Director Martin Scorsese got so much flak for saying Marvel movies weren't "cinema" that he explained himself in an opinion piece in The New York Times.
Some big names in Hollywood, however, supported Scorsese's original comments, while others vehemently disagreed.
Ed Norton, the writer, director and actor of the upcoming "Motherless Brooklyn," falls squarely in between.
"It was almost a Valentine to my film," Norton said told CNBC on Wednesday regarding Scorcese's op-ed. "He talked about how hard it is to make films like the one I just made."
While Norton agreed with aspects of Scorcese's take on the industry, including how difficult it can be to make independent films and, even more so, how difficult it can be to get it to run for long periods of time at major theater chains, he stopped short of decrying Hollywood as a whole.
"[Scorsese] rightly pointed out the crowding out," Norton added in the "Squawk on the Street" interview. "For instance, a film like mine in the old days would get 16 weeks, easily, to run and find that adult audience. Now, the timelines are much more pressurized, by as he says, the churn of franchises taking over the multiplexes. That, without a doubt, I agree with."
Norton had experience in both blockbuster films and independent passion projects. The actor portrayed the Incredible Hulk in the 2008 Marvel film and Scout Master Ward in Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom."
"It's always hard to get original adult content made," he said. "But I think it's important, too, to recognize that for young storytellers and young filmmakers this is also a time of incredible opportunity. I think more diverse voices are getting to tell stories in more forms than ever."