LONDON - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said huge progress had been made on resolving the Northern Irish backstop sticking point in Brexit talks, in a newspaper interview in which he likened himself to the comic book character The Incredible Hulk.

"There's a very, very good conversation going on about how to address the issues of the Northern Irish border. A huge amount of progress is being made," Johnson told the Mail on Sunday, adding that he was "very confident".

Johnson drew parallels between Britain's situation in Brexit talks and the frustrations felt by fictional scientist Bruce Banner, who when enraged turned into The Incredible Hulk, frequently leaving behind a trail of destruction.

"Banner might be bound in manacles, but when provoked he would explode out of them," he said. "Hulk always escaped, no matter how tightly bound in he seemed to be – and that is the case for this country. We will come out on October 31 and we will get it done."

(Reporting by David Milliken Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) ((david.milliken@reuters.com; +44 20 7542 5109; Reuters Messaging: david.milliken.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))