Yahoo have got their hands on the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con exclusive posters for Marvel Studios’ and Paramount Pictures’ Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor. I for one am a fan,  they both look vibrant and energetic, I love  the concept art style, I really hope they don’t go with the unoriginal floating head style posters in the future because with these they’re off to a great start. I haven’t been a huge fan of what I’ve seen from Thor so far, but this…..I most certainly like!!

After Kevin Feige of Marvel pulled a d*ck move released a pretty unprofessional statement regarding Edward Norton getting dropped from playing The Hulk in the new Avengers movie, Norton’s agent Brian Swardstrom replied yesterday defending his client, and now today Edward Norton has released his own statement via his facebook page. Norton definitely took the high road, his statement is 100% class. Kevin Feige must have felt like a right prat reading it. Check out the statement below.

Also fresh from the rumor mill, Joaquin Phoenix – an actor I greatly admire- is apparently in talks to play The Hulk/Bruce Banner. I’m sure we’ll get some cement casting news at Comic Con.

The break up between Marvel and Edward Norton is starting to become ugly. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige’s statement (which you can read here) had a few sly jabs at Edward Norton, for example – “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.” For me that’s not the most classy and professional thing to put out in a statement. Norton’s agent Brian Swardstrom took offence and has hit back by issuing the following statement, again via HitFix. Swardstrom isn’t playing about…………..someone needs a breakup buddy!

‘This offensive statement from Kevin Feige at Marvel is a purposefully misleading, inappropriate attempt to paint our client in a negative light. Here are the facts: two months ago, Kevin called me and said he wanted Edward to reprise the role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers. He told me it would be his fantasy to bring Edward on stage with the rest of the cast at ComiCon and make it the event of the convention. When I said that Edward was definitely open to this idea, Kevin was very excited and we agreed that Edward should meet with Joss Whedon to discuss the project. Edward and Joss had a very good meeting (confirmed by Feige to me) at which Edward said he was enthusiastic at the prospect of being a part of the ensemble cast. Marvel subsequently made him a financial offer to be in the film and both sides started negotiating in good faith. This past Wednesday, after several weeks of civil, uncontentious discussions, but before we had come to terms on a deal, a representative from Marvel called to say they had decided to go in another direction with the part. This seemed to us to be a financial decision but, whatever the case, it is completely their prerogative, and we accepted their decision with no hard feelings.

We know a lot of fans have voiced their public disappointment with this result, but this is no excuse for Feige’s mean spirited, accusatory comments. Counter to what Kevin implies here, Edward was looking forward to the opportunity to work with Joss and the other actors in the Avengers cast, many of whom are personal friends of his. Feige’s statement is unprofessional, disingenuous and clearly defamatory. Mr. Norton talent, tireless work ethic and professional integrity deserve more respect, and so do Marvel’s fans.

Brian Swardstrom

WME

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.

Wired recently caught up with the legend that is Stan Lee – co-creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man, X Men, Thor and Hulk.  At the Scream 2009 awards show Stan Lee was awarded the Comic-Con Icon Award dedicated to honouring the best in fantasy, science fiction, comics, and horror. Lee arrived on stage on a giant spider an entrance worthy of one of his superheroes – Legend!

You’ve had a number of cameos in Marvel’s recent run of films. Did you enjoy doing those?

Oh yeah. I’m a real ham. I love doing those cameos. And I also have a cameo in the latest Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 video game. I’m in that as Stan Lee. And I’m also the mayor of the town in the  Super Hero Squad show. I love doing those things. I’m thinking of putting a notice in Variety saying, “Stan Lee available for cameos.”

Have you been called yet for Iron Man 2?

I’ve done it already! I’ve already been told that I’ll be in the next Spider-Man movie. You know what I’m really trying for, I think it would be a kick. I don’t know why DC hasn’t asked me to do one. I’m waiting. Maybe they’ll read this interview and get the idea.

Out of all the super powers you could possibly have, which one would you want?

Believe it or not, good luck. Because if you’re lucky then everything goes right for you. Right? if somebody shoots at you, they’ll miss. Somebody takes a swing at you, they’ll trip and fall before the blow lands. If you buy a lottery ticket, you’re sure to win. I think luck is really the most important thing you could have.

Click here for the full interview