Filed under: Action & Adventure, Casting, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
I've always been a big Edward Norton fan; I've seen all his films, and even watched him perform in an off-Broadway play, Burn This, when he starred opposite Catherine Keener. For someone that's been dabbling in the indie world as of late with films like The Painted Veil, The Illusionist and Down in the Valley, hearing that he's just been cast as Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk re-do came as quite the surprise. I mean, in order to catch his last "commercial" hit, you have to go all the way back to 2003 for The Italian Job. Eric Bana, I could see. Jason Statham would've been completely wrong for the role. And Norton? As The Hulk? I don't know.
On one hand, the guy is a fantastic actor who's already played a character with duel personalities more than once (Primal Fear, Fight Club). And if you're wondering what Norton looks like when he's angry, then I highly suggest checking out American History X. On the other hand, part of me feels like Norton is too good for this material -- especially seeing as this new version of The Hulk will be less serious and more comic book-based. With Robert Downey Jr. being cast as Iron Man and Christian Bale playing Batman, it goes to show that Hollywood is taking some risks when it comes to casting these new superhero flicks; bringing on the types of people who you would never expect in a big-budgeted, CG-filled fanboy extravaganza. With Norton onboard, I expect they'll be targeting some A-listers for the remaining cast, bringing us a balls-to-the-wall re-vamped Hulk flick with style. But do you think Norton can pull it off, and spin his performance into another successful franchise for Marvel? And, who do you think has the better shot at succeeding: Norton or Downey Jr.?
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