14 DAY TRIAL // A short while ago, Marvel announced that Edward Norton would not be reprising his 2008 role as The Incredible Hulk in the upcoming “The Avengers” pic. The movie studio said the problem was Norton’s temperament, while the actor’s rep insisted the decision had to do with money. Also then, fans started to debate on who would be the right person to replace Norton but Marvel was way ahead of them, as the Huffington Post can confirm.
Though at first he may seem like an unlikely candidate, the studio went for Mark Ruffalo as the next Hulk, and the announcement was made at this year’s Comic-Con convention, when he stepped on the stage with the rest of “The Avengers” cast. Ruffalo is the third Hulk after Eric Bana and Edward Norton, and, hopefully, he’ll be able to bring out a funnier side in the world-loved green monster.
“Mark Ruffalo is the new Hulk, Marvel Studios announced when unveiling the cast of the 2012 sequel ‘The Avengers’ at Comic Con on Saturday. The decision follows a dramatic dismissal of the previous Hulk, Edward Norton. Two weeks ago Marvel released a harsh statement announcing that Norton, who played Bruce Banner and his green alter-ego in the 2008 movie, would not be returning. The statement insisted the decision was not about money and suggested Norton was not a team player,” the Post writes.
“Norton’s rep called the statement ‘purposefully misleading’ and described the decision as a financial one. Eric Bana first played the Hulk in 2003. Ruffalo joins an ensemble cast that includes Jeremy Renner, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sam Jackson, Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth. ‘It’s like Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet, a new actor gets a crack at it every year,’ Ruffalo told the LA Times. ‘But really it’s all heady stuff. It’s exciting to be here. It’s great to be a part of all this’,” the report further says.
“The Avengers” is directed by legendary Joss Whedon and is scheduled for a theatrical release in 2012. Production on it will probably start later this year, when more details will also become available.
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