THE INCREDIBLE HULK stuntman says Edward Norton ‘wasn’t around much during the whole thing’

Edward Norton he is a great actor, but there have been reports over the years that he is not easy to work with. Well, when it comes time to work on the 2008 Marvel film The Incredible HulkThe actor was reportedly difficult to work with, especially the VFX team.

The Incredible Hulk Stuntman Terry Notary talked about the time he shot the film Joanna Robinsonthe book MCU: The Kingdom of Marvel Studios. Notary spent time working on the production as a motion capture specialist and choreographer for the Hulk and Abomination, and explained that there was a lack of effort on Norton’s part while doing the mo-cap work as the Hulk. Because of this, the VFX team was forced to manually recreate all of the actor’s movements and facial expressions. He said:

“[Norton] he wasn’t really engaged, as far as the Hulk was concerned, unless he was transforming himself into the Hulk. He wasn’t very present during the whole thing.

This claim was supported by animation director Keith Roberts, who confirmed: “Hulk doesn’t have Edward Norton’s expressions, but the two are eerily similar in facial timing.”

The notary also spoke about the collaboration with his co-star Tim Roth, who played Emil Blonsky/Abomination in the film, and had a great experience working with him! He praised Roth’s commitment to the character:

“[Roth is] one of those quintessential actors who likes to be involved, wants to make sure he looks good and his character looks good.

Norton was eventually replaced by Marco Ruffalo play Bruce Banner/Hulk in the MCU, starting with the film The Avengers. When it was announced that Norton would not be returning to the role, Kevin Feige said in a statement:

“We made the decision not to bring Ed Norton back as Bruce Banner in Avengers. Our decision is definitely not based on monetary factors, but rather rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of the other talented cast members. The Avengers requires players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert, Chris H, Chris E, Sam, Scarlett, and all of our talented cast. We are looking to announce in the next few weeks a famous actor who meets these requirements and is passionate about the iconic role.

After it was released, it caused a great uproar and some drama as Norton’s agent called the comments offensive and responded by saying:

“This offensive statement by Marvel’s Kevin Feige is a purposely misleading and inappropriate attempt to paint our client in a negative light. Here are the facts: Two months ago, Kevin called me and said that he wanted Edward to reprise his role as Bruce Banner in The Avengers. He told me that it would be his fantasy to bring Edward on stage with the rest of the cast at Comic-Con 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 decided that Edward should meet with Joss Whedon to discuss the project.

“Edward and Joss had a great meeting (Feige confirmed to me) during which Edward said he was thrilled to be part of the cast. Marvel subsequently made him a financial offer to participate in the film, and both parties began negotiating in good faith.

“Last Wednesday, after several weeks of civil and uncontested discussions, but before we had reached agreement on a settlement, a representative from Marvel called to say they had decided to go in another direction with the part. It seemed like a financial decision to us but, in any case, it is completely their prerogative and we accepted their decision without rancor.

“We know that many fans have expressed their public disappointment with this outcome, but this is no excuse for Feige’s mean and accusatory comments. Contrary 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, false and clearly defamatory. Mr. Norton’s talent, tireless work ethic and professional integrity deserve more respect, and so do Marvel fans.”

So, there’s a little part of Marvel history that you may have forgotten. I really liked Norton as Hulk and it would have been interesting to see him continue playing the role.