It seems that Tim Blake Nelson is pretty stoked about the possibility of reprising his role in a sequel to this year's The Incredible Hulk. As you may know, Nelson played Bruce Banner's anonymous friend with whom he corresponded online about his "condition." Of course, he turned out to be Dr. Samuel Sterns, a very important name in the Hulk lore, as he would become the hero's most deadly nemesis, The Leader. (A transformation that we began to see in the first film.)

Nelson, also a writer and director, is currently spending his days in the cutting room working on a film called Leaves of Grass, which happens to star his Hulk co-star Edward Norton. In a recent interview, Nelson addresses rumors of Norton's falling-out with Marvel Studios, and his own eagerness to return, regardless of its outcome. Additionally, with producer Gale Anne Hurd's recent revelation that a proper Hulk sequel was in the works, his wish is likely to come true with or without Norton on board.

We talked about [Hulk] a little bit, yeah; we made some jokes about it. It’s all good, and I really do hope [the sequel] happens, for all sorts of reasons. But yeah, we did, we had a great time on ‘Hulk’ together. I’m eager to do ‘Hulk 2’ if they make it.

Indeed, Norton's status will become a bigger issue with the idea that Marvel will, from this point on, expect long-term commitments from its stars. With 2011 set to be "The Year of the Avengers," ideally they will want their Hulk to be on board for ALL of the side projects (whether it be future Hulk films, Iron Man sequels, Thor, or for the entirety of The Avengers franchise.) Hopefully for the fans, Norton will be on board, preventing any "Rhodey" casting shuffles.

However, having such standards is a GOOD thing. Marvel is definitely trying very hard to create a consistent, inter-connected "Marvel Movie-Verse." So there is hardly any room for divas and weekend warriors in these films.

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