With director Joss Whedon having wrapped most of his principal photography for Marvel's The Avengers over the summer, it seems to be a good time for the helmer to sit down and discuss his thoughts on the production and the ensemble of superheroes he had to manage. And discuss the subject he did to Yahoo's MovieTalk. Check out some of what he had to say down below.
MM: Now, you said you talked to everybody sort of about their character, was there sort of an aspect or facet of Tony Stark that Robert brought up that you hadn't considered before?
JW: I think the conversations were largely about "Where is Tony now?" Like, "Who is he now? Where is he [going] from 'Iron Man 2' towards 'Iron Man 3'?" He is such a well-delineated character, so it was really a question of, "What do we want to stress and what do we want to say? We have said that, we have done that, so let's not go there."
He felt a sort of isolated man who is -- even though there is an element of that, just because that's sort of what any team movie is about. He didn't want to be the sort of just, "I am totally wrapped up in one thing and I am not thinking about everybody else." He didn't want to be the tortured lonely man, which I totally get. And it was easy to make him as delightful and gregarious as he can be and still go, well, there is a piece missing and it's the piece that makes him an Avenger.
MM: You have Mark Ruffalo stepping in for the first time playing the character of Bruce Banner. So did you feel more freedom to kind of create your own take on the character?
JW: Yeah, he and I did the most character work of anyone, because we really were starting fresh, but we were starting with something that had been embodied several times.
And both of us agreed upfront that the template for who we wanted this guy to be in his life was Bill Bixby, the TV [show character] who was busy helping other people. That was more interesting to us than the Banner in the first two movies who was always fixated on curing himself. We spent a lot of time talking about what makes us Hulk out, the nature of anger, how it feels.
We even fought some. I mean literally we actually got some pads out and did some tussling. Just to talk about the physicality, and also the physicality of somebody who has to control this thing, and the way he moves in space and the way he relates to the people and the objects around him. It was extremely fun. What we found was that he could be very bumbling and kind of awkward, but at the same time very graceful and in this almost transcendent control of himself.
Read more of the interview here.
I agree trollman. The only thing I didn't like in what I read was about Banner. And since when did Bill Bixby's character ever NOT look for a cure? I hope this movie rocks cause I'm really looking forward to it, and I really don't want to be disappointed by this one.
Absolutely agree with trollman and Higgy. Ed Norton is Bruce Banner. His absence is the only drawback to The Avengers.
Im really liking the intricate details of each character he is talking about. This is gonna be the best movie of all time!!!
Higgy's quite correct about Banner from the TV show. He was always roaming across the country, from one job to the next while trying to find one researcher after another who might be able to help him. He just got constantly side tracked by one thing or another, but his ultimate goal was always finding a cure. His quest was rarely the main plot of any particular story however, which is why most people don't remember it that way. I probably wouldn't remember it either, but I picked up the entire TV collection when it was on sale a few years ago (it's even cheaper now).
hmmm, I would disagree with Ed Norton being Bruce Banner.
I have Incredible Hulk #200 up until today...so I've read all there is to read about bruce Banner and I can say (of course from my opinion) that Eric Bana was closer to Banner then Ed Norton.
Why? His composure, his calm, his aspect of how he talked, Bana had all of those things whereas Ed Norton was closer to what Bill Bixby was in the overall tale of the Hulk (more human, serious, normal average man with anger issues).
Neither Ed or Mark are close to what Bruce banner should be: skinny nerdy guy who's super smart and very shy and rarelly shows emotions, always wants to help and save people.
in the ''Hulk'' community on the web, that's usually the consensus that none of these guys look like Bruce Banner...they may have some small simillarities with the character of Bruce Banner but for me, so far I have not see Bruce banner on screen.
I don't anticipate Mark Raffolo nailing Bruce Banner also but, maybe he will do a better job than Ed Norton.
I guess I'm in the Norton camp. I liked his portrayal of Banner better than Bixby or Bana. He was focused on a cure but wasn't a serious stick-in-the mud and found humor in his life. He still was concerned about protecting others from what he could do but was likable. I could hang out and have a beer with Norton's Banner. Bana looked like no fun at all. Bixby only occasionally foundmuch enjoyment to offset his predicament. Plus he was too busy being beaten up by everybody for sticking his nose where it didn't belong.
I think Moneyfoot you nailed it in the sense that, Bana portrait Bruce Banner as a ''square'' guy, shy, nothing interesting to say nerdy type of guy which IS what Bruce Banner should be.
Ed Northon's Hulk was more of a dude you hangout with who has a secret but is also smart.
In any case, it won't stop me from being in total geekness over this movie.
I'm definitely in the Norton camp. I've liked Ruffalo (when he is not playing in chick flicks), but he just doesn't look the like Banner. I've been a lifetime fan of the Hulk character. I've owned every issue from #1 to the early years of the 2000's (I actually was able to let go of a majority of the issues. Nice cash cow.) Anyway, I think Norton is a great actor and he actually looked like I'd imagine in a nerdy Banner (minus glasses. A little cock sure, but the guy is at the top of his game.) And, if I'm not mistaken, at the end of the Avengers movie contunity Hulk, Banner was gaining control over his alter ego ala the same way he did at the end of PAD's run on the book. Perhaps, this ties into the movie.
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I will hold judgement on the new Banner but I will say Ed Norton NAILED it. They should have gone to the ends of the earth to get him back for ANY Hulk. I'm excited for this movie because I (usually) like Joss's work.