No Ed Norton??? Hulk Smash!
Posted on | July 22, 2010 | No Comments
What is up with Marvel Studios’ crazy casting moves lately?
Word came this month that Edward Norton will not reprise his role as Bruce Banner in any Hulk sequels or the upcoming Avengers movie, because of some dispute with Marvel. According to the comic book company, it’s because Norton doesn’t know how to be a team player. But his reps say Marvel pulled the rug out from under Norton during contract negotiations; rather than talk it through, the studio’s allegedly just cut him off and tried to slam Norton in the press for having a big ego and wanting too much money.
Who to believe? The truth lies somewhere in the middle. There’s a really good story from Yahoo Movies that chronicles the recent events.
But looking back, one has to question if Marvel has a master plan for its cinematic comic universe or if it’s just being a reactionary force.
- Exhibit A: Marvel replaced Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2. Personally, I loved that swap, being a Cheadle fan, but I gotta admit it was a bit jarring to see such a different actor as Lt. Col. Rhodes.
- Exhibit B: Marvel casts Chris Evans, the actor who played the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four franchise, as Captain America. Sure, the FF movie series is owned by Fox while the Captain America film rights are owned by Marvel, but do audiences know this? No. They only know that the Human Torch is now Captain America. This is the equivalent of Christian Bale being hired suddenly to play Superman.
Now Norton has been given the boot. What should we make of all this? What should I believe?
Norton’s classy response to Marvel should give us some clues.
He has been known to be super involved with his projects, which can sometimes cause friction behind the scenes (see American History X and The Incredible Hulk). But as a fan of his work, I’d like to think that it’s because he’s hyper intelligent (he’s a Yale graduate) and passionate about his craft. He’s also not just an actor; he writes and directs. So, when he comes onto a project, you’re getting more than just an acting puppet. You’re going to get a creative force who is going to try to make the best movie he knows how.
Does that rub people the wrong way? Apparently.
Regardless of who’s in the right, I think it’s lame that Norton won’t be in any Hulk sequels or the big-budget ensemble epic, The Avengers. I mean, think about what could have been: Oscar-nominated Norton as the Big Green Machine, Oscar-nominated Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Oscar-nominated Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, and Oscar-nominated Cheadle as Rhodes, with Evans as Cap and up-and-comer Chris Hemsworth as Thor –- all directed by comic-geek genius Joss Whedon?
That would have been effing fanboy heaven! … Now, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Tags: Avengers > Chris Evans > Don Cheadle > Edward Norton > Hulk > Iron Man > Marvel Studios > Terrence Howard > Thor > War Machine
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