Who said Mondays were lame? Sure, the weekend provided us with a flurry of news in regards to Edward Norton’s role (or lack thereof) in Marvel’s 2012 blockbuster The Avengers. But the weekend is over, and the hits just keep on coming. In wake of Norton’s official exclusion from the film and his agent’s cyber-blasting of Marvel, CHUD is now reporting that the studio has already spoken to Norton’s potential replacement: the pseudo-retired Joaquin Phoenix.

While the report maintains the news comes from a reliable source, it’s probably best to take this as rumor for the time being (at least until we get a new Hulk update about 15 minutes from now). Nevertheless, hit the jump for more info on Phoenix’s speculated offer to go green.

By now, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “does this mean Joaquin’s debut rap album is getting delayed?” That worst-case scenario may very well be the case as the CHUD report claims that Marvel has already offered the role to the actor in hopes of avoiding the sound of crickets that would currently follow, “And playing The Hulk is…” at The Avengers Comic-Con panel in a few weeks.

Last seen in 2008’s Two Lovers, the two-time Oscar nominee is reportedly considering the offer, which is apparently the lowest salary of any of the current Avengers (it’s because he’s green isn’t it?), as a potential return from his rap career which was, in all likelihood (fingers crossed), a complete farce created as part of the Casey Affleck documentary he worked with. Regardless of Phoenix’s decision, though, the news is a solid indicator that Marvel is fully set on casting the role of Hulk sooner rather than later.

With all of this talk of fake rap careers and Hulk casting in mind, we must ask: How do you feel about Phoenix’s potential casting as Dr. Bruce Banner/The Hulk? With Norton out of the picture, is there anyone you would like to see cast in the dual-role? Sound off in the comments section.