Edward Norton will not be changing into the Incredible Hulk anymore

As far as the Incredible Hulk is concerned, the tale of making the Avengers movie looks to be a sad one, in my opinion. For many fans, including myself, Edward Norton was the best (perfect) choice to play the role of Bruce Banner, the man haunted by the alter-ego of the menacing Hulk. Sadly, Edward Norton will not be reprising his role as Dr. Bruce Banner for the Avengers movie, and that Marvel Studios plan to cast a new actor in the part. Marvel Studios is planning a May 4, 2012 release for The Avengers.

Several Weeks ago, Hitfix reported that a deal could not be made, despite Edward Norton wanting to join the ensemble cast that will include Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Chris Evans as Captain America.

Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige confirmed the report with the following statement he sent to the site: 

"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."

If you ask me, that's one heck of an insulting statement that is obviously unprofessional. Brian Swardstrom of WME, which represents Norton, made his reply also via HitFix:

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.

And then EDWARD NORTON himself made his own reply via Facebook with this statement:

Depressing, isnt it? Well, we'll have to adjust to yet another new Bruce Banner now. I would have wanted David Duchovny to play the role coz he seems to be also perfectly fit for the role of the nerdy, angsty Banner. But then, over the past days, there has been announcements that Marvel already has somebody in mind; and that is Mark Ruffalo, who is said to be in the final stages of negotiations to play the role. My reaction? Meh :( How about you? What do you think? Hit the comments for your reactions...

Joss Whedon will direct & rewrite Marvel's THE AVENGERS; also do rewrites on the CAPTAIN AMERICA script [updated]

Marvel Studios is in final negotiations for Buffy the Vampire Slayer series architect Joss Whedon to direct Marvel Studios' The Avengers. That's the fast-tracked film that would amount to an all-star team of Marvel superheros, including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), as well as SHIELD leader Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), among other characters.

Iron Man 2 gets released in May, Captain America will begin shooting this summer in Europe, Thor is in production, and Marvel Studios just set Pete Sollett to direct Runaways, based on the comic book series created by Lost writer Brian K. Vaughan. Marvel has considered all of the individual superhero movies to be an intro to The Avengers.

Whedon is a genius when it comes to character development in the action-adventure-sci-fi-fantasy genre. He has created the universe of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, a universe of unforgettably cool characters. Those three series have garnered are really solid following. On the other hand, his one full length film SERENITY which is intended as a finale to the Firefly series was not very successful at the box office, but went on to become a cult classic, and was able to generate a sort of "second success" (a very big one) in DVD and Blue Ray home video.

When the third X-men movie (X-Men 3: the Last Stand) was still in pre-production, Whedon was one of the strong contenders to be chosen as director, especially because he has also been heavily involved in the world of comicbooks as a writer. In my opinion, if Whedon was the one chosen, the X-men franchise could possibly have been saved from the humiliating deterioration director Brett Ratner has caused it.

Whedon's expertise in dealing with character development and balancing it with sci-fi fantasy type action, added with his knowledge in the Marvel comics universe, makes him the perfect choice to be director of The Avengers. The AVENGERS is set to be released in the first weekend of May, 2012.

UPDATE: Whedon will rewrite AVENGERS & CAPTAIN AMERICA script as well
source: filmschoolrejects.com

Per Pajiba, Whedon’s deal with Marvel looks to encompass a bit more than just directing The Avengers. It was already assumed that he’d be rewriting the script originally penned by Zak Penn, but Pajiba’s source (henceforth known as Deepajiba) reports that Whedon will also be doing some work on the script for Captain America: The First Avenger. The current incarnation is credited to Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely whose previous work includes The Chronicles of Narnia series as well as the low-key black comedy You Kill Me. Those credentials promised a fairly middle of the road Captain America film, and director Joe Johnston at the helm doesn’t exactly raise expectations any higher. (How he continues to get work after The Wolfman I have no idea.)

So for those of us who see Whedon as a fairly brilliant writer this is terrific news. His directorial experience is far more limited and spotty so a wait-and-see approach seems best regarding the news of him actually directing The Avengers, but we should definitely be excited at the thought of him working on the screenplays for both films. His strengths have always been in the character and dialogue departments, and his contributions to both movies will probably serve to add humor, depth, and personality to characters big and small. And he’s already familiar with superhero-related stories thanks to a simultaneous career working in the comic field. He’s worked on several comic series, but the most notable and acclaimed would be his very popular run with Astonishing X-Men. Add in his many years with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Dollhouse, Angel… and the future is starting to look a lot better for Captain America and The Avengers.

THE HULK

INCREDIBLE Hulk!
The Guardian
(June 21&22, 2003)

Temper is such an uncontrollable force to be reckoned with. This is one thought that embodies the saga of the comicbook fiction, the Hulk. The story of the Incredible Hulk, which was written by Marvel comic fiction master, Stan Lee, is centered upon Bruce Banner, a scientist who was hit by Gamma radiation in a freak laboratory accident. This triggered an alteration in his biological and psychological structure that whenever he gets very angry, he transforms into the monstrous, incredible Hulk. This comic book has garnered an enormous following, that a television series was made out of it in the 1980's, which starred Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk (Sorry guys, I can't remember that other actor).

THE HULK is the film adaptation of the comicbook series, which was directed by Ang Lee, whose credits include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but is more identified with his dramatic movies The Ice Storm and Sense & Sensibility. The fact that it is directed by one who is a notable director of serious drama gave me the confidence and trust that this is going to be a pretty darn good movie. But the two other gigantic movies this summer season, X-men 2 and Matrix Reloaded has somehow overshadowed the hype of the Hulk. I was simply unexcited at first.

I have actually imagined the thought of what if they made an Incredible Hulk movie ever since I was in High School. I was a Hulk fan ever since my elementary days and always thought (because he was menacingly scary) he was cooler than Superman (who I considered as too pa-cute to be a role model for a weirdo such as myself). Well, for comic book fans such as myself, the wait has paid off, because this movie adaptation of the Hulk is worthy of a two-thumbs up.

The movie starts with the story of Bruce's father, who used to be a scientist working for the military, and was working on an experiment in the development of super soldiers. Obsessed by his project, he used himself as guinea pig to continue the experiment without authorization. As a grim result, he later discovered that he passed on his infected genes to his child, Bruce, who was beginning to manifest abnormalities during infant childhood. With the authorities trying to end his practice and with a family falling apart, Bruce ends up living with foster parents. He forgets about his childhood and has forgotten that he is actually Bruce Banner, the child of a scientist gone mad. Bruce, now an adult, lives as a scientist himself, an unconscious choice for a profession, and has caught himself in a freak laboratory accident. He survived the accident, but this led to a further alteration in his biological nature. With the resurfacing of his father, Bruce's future is uncertain. He is only given hope by the woman he loves, Betty Ross.

I actually thought at first that Eric Bana was a poor choice to cast as Bruce Banner, since the character of Banner is supposed to be not too hunky as what the comics perceived Banner to be. But Eric Bana did fit in with the way he acts his version of a well-mannered scientist caught in a conflict of love and conflict of what his past was. The very attractive Jennifer Connelly who stars as Betty Ross, is as good as Bana, but I'm sure that some critics would notice that her acting here is not a new thing due to the resemblance of circumstances between the affections of her character on this film and the affections of her character in the film "A Beautiful Mind". Nonetheless, Connelly's performance has served its purpose. But it was Nick Nolte, who starred as Bruce's father, who shined on this picture, driving the character of the determined mad scientist brilliantly over the top. I daresay his performance in this movie looked like a sure winner for the academy awards. Meticulous audiences would surely want to memorize his thought-provoking and powerful dialogue at the near end of the movie.

At first, I was not so impressed by the shifting of the scenes which appeared to be too artsy-fartsy, the film also employed the multi-panel style of presenting the movie, which later on turned to be just proper, in order to focus the different reactions and actions at the same moment. But the beauty of The Hulk is that it has a very rich storyline. It is Bruce's search for the past, it is Betty's unconditional love for his fiancée, it is a father's will to attain glory. It is one story that foreshadows another. It is more than meets the eye. It is also a heart-pounding action that let's us witness truly incredible action sequences. The director Ang Lee has indeed made a great one here. The title may have omitted the word "incredible" from the finished title of the adaptation. But it is indeed what this movie is. INCREDIBLE.