If Ang is Lee Hulk When the superhero film genre hit theaters in 2003, it was still finding its footing. The film joins a small but growing group of titles from the early 2000s, including Blade, X Men, Spider-ManAnd Daredevilwhich paved the way for the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it today.
Eric Bana played the lead role Hulk Although the film achieved respectable box office returns at the time, grossing $245 million worldwide, it remains a disappointment in the eyes of many. Although Bana received critical acclaim for his performance, he never starred in a sequel or another superhero film.
However, since the multiverse is all the rage and therefore imminent Deadpool and Wolverine After so many rumors about guest appearances, is there any chance that Bana has changed his mind and could actually return to the big screen as Bruce Banner?
Bana firmly rejected the idea of reprising his version of the Hulk, stating in a recent interview that he “can’t imagine” reprising the role of Bruce Banner, even in major crossover events like… Avengers: Secret Wars or what is to come Deadpool and Wolverine Movie.
“I can not imagine that. I’m sorry, Jess,” Bana said in a new interview on SiriusXM’s Jess Cagle Show. “Hugh is a very close friend of mine… I still can’t wrap my head around it.”
In the same interview, Bana was asked to reflect on what fascinated him Hulk Firstly – was it the opportunity to work with acclaimed director Ang Lee or the chance to portray the Marvel superhero?
“One hundred percent. Yes,” Bana added. “At first I thought, ‘No way. It’s not my kind of bag. “I don’t think that’s me,” and then we thought about it more and more, and I just, because I didn’t have a script either, when I said “yes,” so I thought, “Well, whatever be that?” how?” So with this film I really put all my potential into Ang Lee’s basket.”
“I knew it would be very, very different, and it wasn’t a thing at the time. The Marvel Universe had not yet begun.”
Bana also acknowledged that the superhero film landscape was very different back when he took on the role of Hulk and the concept of interconnected cinematic universes had not yet been established.
Bana said, “You didn’t do these films because you thought you would do more than one film. That paradigm didn’t exist, so you’re right. It was very, very important that I wanted to work with someone like Ang.”