5 More Directors Who Were Lumbered With Actors They Didn’t Even Want
4. Louis Leterrier Wanted Mark Ruffalo Instead Of Edward Norton - The Incredible Hulk
Much like he did on the previous version of this list, Edward Norton once again arrives on the scene as an actor that was undoubtedly not the director's first choice for the role of leading man.
Much like in the case of American History X, Norton was brought on as something of a second choice in the mind of Louis Leterrier, with The Incredible Hulk's director ironically feeling that Mark Ruffalo was better suited to the role of Bruce Banner than the Academy Award-nominated star.
Marvel Studios on the other hand felt that Norton was a much more popular choice for the face of one of their first MCU offerings, with Leterrier confessing to the Huffington Post that when he suggested Ruffalo for the part he was met with the response of "'No, you should get Edward Norton because he's more famous." On top of this, Marvel claimed that Ruffalo was only in the market for "smart, intellectual movies."
In the end, Norton was infamously dropped as Banner in the MCU post-Leterrier flick, with Ruffalo taking up the reigns instead. Though, Leterrier would at least get the chance to work with the current Hulk on Now You See Me. Smashing.