According to Mark Ruffalo, Marvel is considering the idea of a Hulk spin-off movie.

The actor, who played the character and alter ego Bruce Banner in The Avengers, has said that the studio are "entertaining" the prospect for the first time, after years of speculation about a solo Hulk adventure.

Ruffalo told Digital Spy: "I think they are, for the first time, entertaining the idea of it. When we did The Avengers it was basically 'No!', and now there is some consideration for it.

"But there's still nothing definitive, not even a skeletal version of what it would be. I look forward to going down that road, if we could crack that nut."

The actor added that part of the problem was that the character's story is difficult to translate on the big screen, saying: "I think the Banner/Hulk storylines [are] obviously not an easy nut to crack."

The character has had two standalone movies in the past: Ang Lee's Hulk in 2003 and Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk in 2008.