It’s safe to say that Mark Ruffalo is the definitive Hulk of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but some may forget that he was actually re-cast in the role. Some may remember the relatively mediocre Incredible Hulk film released way back in 2008 starring Edward Norton. Norton agreed to play Bruce Banner in the film only once Marvel agreed to let him rewrite the script. Despite Norton’s efforts in that department, the film continued to remove scenes that Norton specifically wanted to be included. So basically, Norton and Marvel didn’t really see eye-to-eye to put it mildly and Norton was eventually replaced by Mark Ruffalo for the upcoming MCU films. A decade later and Norton is still not very happy about that whole ordeal.
At the Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis, Norton was one of the roasters to step up and throw some friendly jabs at the action star. He did more than that however, calling out Marvel for their efforts in The Incredible Hulk film all those years back. THR’s Ryan Parker posted on Twitter:
Edward Norton took a shot at Marvel during the Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis, saying he was difficult on ‘Incredible Hulk’ because “I wanted a better script.” https://t.co/KKvDyvBhFG pic.twitter.com/1ao6rrwqbQ
— Ryan Parker (@TheRyanParker) July 15, 2018
One may say “get over it” but it’s hard to really blame Norton as he was supposedly promised a lot of creative input. Hell, after allowing director Louis Leterrier and Norton to shoot the scenes, Marvel ended up cutting most of them from the film. Ruffalo taking over the role was obviously a good move but it’s a wonder how Norton would have handled the character in the upcoming films.
Norton has mostly stayed away from franchises and that has done both him and audiences wonders. Having been attached to mostly smaller projects, Norton has provided us with some great performances in Wes Anderson films along with an Oscar nominated role in the Best Picture winning Birdman. This bad blood is still present but as long as Norton does what he does best, everything is fine.
Source: Ryan Parker
