Rumours had been circling around the internet and other various publications, that Shutter Island star Mark Ruffalo would be stepping into the role of Bruce Banner (also known as The Incredible Hulk) in Marvel Studios upcoming superhero crossover movie, The Avengers, ever since the news broke that American History X star Edward Norton (who was the last person to play the iconic green beast, in 2008) was reported to have been quickly and forcibly dropped from the project by Marvel, and at yesterday’s Comic-Con panel, Marvel officially confirmed his involvement with a special onstage appearance.
Norton’s exit was the subject of heated debate between his agent and the studio (who couldn’t quite agree on the reason why he wasn’t asked to reprise the role, and the manner in which things were left) , but came as no real surprise after the public ways in which they previously clashed on the 2008 movie, and Marvel’s grievances which led them to believe he doesn’t work well with others; a skill that would be needed in order to star in such an ensemble cast.
The ensemble comes as The Avengers is basically a big superhero club; consisting of Captain America (Chris Evans, The Fantastic Four), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, Iron Man 2), The Hulk (Ruffalo), War Machine (Don Cheadle, Iron Man 2), Thor (Chris Hemsworth, Star Trek), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man 2), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson, Iron Man 2), among others; and is the most star studded superhero/comic movie ever made.
The panel placed Downey, Jackson, Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson from the Iron Man movies), Johansson, Hemsworth, Evams, Renner, and Mark Ruffalo onstage together, as well as Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige, and The Avengers director Joss Whedon (Buffy The Vampire Slayer); even though he is “very nervous”, and thinks he still may “blow it”; and was probably the most well received panel at this year’s Comic-Con so far (receiving a standing ovation more than once, and giving fans plenty of info on their upcoming movies).
Chris Evans’ Captain America: The First Avenger will be hitting cinema screens next year, as will Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, before The Avengers finally touches down in 2012; the same year as Christopher Nolan’s next Batman feature is due to be released.
