Edward Norton will not be reprising his role as Bruce Banner in upcoming action-hero flick The Avengers, it has been announced.
Marvel Studios has issued a statement, laced with a not-so-subtle dose of angst towards Norton, saying it has decided not to cast the actor in surefire summer 2012 blockbuster The Avengers.
According to website Hitfix.com, the statement reads:
“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.”
Charming! Norton un-collaborative and not a team player? Ouch! Rest assured Norton is unlikely to take this one on the chin. And I was right…
Norton’s agent has resounded to Marvel’s diss with a statement, which begins: “This offensive statement from Kevin Feige at Marvel is a…”
You can read the rest of it here.
Suffice to say, the war of words looks set to rage on.
I’ll keep you posted…
Marvel, you won’t like Norton when he’s angry. Silly casting decisions. They’ll regret that one for sure.