Posted by April MacIntyre Jul 12, 2010, 22:57 GMT
Hollywood normally pussy-foots when it comes to out-right firing and/or dumping of talent from films and TV shows.
Actor Edward Norton (C) EPA/JOSHUA ROBERTS
"Samantha Harris has decided to move on from DWTS for better opportunities."
"Mary Murphy will still be part of the 'So You Think You Can Dance' team as a guest choreographer.
Draw your own "truth or B.S." conclusions from those past farewell remarks issued by publicists.
So it was shocking to hear a studio actually give a reason why they were severing ties with a pretty well-respected actor.
HitFix.com (not HitFlix as other sites are reporting) broke the news that Edward Norton was released from the Marvel project "Avengers" allegedly because he didn't play well with others. Twice Oscar-nominated Norton was to star with Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr.
"We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in the Avengers," Marvel said in a statement. Norton, 40, played The Hulk in the 2008 remake.
"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."
A rep for Norton fired back: "This offensive statement from Kevin Feige at Marvel is a purposefully misleading, inappropriate attempt to paint our client in a negative light... 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."
Comments