Edward Norton Will Play as The Hulk for The Avengers

With comic book movie casting news coming at us from every angle recently, today we finally hear from an old-friend you may have heard of: The Avengers. A HitFix report is claiming that, perhaps in spite of his best hopes, Edward Norton will not be reprising his role as “The Hulk” in Marvel Studios’ future blockbuster. It seems as if Marvel and Norton did not initially see eye-to-eye in terms of what the actor would make for his contributions. As such, the comic juggernauts now seem to be looking to cast the wardrobe-ripping member of the Avengers with someone more affordable.

The first is money. Marvel has been notoriously stingy when it comes to paying their cast and crew, so it’s possible that they simply weren’t willing to offer a high enough amount to cover Norton’s salary. The Incredible Hulk wasn’t exactly a huge moneymaker; it makes sense that they wouldn’t want to shell out several millions of dollars for a character that audiences weren’t terribly interested in watching to begin with. Add to that, Norton’s screen time in The Avengers would be limited—not just because the film is an ensemble piece, but because his character is largely created through CGI.