It seems clear that Edward Norton has been keen to play Bruce Banner/The Hulk again but Marvel has not been forthcoming with an offer.
Drew states the following about The Avengers film in his piece:
According to Marvel sources, the company has decided that they are going to cast “an unknown” to play Bruce Banner and The Hulk in the film.
Now the first thing that springs to my mind is that perhaps Bruce Banner is going to spend the bulk of the film as The Hulk (a CGI Hulk) and therefore execs may think that they do not need to bring back the possibly expensive Norton to play role again. Even a few minutes though of Bruce Banner not played by Norton would be a bit jarring as it would be a break from the continuity of the recent Marvel films. My impression was that Marvel were keen to build a Marvel film continuity with The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 1 and 2, Captain America, Thor and eventually The Avengers film and recasting any of the key actors seems like a misstep in this plan.
If a new actor is brought in to play Banner/The Hulk this will be the third actor in less than ten years to play the role on the big screen. Isn’t this rebooting/recasting getting a little out of hand?
There is superhero precedence here though as the role of Rachel, played by Katie Holmes in Batman Begins was played by Maggie Gyllenhaal in the sequel, The Dark Knight. In this instance, in my opinion, it was a change for the better but replacing Norton? I’m not so sure.
Although not yet fully confirmed it is widely known that Joss Whedon has been placed in charge of the forthcoming Avengers film and rumours are rife that there will be big announcements about the film at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Stay tuned for further updates.
If there is a Hulk in the Avengers Film and it doesn't include Norton then I will be thoroughly disappointed.
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I don't know that it's such a big deal. Look at all the older movie serials and franchises that frequently recast characters. They're just movies, after all. Don't get me wrong, I liked Edward Norton as Banner in The Incredible Hulk. (He did better than Bana did, though most of that was the script's fault, not Eric's.)
I say wait till we find out for sure, and likely wait till the movie is actually filmed and we see it before judgement is passed. Who knows, it might be the breakout role for some unknown – remember, before they got big, all the big stars were unknowns.
[…] The Avengers May Assemble Without Edward Norton as The Hulk … […]
This news really takes some of the excitement out of the Avengers movie for me. I thought Norton was perfect as Banner and gave him a gravitas that many won't be able to duplicate. It's a misstep for Marvel and it does hurt the continuity they started to build with the recent films. I wasn't a fan of re-casting Brody in Iron-man 2 but I could deal with that ( preferred the original actor by far though) but by not having Norton, you change the dynamic of the character. It's a shame Marvel couldn't work something out since Norton was keen on the role and he wouldve been great with Downey Jr.
[…] by Craig Skinner on July 11, 2010 · View Comments Yesterday I reported on the news that Norton was not set to play The Hulk in the upcoming Avengers f…. HitFix, who were the first to hear this rumour, now have the official […]
[…] by Craig Skinner on July 11, 2010 · View Comments We previously brought you the news that Edward Norton would not be The Hulk in the forthcoming Aveng… and then the official statement from Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin […]
The Avengers May Assemble Without Edward Norton as The Hulk ……
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[…] Yesterday I reported on the news that Norton was not set to play The Hulk in the upcoming Avengers f…. HitFix, who were the first to hear this rumour, now have the official confirmation. […]