So there is one huge shit-storm brewing between Marvel’s Kevin Feige and the ‘people’ of Edward Norton over the revelation that Norton will not appear in Joss Whedon’s planned Avengers movie, which unites the casts of The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and Captain America.
Now I do not want to get too involves in this, but this is what I have picked up via HitFix and ComingSoon.net over the war of words between the two…
First up, Kevin Feige.
“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.”
And then there’s Brian Swardstrom of WME, which represents Norton, who spoke to 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.
David Scholes
Jul 13, 2010 at 8:42 am
I’m pleased that the Hulk will be in the Avengers movie but a little disappointed that he will not be played by Norton.
If you get a moment check out some of my Marvel fan fiction (which includes several stories on the Hulk). Just scroll down below my author profile and you will see over 40 fan fiction stories here:
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1276881/David_Scholes
I’m also an Australian science fiction writer:
http://www.StrategicBookPublishing.com/ScienceFictionandAlternateHistory.html
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Reading-Science-Fiction-Scholes/dp/1449581889/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261366245&sr=1-1
http://www.sffworld.com/community/story/3932p0.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI_xoUYXwaw
I have also just completed a new novella “Soldier of the Brell” which I will make available as an e-book download from the Xlibris site. I will also make it available on the IPAD, Amazon’s Kindle, the Sony Reader and other E-readers.
Cheers