Ang Lee’s Hulk, released in 2003, arrived during the early days of the superhero movie genre’s evolution. Despite being part of the groundwork for the Marvel Cinematic Universe we know today, the film, starring Eric Bana as the titular character, is often regarded as a disappointment, despite its respectable box office earnings of $245 million worldwide.
Although Bana’s performance received praise, he never returned to the role of Bruce Banner for a sequel or any other superhero film. With the current trend of the multiverse and rumors of numerous cameos in upcoming movies like Deadpool and Wolverine, some wonder if Bana might reconsider his stance.
However, Bana has firmly shut down any possibility of reprising his role as the Hulk. In a recent interview on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show, he stated, “I can’t see that happening. I’m sorry, Jess.” He also mentioned his close friendship with Hugh Jackman, hinting at the unlikelihood of his return.
Reflecting on his initial attraction to the role, Bana admitted that it was primarily the opportunity to collaborate with director Ang Lee that drew him in. He explained, “At first, I was like, ‘No way. It’s not my kind of bag.
I don’t think this is me,’ and then we thought more and more about it, and I just, because also I didn’t have a script when I said yes, so I was like, ‘Well, what’s this gonna be like?’ so I really, really was putting all my chips in the Ang Lee basket on that film.”
Bana also noted the vastly different views of superhero filmmaking at the time, emphasizing that actors didn’t anticipate multiple movies when signing on for such roles. He acknowledged,
“You didn’t go and do those films thinking you were gonna do more than one movie. That paradigm didn’t exist, so you’re right. It was very, very much driven by wanting to work with someone like Ang.”
