As San Diego Comic Con rolls on, two rumored castings for Marvel Studios upcoming superhero team-up film The Avengers have been made official.
As had been speculated last week, Deadline is reporting that Mark Ruffalo has indeed been signed to replace Edward Norton as the Incredible Hulk’s alter-ego Bruce Banner. It was announced rather publicly earlier this month that Norton was not going to be brought for the film amid a flurry of confirmations, agent’s spin, classy statements from actors and rumors as to who might take over the role. Ruffalo makes the third actor to portray Banner on the big screen, following Norton and Eric Bana in director Ang Lee’s 2003 Hulk.
And after confirming that he was indeed writing and directing the film, Joss Whedon confirmed that Hurt Locker star Jeremy Renner will be appearing in the film as the archer Hawkeye. Whedon lets slip with the news at the 1:25 mark in the interview below when he states-
I think it’s well known that Jeremy Renner is joining us as Hawkeye which is so exciting for me and the rest of the cast, and we haven’t finalized anything else I can talk about. But I do think I am putting together and extraordinary power house cast and I’m just so excited to be in their presence, and I just hope they don’t kill each other.
Given that Hawkeye is a lighthearted character prone to quipping while in battle, I wouldn’t be surprised with a writer like Whedon on the job if the character
Presumably, both actors’ contracts will contain clauses for them to appear in multiple more Marvel Studios films, much in the same way that Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson and others have already been signed to.
Don’t be surprised if Ruffalo and Renner make an appearance at Marvel Studio’s Comic Con panel later today.
