Edward Norton to Star in 'The Hulk'

Louis Leterrier and Marvel Studios confirmed a while ago that a second installment of the box-office disaster that was 'The Hulk' would be launched in June 2008, on the 13th to be more precise. 'Variety' now reports, basing the statement on well-informed sources, that a leading man was already found as a replacement for Eric Banna, the actor who starred in the first movie; that man is none other than Edward Norton.

The 2003 'Hulk' was received with lukewarm reviews by the critics and, according to the studio, the public was influenced by them, especially by the negative ones. While the first week after the release was more than promising (in pecuniary terms), the following ones only came to prove that maybe Marvel invested way too many millions of dollars in a movie that was a flopper.

However, Marvel claims that this is the very reason for which a sequel will be made and released. Apparently, 'Hulk' was a failure in comparison to other movies produced by the same studio ('Spider-Man', 'X-Men' and 'Ghost Rider') because it dwelt too much on the psychological drama of the main character, Bruce Banner, and on the way he tried to cope with his monstrous green alter-ego and these two things stole the focus from the fact that it was, after all, an action movie.

That is why Marvel will make the sequel more playable and enjoyable for the larger public, for those members of the audience who just want to see a good kickass movie, with as many special effects as possible. Even more, co-producer Kevin Feige already vouched that the sequel would be 'a fun, high-octave event' - in terms of action. So that only leaves out the question if Edward Norton will really take the part.

Without implying that 'The Hulk' could not turn out to be a traditionally 'serious' movie, Norton does have a reputation of taking parts that are controversial and somewhat off-the-wall. Then again, 'Variety', as well as other sources from the media, claim that he noted that the movie (that is, wannabe franchise) needs a 'reboot' and he is the man to do it. If that be the case, he faces quite a challenge. If not, then he's just doing it for the money, a thing he promised himself he would never do. Stay tuned here for more Hulk-related details.