Hulk going grey?

It looks like everyones favorite big, mean, and green hero, The Incredible Hulk may in fact not be so Green in the upcoming film, but Gray. Officially this is still just a rumor, but at a recent press conference promoting Spidey 3, uber-producer Avi Arad let slip that this will in fact be an all "new Hulk, new direction, new size, new color, new attitude." and not just that, he actually went on to say that this Hulk will be much more similar to the beloved television series from the late 70s, in that it will be a much more human story, a real love story... hmmm... Anyhow, when questioned about the possibility of a gray Hulk Arad fumbled with "uh, we'll see." Oh Avi, so excited he said something he wasn't supposed to. That's ok, it happens.

Personally I'm not sure this is a good move. I never really read much Hulk growing up, and while I'd like to catch up on it at some point, I haven't gotten around to it yet. That said as a pretty serious comic reader and former Marvel zombie, I have once or twice encountered the Gray version of the Hulkster. in fact the very first issue of Amazing Spider-Man I ever bought (#328) featured the gray guy himself. Granted the next time I saw The Hulk it was 8 months later in Web of Spider Man #69, and he was back to being green. So while I, a dedicated fanboy, was exposed to the gray Hulk a bit I still don't really understand why there has to be different colored versions of the Hulk. It always struck me as one of those silly plot devices, like how in Superman there are like 20 different kinds of kryptonite. And what does it say about the strength of a character if you have to reinvent him every few years in a new color or variation? Yes there were A LOT of different variations. According to the Wiki the Gray Hulk is weaker than the other versions of Hulk, and has some sort of odd werewolf-like qualities... yes, strange... You know it's not that I don't think people will be able to understand a gray Hulk, but I do think that most people coming to the movie are at a knowledge level less than me, in fact, they're probably coming at the movie only knowing the 70s tv show, and the Ang Lee movie. So is now really the time to jump right in and change things? Yes, I have faith that moviegoers can figure it out, but I just wonder if its really necessary. Wasn't the traditional green Hulk good enough? Especially since this is a 'reboot', I would like to see a Hulk film that works within the characters familiar traditions, and still delivers a kickass moviegoing experience.

My fingers are crossed LeTerrier. Just remember to pace yourself. The worst thing that could happen is if there is just too much story cramed into the film. We've already got a new villian (for most people) in Abomination, and now the gray Hulk sotryline too. I don't want to see another X-Men 3 where we're really watching 4 stories in a single film, and doing none of them justice. This could be really good, at least I hope so...

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