Edward Norton

To the credit of Edward Norton, he's taking the high road.

Recently let go from The Avengers, and blasted by the movie studio for his lack of "creativity and collaborative spirit," the actor has posted the following message on his Facebook account.

In it, he expresses gratitude to his fans:

“As most of you know, I don’t like to talk much about the business of making movies because it means a lot to me to protect the audience’s fullest enjoyment of the “magic” that films can have. But I am so appreciative of the outpouring of support from fans of the Hulk and the Avengers that I feel it would be rude not to respond. So here goes: It seems it won’t work out for me to continue playing Bruce Banner for Marvel in The Avengers.”

“I sincerely hoped it could happen and be great for everyone, but it hasn’t turned out as we all hoped. I know this is disappointing to many people and that makes me sad. But I am very sincerely grateful to Marvel for extending the offer and even more so for giving me the chance to be a part of the Hulk’s long and excellent journey.

“And I really can’t thank the fans enough for how much enthusiasm you’ve sent my way about what Louis [Leterrier, The Incredible Hulk's director] and I tried to do in our turn with the legend. It means a lot to me. I grew up with Banner and Hulk and have been a fan of every incarnation.

I’m really proud, and very blessed, to have been one of them and will be thrilled to see him live on through other actors. Hulk is bigger than all of us, that’s why we love him, right?"

With Norton out of the picture, attention now turns to which actor might take on this role in the 2012 movie. Rumored candidates include Mark Ruffalo, Joaquin Phoenix and Billy Crudup.

Edward Norton is an Oscar-nominated actor.

But that bullet point on his resume wasn't enough to help the star keep his most recent job, as Norton has been booted fron the upcoming big screen adaption of The Avengers.

The May 2012 movie will bring together Marvel comic book heroes such as Captain America and Iron Man. It will star Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson and more - but will NOT include Norton in the role of Bruce Banner.

The studio explained why in this harsh statement:

"We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in the Avengers.

"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... We are looking to announce a name actor who fulfills these requirements, and is passionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks."

Snaps, yo! Replied a rep for Norton:

"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."

Norton starred in a 2008 remake of The Hulk that was panned by critics and bombed at the box office.

What's the best part about being an actor? For Samuel L. Jackson, it's screaming at snakes on his mother$%#kin plane!

For Matthew McConaughey, it's probably all the free time on his hands to party it up with BFF, Lance Armstrong.

As Edward Norton this question, however, and receive a different answer:

"[The best] part of the process is where you're just absorbing a new set of experiences and getting to learn," the two-time Oscar nominee said of making movies. "It's like going to camp or going to school again."

Norton has taken a break from film sets, but he's ready to return now, starring in The Illusionist, a romantic mystery that hits theaters September 1. The movie co-stars Paul Giamatti and Jessica Biel and features Norton as Eisenheim, an enigmatic magician in early 20th century Vienna.

"It's kind of in a genre of its own," Biel said of the flick, which pulled some impressive buzz out of its hat at February's Sundance Film Festival. "You can't label it."

While most people think Harry Houdini invented modern magic, Norton shared the actual truth with MTV News.

"The magician who really started the era of the black-tie theater performance of the high-end magic presentation was this guy named [Jean Eugene] Robert-Houdin," the 37-year-old actor explained.

The character of Eisenheim is based on the local celebrities who bridged the gap between Robert-Houdin and Houdini. Norton played a card shark in Rounders - and now poker has become America's latest obsession. Does that mean magic is next? Probably not (sorry, David Blaine), but the actor still marvels at how the craft used to be viewed.

"They didn't have 'The Matrix', they didn't have things blowing their minds," Norton said. "People weren't as inside the world technologically ... [but] there's things in the movie that [a modern audience] might say, 'Oh, that's a computer trick,' but every illusion in the film is a type of illusion that was being done then.

People were doing really amazing ghosts at the turn of the century, things that you would put your hand through, and all that kind of stuff. So we tried to be pretty true to what was going on back then."

While Norton was perfecting tricks that had crew members scratching their heads, his female lead was getting ready to make a startling reveal of her own.

"I guess I do feel it might be some of the best work I've done yet," Biel said, aware of critics that have scoffed at her performances in 7th Heaven and Stealth. "It was scary every day to go to work with this accent and work with this new physicality. ... I do remember just feeling positive and good about the work that I did."

It doesn't hurt to work with actors such as Norton and Giamatti, either. Or, of course, to look like Biel.