Edward Norton fired from Avengers film

Edward Norton was the second actor to take on The Incredible Hulk after Eric Bana’s 2003 film bombed at the box office.

Unfortunately Norton’s 2008 re-hash didn’t do much better despite the new cast and script writers, but was a better film than Banas CGI thug.

With the recent success of Iron Man Marvel have given the green light to tell the back story of Thor and Captain America before shooting begins on the ensemble hero film, The Avengers!

The crime fighting group are not complete however without their green skinned science experiment, The Incredible Hulk.

Naturally with casting having been already changed twice, it was assumed that Norton would reprise Bruce Banner and alter ego monster.

But, Marvel Studios have announced that Norton wont be reprising the role and their justification seemed to rip chinks from Norton and revealed bad blood between the studio and actor.

Marvel’s president of production Kevin Feige released the following statement:

“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.”

The Fight Club star’s responded to the studio’s insults outing their statement to be an ” inappropriate attempt to paint [Edward Norton] in a negative light”

“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’s talent, tireless work ethic and professional integrity deserve more respect, and so do Marvel’s fans.”

The rumour mill is already churning out names to take on the tarnished part and reclusive, wannabe rapper Joaquin Phoenix is said to be front runner in consideration for the role.

Perhaps three times will be the charm for the unlucky Hulk.