its name," said editor C.B. Cebulski.

Marvel displayed an image at Wizard World East in Philadelphia that included Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Wasp, Thor and Giant-Man.

"Those six characters may or may not be the ones," Cebulski said.

UNDERWORLD COMIC FROM IDW

IDW Publishing will be adapting the Underworld movie into a one-shot comic book.

The comic will be written by Kris Oprisko with an art team to be announced. It will be released close the release date of the film, which stars Kate Beckinsale.

"I think it's going to be a good movie," Oprisko told The Continuum. "It's a good concept and they're pulling it off really well."

Oprisko said he has already written his script.

"It was actually a lot of fun," he said. "It was a new experience for me. The challenge was to distill the action from the movie into a few panels in comics pages."

In other IDW news:

* Look for a CSI: Miami one-shot in October, written by Jeff Mariotte, with art by Jose Auiles. Ashley Wood will continue to provide "forensic flashbacks."

* A second Wood art book is planned.

NEW MERIDIAN ARTIST

CrossGen Entertainment announced that Vincenzo Cucca, a member of CrossGen's Associate Penciler program, is the new artist of Meridian beginning with #39.

Steve McNiven is moving on to new CrossGen project after Meridian #36. "I've seen a lot of artists grow on the job, but I've never seen as accelerated an evolution as that which Steve McNiven displayed on Meridian," said writer Barbara Kesel. "Steve impressed us with his sample work, and continued to impress legions of readers ever since. Steve brought invention and innovation to his work on this book, and he's always going to be one to watch.

"So what's next for Meridian? Readers already have a hint if they've seen the lovely cover to the direct market version of the Meridian Vol. 2 graphic novel. Vincenzo 'Enzo' Cucca, the latest graduate of our Associate Penciler program, is already making Meridian his own, aided and abetted by inker Don Hillsman II and colorist Sumi Pak

"New art team, same old writer, and some incredible surprises coming up!"

CrossGen released the covers to Meridian #39 and #40.

MARVEL COMICS FIRST LOOKS

For covers and four-page previews of Marvel Comics titles arriving in stores on Wednesday, CLICK HERE.

Titles include Uncanny X-Men #425, New X-Men #142, X-Men Unlimited #48 and Exiles #28.

BRIEFLY

Coming Wednesday: Spider-Man movie news -- and much more!!!

E-mail the Continuum at RobAlls@aol.com

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