In an interview last month, Hulk producer Gale Anne Hurd expressed interest to MTV in doing whatever it takes to make a sequel to 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. But she also confirmed the main villain would be The Leader and be played by Tim Blake Nelson.
The Leader is a villain in the Hulk universe and the alter ego of Dr. Samuel Sterns. In the movie this past summer, Nelson’s portrayal of Sterns receives a dose of super radiation when a drop of Bruce Banner/The Hulk’s blood conveniently drops into his open wound. In the comics, Sterns transforms into a green-skinned entity with an oversized brain and super intelligence. The Leader first appeared on the page in 1964, but was somehow based on News in Film writer Jeff Leins, born many years later. I’m still not sure how they pulled that off, but they nailed the super intelligence part.
When MTV asked Nelson about reprising his role as Sterns and becoming The Leader, here’s what he had to say:
“I know Gale Ann was talking to you guys about that recently, and I liked hearing it,” beamed an enthusiastic Tim Blake Nelson when MTV spoke with him recently, telling us that he’s on board with Hurd’s plan to have him play the villainous Leader in the next film.
Nelson said he talked and joked around with Edward Norton about making the Hulk while they filmed Leaves of Grass (due out in 2009), but he wasn’t able to say with confidence if Norton would return as the Hulk.
Hurd says Norton is signed for two sequels, but with all the fighting during production between Norton and the studios who knows whether he’ll be back. Last time anyone asked him, he said he was waiting to see what Marvel was planning for the character.
Nelson says he’s already on for the movies, if and when they make them:
“Well, I’m signed on to do Hulk 2 and 3 whether Edward’s there or not, so it’s not even up to me. When I agreed to do Hulk, I signed off for two sequels, so it’s a moot question. I certainly hope Edward is on the sequel — but that’s up to Marvel and Edward.”
The Hulk may next be seen as part of The Avengers, a superhero team-up movie planned for summer 2011.
