‘Incredible Hulk’ Director Discusses Scrapped Sequel Plans

Edward Norton played the title role of the Hulk in the 2008 Incredible Hulk film. After Disney acquired Marvel Studios, Mark Ruffalo took over as the actor portraying the Hulk in subsequent Marvel movies.

Louis Leterrier, director of the 2008 Marvel film The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton, recently revealed his plans for a sequel that never happened.

In an interview, Leterrier said he had ideas for introducing alternate Hulk versions like Grey Hulk and Red Hulk. “There was a lot of good stuff that we were planning,” he told ComicBook.com.

After Norton, Mark Ruffalo took over the role of Bruce Banner/Hulk starting with 2012’s The Avengers. The story from the 2008 Hulk film did not continue in Marvel’s cinematic universe.

Eric Bana previously played Hulk in 2003, while Lou Ferrigno portrayed the character on the 1970s TV series with Bill Bixby as Bruce Banner.

The film rights for the Hulk character are complicated. Universal Pictures owns the rights to any solo Hulk movies, predating Disney’s acquisition of Marvel Studios in 2009. This means Universal gets first opportunity to distribute standalone Hulk films. However, Hulk can appear in other Marvel Cinematic Universe movies from Disney, like the Avengers films and Thor: Ragnarok.

Louis Leterrier noted the character’s complexity, wanting to showcase the “primal, rage Hulk” versus more child-friendly versions like Grey Hulk and Smart Hulk. He felt the current movie incarnation is “far from” what he aimed to expand on in a sequel.

Leterrier enjoyed exploring Hulk’s deeper psychology and consciousness in his film. But he said Marvel wants to quickly introduce many characters, while he preferred to take time developing Hulk. He cited She-Hulk as fast-paced and different from his vision.

Fans may still see Red Hulk, with speculation that Thunderbolt Ross could transform in the upcoming Captain America film. Betty Ross could also become Red She-Hulk.

When asked about the speculation that his character Thunderbolt Ross could become Red Hulk in the upcoming Captain America film, Harrison Ford coyly replied “What is the Red Hulk?” Neither confirming nor denying the fan theories about his role.