Vitals
- Products: Marvel's The Avengers
- Franchises: The Avengers
- Associated Features: Most Anticipated Movies and TV Shows of 2011, Marvel Movies, Law and Justice, Comic Book Movies of 2010
- Genres: Action Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Cast Members: Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Stellan Skarsgard, Tom Hiddleston
- Director: Joss Whedon
- Theatrical Release Date (US): May 4, 2012
- Studio: Paramount Pictures, Marvel Studios
- Publisher: Walt Disney Pictures
Hold on to your tattered purple pants, fanboys, because things just got pretty interesting in regards to who will be taking over Edward Norton's role as the Hulk in The Avengers.
Nikki Finke's normally spot-on sources are now whispering the name Mark Ruffalo as being the front-runner for the part of Dr. Bruce Banner, and, according to Finke's recent post on Deadline, is in "late-stage discussions between Marvel and his brand-new agency United Talent." No other details were given regarding this latest gamma bombshell, but clearly the Jade Giant will be the main topic of conversation amongst Mighty Marvel fans leading up to Comic-Con.
Our take? PLEASE let this rumor be true. While Norton's shoes will be difficult to fill as an actor, Ruffalo brings that unique awkwardness to his roles that is absolutely essential for the role of Banner -- honestly, all he'd really have to do is reprise his role as Stan Fink from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and he'd be perfect. Likewise, we can definitely picture Ruffalo's head on a CGI Hulk body way easier than crazy ol' Joaquin Phoenix, so there's that going for him too (unless we're talking the Maestro, then Phoenix all the way!). And lastly, Ruffalo's been a crowd favorite for years now and is due to make the next superstar step in his career, and they don't come any bigger than Marvel's 2012 superhero extravaganza, The Avengers. We'll be watching this one closely.
