Edward Norton Ousted As The Hulk/Bruce Banner For ‘The Avengers’

This is a bit of an enthusiasm bummer for me. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has stated that Edward Norton has been ousted as The Hulk/Bruce Banner for the upcoming ‘The Avengers’ flick, with the superhero role being re-cast in the coming weeks. Marvel are notoriously cheap so I don’t really buy the ‘not one based on monetary factors’. I’m a big fan of Ed Norton so this is a big loss for me, I thought he played the role of The Hulk perfectly. The talent surrounding The Avengers is still stellar, Robert Downey Jr and Don Cheadle are set to reprise their roles as Iron Man and War Machine, respectively. Chris Hemsworth will reprise his role from the upcoming Thor as Thor. Samuel L. Jackson is signed on to play Nick Fury. Scarlett Johansson, as Black Widow, Chris Evans will reprise his role as Captain America from the forthcoming film Captain America: The First Avenger, and according to reports Jeremy Renner is in final negotiations to play Hawkeye….niceness in a bottle.

This is the statement Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige released to Hitfix. “We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in the Avengers,” wrote Feige. “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.” The Avengers is set to be released May 4th, 2012.