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UPDATE: Edward Norton has released an official statement – scroll down to the bottom for that.

Leading up to San Diego Comic-Con (which is next week… yikes), there’s been a lot of speculation that Marvel had intentions of parading the cast of THE AVENGERS movie out on stage, and effectively steal the biggest moment of geek-out at the event.  And who was expected to be on that stage?  Aside from the obvious ones, like Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and possibly Samuel L. Jackson, many thought we’d also see Edward Norton there – in what would have solidified him returning the role of Hulk after his 2008 starring role in THE INCREDIBLE HULK.  Heck, Norton himself has been speaking positively about the idea of reprising the role when doing LEAVES OF GRASS interviews just a few months ago.  But, over the weekend some strange things happened.  It appears as if now, officially, Edward Norton will not be playing Hulk in THE AVENGERS.  But here’s the weird part – Hulk will be in the movie, played by (at the time of the announcement) an “unknown” actor.  Marvel apparently told Norton they were not going to use him, even though he was excited about returning, and evidently director Joss Whedon (still not officially confirmed to direct, but read what we wrote here back in April) was excited about his coming back to the part as well.  The question now is why.  There’s speculation this could be a monetary issue, espcially since Marvel is notably paying Chris Evans very little money for his starring role in the Captain America movie, and there’s been multiple other reports of them being cheap with cast and crew members.  Is is possible they weren’t willing to meet Edward Norton’s asking price?  Sure.  There’s also the issue that Norton would not be in THE AVENGERS that much, and because of the nature of his character, a lot of his role would be CGI anyway.  There’s also Norton’s notorious difficult behavior on the set of THE INCREDIBLE HULK to be considered, and stories that he repeatedly butted heads with Marvel throughout that film.

But wait, what does Norton have to say about all of this?  Well, we can at least hear from his agent, who ain’t happy about it.  Ya see, Marvel made a statement on the matter saying, “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.”  Now while that may sound like a respectful way of justifying their actions, Edward Norton’s agent, Brian Swardstrom of WME, was quoted to say, “This offensive statement from Kevin Feige at Marvel is a purposefully misleading, inappropriate attempt to paint our client in a negative light.” But that’s not all.  Swardstrom aslo stated the following:

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.

Inciedntally, this statement also adds validity to Joss Whedon as director, though again I direct you here from our April posting.

So now, with Comic-Con rapidly approaching, and the stage parade looking very likely, who will be the new Bruce Banner you ask?  CHUD is saying Marvel offered the role to Joaquin Phoenix, though no committment has been made by the actor.  Oh sure, he was nominated for Oscar gold a few times, but this is also the crazy and unpredictable guy who grew a mountain man beard and tried to be a rapper… remember that?  Oddly enough, these days, when I bring up Joaquin Phoenix’s name, most people just drop insults and loathing.  The guy who turned in a killer peformance for WALK THE LINE pretty much ruined his own credibility with that nutty act.  But then again, I guess he’s worthy of a second chance in Hollywood, and this would certainly be a nice way to ease back in with big budget films.  That said, I’d actually be rather shocked id Phoenix took this.  I interviewed the guy once, and he is indeed strange.  But more importantly this seems far away from what he’d be interested in.  I could be wrong, but the idea of Joaquin taking a part in a project like this seems unlikely.  Then again stranger things have happened  Honestly, I just wish they’d work it out with Norton, and bring him back as Banner.  What do you think?  Tell us in the comments below.

Sources: CHUD HITFIX SLASHFILM

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UPDATE:  Edward Norton has released an official statement on the matter through his official Facebook page.  You can read that below.  Talk about keeping it professional.  All things considered, I think this is an incredibly respectful and kind way of reacting to the matter.  Norton just scored serious points in my book.  Here’s what he had to say:

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