The Weekly Ketchup: Ed Norton As "Incredible Hulk," Ledger's Scary Joker, Early Reactions to "Spider-Man 3," And More!

In This Week’s Ketchup, Edward Norton gets to take over the role of Bruce Banner in "The Incredible Hulk," Heath Ledger will portray a darker, scarier Joker than what audiences are accustomed to in "The Dark Knight," and "Spider-Man 3" received some glowing early reviews.

Also, Sam Raimi comments on "The Hobbit," as does Kirsten Dunst on "Spider-Man 4," and Optimus Prime speaks in the latest "Transformers" spot. Read On.

This Week’s Most Popular News:

Edward Norton is "The Incredible Hulk"
What was your first reaction upon reading that headline? Be honest. Mine was "Edward Norton as Bruce Banner?? Excellent choice, and one I never would have thought of."

Ledger’s New Joker to Be Scrappy and Scary
If you were hoping for a Jack Nicholson-style Joker in Christopher Nolan’s "The Dark Knight," then you might be disappointed by the adjectives being used to describe the new character design. Words like "raggedy" and "scary."

"Spider-Man 3" Reactions Starting to Come In
A prickly one again for me: There’s a brand-new "spy review" of "Spider-Man 3" over at AICN, but since I refuse to read extensive opinions about a movie until I see it for myself, I’ll just have to point you in the right direction and say "The spy really liked it."

Sam Raimi Talks "Hobbit" and Dunst Discusses "Spidey 4"
It’s been a while since we first heard that "Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi could be in line to direct "The Hobbit" for New Line — and now the director has actually spoken about the possibility. In other news, Kirsten Dunst says a "Spider-Man 4" without her or Raimi or Tobey Maguire would "flop."

Optimus Prime Speaks in New "Transformers" Spot
Wow, I’ve never seen this many different websites respond to one TV spot like I have here. I guess it only makes sense, since "Transformers" hits a lot of different geek demographics: The movie nuts, the toy collectors, the animation buffs, the automobile enthusiasts…

He will be a tad scarier than this.

In Other News:

• Michael Apted will take over directing duties on "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," the third "Narnia" film. He takes over from Andrew Adamson who directed "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe," and is currently filming the sequel "Prince Caspian."

• Miramax has acquired North American rights to "Brideshead Revisited," the adaptation of the Evelyn Waugh novel, with Emma Thompson and Michael Gambon having joined the cast.

• "Crash" producers Robert Moresco and Mark R. Harris are teaming up on an untitled feature film about Whitewater figure Susan McDougal. Moresco will write and direct, and is co-producing with Harris.

• Elijah Wood will produce his first film, teaming up with Anthony Moody and Rob Malkani’s Indalo Productions on "Black Wings Has My Angel," an adaptation of the Elliot Chaze novel.

• "Vacancy" director Nimrod Antal will direct another thriller for Screen Gems, "Armored," from a screenplay by James V. Simpson.

• Tony Leung Chiu-Wai has rejoined the cast of John Woo‘s "The Battle of Red Cliff" after Chow Yun-Fat dropped out. Leung had quit the cast last month due to scheduling conflicts, but agreed to return after Chow’s sudden departure.

• Comedian Kevin James is in talks to star in "One Nation Under Bob," a comedy from producers Tom Shadyac and Michael Bostick for Universal Pictures.

• Brian Grazer will produce a remake of the 1970 sci-fi film "Colossus: The Forbin Project" as a possible directing vehicle for Ron Howard.

• Pell James, Bill Pullman, and Julia Ormond will star in the indie thriller "Surveillance," with Jennifer Lynch set to direct her first feature since 1993’s "Boxing Helena."

• Ron Lieberman will direct the psychological revenge thriller "Tortured," based on a script by Marek Posival for Twisted Pictures.

• Paramount Vantage has acquired Harris Wilkinson’s script "Ink," a horror film centered around the tattoo industry.

• Finally, Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman will star in the big screen adaptation of the Tony Award-winning play "Doubt." Playwright John Patrick Shanley will direct his own screenplay.

Meet the new boss.