On Friday, the head of Marvel said that Edward Norton would not be back as Hulk in the Avengers movie. Unfortunately he did not say it in a very nice way. What he did was basically call Ed Norton a pain in the ass to work with and that they wanted someone who would get along and not be a stuck up celebrity snob.
"instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members."
Well, Ed Norton was not happy to be trashed in such a public way so his agent decided to issue a statement. I guess Ed could not stand up for himself so had his people fire off a missive.
"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.
Brian Swardstrom
WME"
Why can't we all just get along? I have no doubt that Ed probably asked for a bunch of money. Way more than anyone else was asking for. Oh well. I didn't think he was that great as Hulk anyway.
I loved Ed Norton as the Hulk and thought he brought both a sensitivity and cerebral quality to what's essentially a comic book hero.
ReplyDeleteHe might be a stuck-up actor, but I'm a fan.
Ironically, this weekend my kid and I were discussing the Hulk movie(s). I mentioned that is was suprising they did a remake that quickly and that I didn't think Eric Banna was all that bad. Then there was dead silence from both of us as we tried to think who played Hulk in the remake. Kinda spoke volums. By the way, thanks for letting me know. We didn't care enough to look it up on the internet. :)
ReplyDeleteThe letter is tasteless to say the least and I liked him as the Hulk in the remake, I thought it was a HUGE improvement over the other movie with Eric Bana. I wonder who they will get to play the part now?
ReplyDeleteHe does have a reputation as someone who is difficult to work with, but that's because he's meticulous with his work. He's notorious for rewriting scripts. That being said, if he would want to be in one of MY scripts, I would be both flattered and horrified. But you know what? Look at the results he gets. Just saw "The Painted Veil" again the other day. Wow.
ReplyDeleteteam ed. he can do no wrong with me.
ReplyDeleteexcept for the dating courtney love thing.
What Nunaurbiz said....and I'm going to piggy back on that.
ReplyDeleteMarvel...bless Stan Lee's soul, I love that man...they constantly shoot themselves in the foot. DC may pull stunts like breaking Batman's back, killing Superman, taking away Wonder Woman's powers & costume, etc...etc...but they're just trying to put a fresh spin on things. Marvel..,they just like to crap on their own creations and then wonder why things tank.
If the rumors are true and they're going to get Joss Whedon to direct The Avengers...they better keep him happy...because he's the ONLY thing that's going to keep that movie coherent. Something tells me it's going to be a battle of egos and who gets paid what on that set.
@nunaurbiz I agree.
ReplyDeleteI like most of his movies and he's believable in every part. I'm still not sure about his performance in Hulk but I didn't like Bana's and I can't figure out who else will be good for the part, maybe someone unknown.
Anyway I might be imparcial on this one because I like Edward Norton ♥ - I just hope they can work it out and make a great movie.
Not buying it. Heard alot about Ed Norton when he was filming in Austin. Everyone liked him. Everyone said he was kind to everyone including extras, service folks and anyone he encountered in town. So, not buying this story. He's one of the good guys, probably just standing his ground.
ReplyDelete@nancer - yeah, to go from Salma Hayek to Courtney Love really made me question his sanity.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, it was a pretty shitty comment of the producers to make in the first place. I, for one, had never heard he was difficult to work with, but I sure as heck enjoy watching him in almost everything I've seen.
Marvel is known to be stingy with actors(except with RDJ) so he may be expensive for them next to Thor's B list actor or Captain America 's actor!
ReplyDeleteI think they just misinterpreted the Marvel statement. It's quite clear to me how it reads: "...the need for an actor who embodies the [financial] creativity and collaborative (willing to reduce their normal pay grade) spirit of our other talented cast members."
ReplyDeleteEveryone knows that Norton is "difficult" to work with because he has demanding standards of himself and others, so if they changed their minds about him, it had to be for another reason.
As much as I have lost respect for Terrence "Baby Wipes" Howard, I think he was right that he was fired from 'Iron Man 2' over money.
On the other hand, those movies cost a shitload of money to make, so I doubt they would get a greenlight if the actors didn't take pay cuts.
They better not mess up Captain America or I will go to Marvel and kick Joey Q's a$$.
ReplyDeleteTeam Ed. Sure he has some irritating qualities but his intent is good, and he's 95% awesome no matter what. I thought his reps comment was very reasonable, too.
ReplyDeletedude sorry but everyone i've talked to who has worked with ed norton says he's a huge fucking asshole.
ReplyDeleteLove his work. I'll see movies just because he's in them. I've heard the rumors about him being difficult to work with, but I don't care. He is an amazing actor.
ReplyDelete