The Marvel Cinematic Universe began in 2008 with the release of Iron Man. The Robert Downey Jr starrer was directed by Jon Favreau, who also appeared as Harold “Happy” Hogan in the film.
The movie was a huge success and laid the groundwork for Phase One of the MCU. Following Iron Man, Louis Leterrier’s The Incredible Hulk was released in 2008 as well. While Leterrier helmed Edward Norton’s portrayal of Hulk, the director was apparently interested in directing Iron Man.
Louis Leterrier Had to Settle For The Incredible Hulk
Louis Leterrier has directed his fair share of excellent movies throughout his career. But one project that the French director couldn’t get on with was Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man. An excerpt from MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios revealed the reason behind the Fast X director’s rejection.
Leterrier, a Paris-born protégé of French director Luc Besson, had first met with Arad and expressed his interest in directing Iron Man. When Feige informed him that the job was taken, Leterrier considered the Hulk. While the comic-book character had been reinvented many times over the decades, Leterrier found himself drawn to the visuals and emotions in the Hulk: Grey comics written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Tim Sale.
Despite originally wanting to direct Iron Man, Leterrier ultimately settled for The Incredible Hulk. While the movie wasn’t as successful as Iron Man, it still earned over $264 million during its theatrical run, as per Box Office Mojo.
Considering the movie had a budget of $150 million, it was a profitable film. However, Edward Norton was replaced as the Hulk by Mark Ruffalo ahead of The Avengers’ release.
Louis Leterrier on the Most Important Creative Decision for The Incredible Hulk
Superhero movies usually feature a lot of CGI scenes. Keeping that in mind, the design of any character could make or break the movie. Leterrier understood that and focused most of his energy on making the best possible design for the iconic character.
Leterrier signed on to direct The Incredible Hulk, but he wanted to start designing the main character as soon as possible, in the belief that no creative decision mattered as much as his look. Marvel Studios turned to Kurt Williams, a veteran visual-effects supervisor whose first superhero movie had been Batman Forever a decade earlier.
Regardless of whether fans love or hate The Incredible Hulk, they cannot deny the fact that the movie had an excellent design for the Green Goliath.
The design for Norton’s Hulk was scrapped following the actor was replaced by Mark Ruffalo ahead of the 2012 movie, The Avengers.
Ruffalo has been MCU’s Hulk since then and has delivered a memorable performance as the Big Guy. As of now, fans are waiting for Marvel Studios to confirm the rumors of World War Hulk being in production.
There have been several rumors about the film, but they cannot be trusted until Marvel officially confirms them. Will fans receive the good news soon? Only time will tell.
