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The Incredible Hulk writer Zak Penn reveals some changes made to the screenplay by Edward Norton, including a questionable alteration to the ending.
Former MCU actor Edward Norton famously made several changes to the screenplay for The Incredible Hulk, and writer Zak Penn has revealed what many of them had been.
In the new book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios (per TheDirect), Penn commented on how Norton had taken creative control with the screenplay, insisting upon changes that ranged from minor to major. It would include anything from changing the names of bit characters to a bigger alteration made to the ending. With the latter, Penn admits he didn't understand the change, as it meant that the superhero would be putting innocent people in danger.
"I had him walking east down the street wearing a blue hat and now he’s walking west down the street wearing a red hat. And I had named his downstairs neighbor Lorina, and he changed it to Malina or something," Penn recalled. "There was some stuff at the end that he really changed. I had a scene where, when Ross picked Banner up from the hospital earlier in the movie, he throws him out of the helicopter. It was a pretty shocking moment. They moved that to a moment when he chooses to jump into Harlem. So that’s a big difference: I felt like [the original version] would have been a really cool scene, and I didn’t totally understand why he would jump out into Harlem, given that he could theoretically kill a lot of people.”
Edward Norton's Difficulties During Production Led to His MCU Exit
Ultimately, the friction created with Norton on the production of the film would lead to his exit from the franchise, and it was recently reported that the actor is still someone that Kevin Feige intends to never work with ever again. After the production of The Incredible Hulk, Feige had also released a public statement announcing that Norton's role as Bruce Banner would be recast with someone who was more "collaborative." As fans now know, the role would ultimately go to Mark Ruffalo, who's been playing Bruce in the MCU ever since.
"We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers," Feige's statement read. "Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members. The Avengersdemands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert [Downey Jr.], Chris [Hemsworth], Chris [Evans], Sam [Jackson], Scarlett [Johansson], and all of our talented casts."
The Incredible Hulk is streaming on Disney+.
Source: MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios
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