No Edward Norton for “The Avengers” movie

No Edward Norton for “The Avengers” movie

From HitFix by Drew McWeeny, (("We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in the Avengers. Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members. The Avengers demands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert, Chris H, Chris E, Sam, Scarlett, and all of our talented casts. We are looking to announce a name actor who fulfills these requirements, and is passionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks."))

This is a smart move on Marvel's part because adding Norton to the bigger cast would have caused some unwanted problems. Norton has in the past been difficult to work with especially when he wants to be let into the editing room. When The Incredible Hulk went into post pre-production, there was a lot friction and it seemed Norton walked away from the project.

From NY Times, ((Mr. Norton and Marvel, which has the right of final approval on the film, have sparred in recent weeks over trims, among other issues, said studio executives involved, who asked to remain anonymous as they were not authorized to speak publicly. Mr. Norton — who was hired to rewrite the script along with playing the lead — has made it clear he won’t cooperate with publicity plans if he’s not happy with the final product, these people said.))

Now would you want this kind of drama on your future movie? I wouldn’t. I think Norton is a great actor and he was good for the role, but I just think there have been too many behind the scenes stories about his interference for me to be upset with this news.