Ed Norton Out of ‘Hulk’ Movies

Ed Norton has been dropped from his role as The Hulk for Marvel’s upcoming The Avengers, which will bring together the company’s heroes, including Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was unusually blunt in his statement about Norton: “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 actor’s agent responded to HitFix.com saying it was Feige’s “fantasy” to have him reprise the role of Bruce Banner, but that the deal fell through. “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… Counter to what Kevin implies here, Edward was looking forward to the opportunity.”