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We're here, literally crammed like a sardine into some of the first few rows at the Marvel Studios panel, and they've hit the ground running by introducing the talent right away. No fancy speeches or anything.

The Incredible Hulk just started shooting, so we unfortunately won't have any footage or pictures coming your way, but they did manage to bring Liv Tyler and Ed Norton down from the set. Woot! The questions are from the moderator, IGN's Eric Moro.

• So where does The Incredible Hulk fit into the movie mythology? "This is a part one, and it's the beginning of a whole new Hulk saga."
• Why another Hulk movie? "Because he's The Incredible Hulk!" Well, that tells me a lot. "We also won't have a Hulk that is three different sizes."
• Edward, you're contributing more than acting to the film, what else are you doing? "Well, you're making me be immodest ... I came into this and I wrote the screenplay. I was a Marvel kid growing up, and I used to subscribe to a lot of the books. Remember when they used to come in plastic with the little piece of scotch tape on the back? This story has almost limitless potential in it to be remade and redone. It's a really classic modern mythology."
  
• Liv, Betty Ross definitely isn't a damsel in distress ... what's your take on the character? "Well, I haven't started shooting yet, so I'm a bit out of the loop, but I used to love the television show and I'd watch it with my mom. In this film, we're searching for a cure for him."

Those who were hoping that Jennifer Connelly -- pretty much the one good thing about Ang Lee's 2003 film Hulk -- would somehow make the nimble transition into playing Betty Ross again in the complete re-do version now being prepped can stop their fantasizing. 29-year old Liv Tyler has been cast as Ross, the long-time love interest to Ed Norton's Dr. Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk, which will begin shooting in Toronto this summer. As noted in The Hollywood Reporter, the Ross character has been a fixture of the Hulk comic since 1962; she is a fellow scientist who works with Banner to help him tame the beast within, not always successfully. The HR story also has plot details to reveal: the film will open with Banner and Ross estranged from each other, "but with the pursuit of the Hulk heating up and Banner on the run trying to cure his condition, Ross finds herself swept back into his life."

This casting move, coupled with her leading role in the upcoming horror film The Strangers -- a new still from that film was released today, by the way -- suggests Tyler's stock as a leading lady is very much on the rise, which is a trend I support. As for director Louis Letterier, I'm one of those poor, unfortunate souls who still hasn't seen either The Transporter or its sequel Transporter 2, so I'm in no position to comment on whether he deserved to be handed the keys to a high-interest franchise like this, but here's hoping this team that's being assembled makes something interesting out of it. Norton and Tyler are both intriguing actors, and I can imagine that at the very least they'll find some nice angles for their characters, whether the movie as a whole works or not.

Well now here's a piece of casting news I can get behind! Nothing against Eric Bana, who I consider to be a fine (if somewhat vanilla-flavored) actor, but if we needed a legitimate reason to get excited for Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk, here it is: Bruce Banner and his massive green alter ego will be played by Oscar nominee Edward Norton! Best known for his superlative work in movies like Primal Fear, Rounders, American History X and Fight Club (oh, and Death to Smoochy), Norton steps into a role vacated by Bana -- and I for one think it's a really excellent choice on the part of Leterrier and his Universal overlords. (Between this decision and the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, us superhero nerds are being treated to some great casting choices.)

Ever since he was hired to helm the second Hulk flick, Mr. Leterrier (who also directed Unleashed and both Transporter flicks) has been assuring everyone that it's not a full-bore "sequel," but more of a "reboot," as if Ang Lee's original was something less than sequel-worthy. (I've said it before and I'll probably say it again, but I just don't understand why there's so much hate for Lee's rendition of The Hulk.) Those who had their fingers crossed on Leterrier snagging his Transporter star (Jason Statham) for the role of Banner will probably be a bit disappointed here, but c'mon: The idea of seeing the mild-mannered and generally amiable Edward Norton "hulking out" sounds like a whole lot of fun to me. Scheduled for a June 13, 2008 release, The Incredible Hulk still has a lot of casting announcements to go, but I'm of the opinion that they're really starting the "reboot" off on the right foot -- although I certainly wouldn't mind if the producers brought Jennifer Connelly back for a second spin.

Hey, remember way back in August, when the rumor mill suggested Dominic Purcell would take the lead role in Marvel's mulligan Incredible Hulk film? Yeah, okay, neither do I. But the rumor mill did suggest it, and is just now getting around to resolving the issue. As we all know (which is really a nice way of leading into an explanation for those of you who don't know), Marvel wasn't entirely pleased with their recent attempt at a Hulk film, and rather than going for a sequel with Eric Bana and Ang Lee, decided instead to pretend like the film didn't happen and just reboot the franchise. Naturally, this means a new actor will be needed for Bruce Banner, and Purcell's name was among those who popped up early on the list of potentials.

SuperheroHype spoke this week with Purcell, and quizzed him about the late-summer rumors. Purcell confirmed expectations by denying an involvement with the film. He said he was never approached by Marvel, and has absolutely no plans for being a part of the film. Not that he wouldn't be interested if they came knocking, of course -- everyone wants to be a cool superhero, right?