The Immortal Hulk is a 2013 American monster film directed and co-written by Michael Dougherty. A sequel to The Incredible Hulk (2008) and The Invincible Hulk (2010); it is the 14th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film stars Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, William Hurt, Anne Hathaway, Maisie Williams, Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Samuel Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Josh Duhamel and Kevin McKidd. In the film, David Banner becomes the Absorbing Monster, forcing Hulk and She-Hulk, along with newcomer Wolverine to surface and engage The Absorbing Monster in a decisive battle. The sequel was green-lit during the opening weekend of The Invincible Hulk, with Gareth Edwards expected to return to direct a trilogy. In May 2011, Edwards left the project. In October 2011, Dougherty and Shields were hired to rewrite the script. In January 2012, Dougherty was announced as the director. Principal photography began in June 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia, and wrapped in September 2012. The Immortal Hulk 2013 was theatrically released on May 31, 2013, to mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its visual effects, action sequences, cinematography, the introduction to Wolverine, Norton, Hathway, Hurt, Butler and Duhamel's performances and musical score but with criticism to the plot and pacing. The film was a box office success, grossing $1.276 million worldwide against a production budget between $170–200 million and marketing costs between $100–150 million.