Actor Says He’s Game If Marvel Will Have Him; If More ‘Hulk’ Films Are Made With Mark Ruffalo
We recently had a chat with writer/director/actor/cool dude Tim Blake Nelson on the occasion of his latest, “Leaves of Grass,” hitting DVD (full interview coming soon). One of the questions we were most curious to ask revolved around the ongoing Marvel universe, and if we’d see him there again after appearing in Louis Leterrier’s “The Incredible Hulk” as scientist Samuel Sterns, last seen beginning a curious mutation into a character comic fans know as the Leader.
Asked if he was signed for more Marvel films, he replied,”I am, but it’s a question as to whether they’ll make more movies, which was the [original] intention, or whether they’ll take a fresh start with the villains, since they switched Bruce Banner to Mark Ruffalo. I certainly very much want to return as the Leader and I hope they’ll have me. The intention was that I would come back, which is why my head starts to, um, bubble, at the end. It’s just a question as to whether a) they’re going to make more Hulk movies, and b) because of Ruffalo, if they’re going to use me again.”
In the comics, the Leader becomes one of the Hulk’s greatest foes, a gamma-radiated super genius with a giant infected head. Despite his somewhat silly appearance, he was one of Marvel’s, and the Hulk’s, more serious adversaries with designs on conquering entire nations. Given that Nelson, and the Leader, aren’t exactly choice adversaries for the 2012 “The Avengers” film, and our doubt that we’ll see another “Hulk” picture anytime soon, we wouldn’t count on Nelson needing to get back in the makeup chair anytime soon. But that’s just our speculation. If/when “The Avengers” takes off as much as Marvel hopes it will, we could possibly see a third “Hulk” film, but that remains to be seen for now. Until then, we’ll just wait until May 4, 2012, when Ruffalo is seen as Bruce Banner/The Incredible Hulk in the aforementioned ‘Avengers’ tentpole.