AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Thread 7.0 (Dragonlord's Review)

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: April 21, 2015

Dragonlord's Review of Avengers: Age of Ultron (No Spoilers)

Bottom Line: Not as great or as clever as the first film, Avengers: Age of Ultron offers enough spectacular action beats to deliver a relatively fun superhero entertainment.

Avengers: Age of Ultron has a much darker undertone than its predecessor but the story and execution are a bit flat. An artificial intelligence taking over/destroying the world has been done countless times by other movies and television shows. Thought there would be some new clever of way of approaching the subject matter but alas there wasn't. Ultron wasn't menacing enough and his dominion wasn't even all-encompassing as he was more or less limited to just building robot armies of itself instead of taking over all communications and electronics around the world.

The film starts with a dazzling action piece with the Avengers storming a Hydra castle but the cheesy banters undermines the scene. After the raid, the Avengers host a dinner party and it's one of the enjoyable moments in the film as we see everybody just chilling and interacting with one another with the Mjolnir lifting contest as the best part.

Due to Stark's actions, the team is divided and moralities are questioned. Unfortunately, there is no satisfying resolution and the internal conflict is either glossed over or completely forgotten by all parties. Same goes to the aftermath of destruction and international laws being broken. Still, it's an amiable buildup to next year's Civil War event. What's also missing is the point of view from the world's government and the media on the Ultron threat which could have raised the tension and stakes dramatically.

Not a fan of the characterization of Ultron. It seemed like they gave him too much of a kooky personality to make up for the absence of Loki in this sequel. Voicing Ultron is James Spader who seems to be channeling his other characters from The Blacklist and Boston Legal. Spader as Ultron's voice is fine by itself but add the snarky personality in the equation and it becomes too distracting especially to those that are very familiar with the actor's work on television.

From the sensational Hulkbuster high-point fight to The Matrix Reloaded-like chase sequence in South Korea, the big, spectacular action pieces are what saves the film from being mediocre. The Hulkbuster fight was epic, from the beautifully executed carnage to Stark's cool arsenal at his disposal. There's also some pretty sweet team-up maneuvers in battle mostly involving Cap. The film ends in a lengthy well-coordinated large-scale battle sequence reminiscent of the first film. Could be a reaction to the criticisms Man of Steel received but Age of Ultron makes it a point to show the heroes saving as many innocent bystanders while simultaneously dealing with the big bad.

Compared to the first Avengers, I'm really happy with Captain America's portrayal in here. Not only is he acknowledged as the leader of the Avengers from the start, he has been given some of the best action scenes in the film. Impressively, he goes toe-to-toe with Ultron for an extended period of time. Cap's costume here is also the best version of the Captain America suit yet and the magnet upgrade in his backhand to summon his shield is very cool. Aside from the magnificent Hulkbuster fight, Iron Man's action scenes, especially with Ultron, were kinda drab. But those are nothing compared to a very underwhelming Thor whose highlights were performing party tricks with Mjolnir and being a herald for Infinity War. Thankfully Tony Stark's obnoxiousness and corny one-liners are at a minimum in this film.

Hawkeye's role is expanded and given some nice personalized scenes especially when the team does a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) and stay on a farm to regroup. Black Widow and Bruce Banner are now being shipped and it feels forced and unnatural. Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff is mesmerizing while Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Pietro was pretty decent but the role could have been beefed up a bit. As for the battle of the Quicksilvers, X-Men: Days of Future Past wins hands down. Vision, played by Paul Bettany, was a literal Deus ex Machina. The lack of explanation on Vision's powers and the rushness of his introduction were a minus. Plus, Vision stole a historic moment that should have belonged to Cap. Still, it was very cool seeing one of my favorite Avengers finally onscreen and being a badass to boot.

Overall, the humor and dialogue isn't as clever and witty compared to the first film, the story is a bit generic, and the villain Ultron didn't live up to its potential but there's enough spectacular whiz-bang superhero action to deliver an entertaining summer blockbuster.

RATING: 7.5/10

Links to previous threads:

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Official Thread 1.0

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Official Thread 2.0

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Official Thread 3.0

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Official Thread 4.0

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Official Thread 5.0

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Official Thread 6.0

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: May 15, 2015

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Crosses $1 Billion Worldwide

Disney and Marvel Studios' Avengers: Age of Ultron jumped the $1 billion mark at the global box office on Friday, becoming the third Marvel title to do so after The Avengers and Iron Man 3. And it's the eighth Disney release to surpass this threshold.

Through Thursday, the movie's global total was $990 million, including a massive three-day China total of $69 million and a domestic total of $333 million. In North America, Joss Whedon's Age of Ultron is on the verge of overtaking Furious 7 ($339.8 million) to become the top-grossing release of the year to date.

Age of Ultron becomes the 21st movie to gross $1 billion or more at the worldwide box office. The first Avengers, also directed by Whedon, is No. 3 on the coveted list ($1.51 billion), and Iron Man 3 No. 7 ($1.22 billion).

The superhero mashup still has a ways to go in terms of catching up with Universal's Furious 7, which has earned $1.47 billion since its April 2015 release, making it the top performer of the year to date globally.


Box Office Milestone: 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Joins the Billion-Dollar Club
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Update: May 15, 2015

Animatic Video of Alternate Hulk vs. Hulkbuster Fight

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: May 13, 2015

AGE OF ULTRON Subtitles Leave Chinese Audience Baffled

Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron has just opened in the world's second biggest film market, but the film's Chinese subtitles have already caused irritation among some of the country's moviegoers.

At one point, Captain America says in the film "I'm home," which was translated as "I'm good," Chinese webizens have pointed out. At another point, a line about having to wait too long becomes "I am very old" in Chinese.

Mostly, the problem is that the translations in Age of Ultron are too literal. For example, when Captain America gives some advice by saying "You get hurt, hurt 'em back. You get killed... walk it off," it comes across in Chinese as "Run fast if someone tries to kill you."

In another scene, Iron Man tries to rally the troops to fight to the death with the line "We may not make it out of this," but for some reason this is translated in Chinese as "Let's back off now."

There are other translations that have been mentioned online or on social media as being way off. According to news web site Nanfang, the phrase "son of a bitch" becomes "my old, familiar partner."

Writing on his Weibo social media account, filmgoer Wo Jiao Sanzhiya said he was shocked by the translation. "The woman in front me almost cried and said let's go home, I can't put up with it," he wrote in a post.

Some commentators quipped that the translation for Ultron appears to have been done by Google Translate. According to Baidu, the translator is veteran Liu Dayong. He was tutor to Jia Xiuyan, who translated Guardians of the Galaxy last year and caused strong viewer reactions, also because of his literalism. The movie was known in Chinese as Interplanetary Unusual Attacking Team.


'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Subtitles Leave Chinese Audience Baffled and Frustrated
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Update: May 13, 2015

AGE OF ULTRON Opens to Record-Breaking $33.9M in China

Furious 7 finally pulled to the side of the road in China to make way for Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron, which opened to a record-breaking $33.9 million on Tuesday, the biggest weekday opening of all time.

It's also Disney and Marvel's biggest opening day ever in China, and exceeded the first two days of The Avengers in May 2012. All told, Age of Ultron commanded nearly 96 percent of the marketplace.

Ultron's bow in China pushed it past the $600 million mark internationally for a worldwide total of $923 million through Tuesday. It should jump the $1 billion mark by Thursday, while Disney has surpassed the $2 billion mark at the global box office for the 14th consecutive year.

The big question is whether Ultron has any shot at matching Furious 7, which has earned north of $390 million in China to become the top-grossing title of all time.


Box Office: Avengers: Age of Ultron Opens to Record-Breaking $33.9 Million in China

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: May 10, 2015

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Earns $77.1 Million on 2nd Week

In its second weekend, Disney and Marvel Studios' Avengers: Age of Ultron remained a force of nature, topping the chart with $77.1 million from 4,276 screens to jump the $300 million mark domestically in only 10 days and putting its world total at a stunning $875.3 million. The tentpole enjoyed the second-biggest sophomore weekend of all time after the first Avengers ($865.3 million), and tied with The Dark Knight to become the fastest film to reach $300 million behind Avengers (nine days).

Still, Age of Ultron fell more than expected in in North America, or 59.6 percent, compared to 50.3 percent for its predecessor. However, overseas, it continues to pace well ahead of Avengers, even though it has yet to open in China and Japan. For the weekend, it earned $68 million for a foreign total of $562.4 million.

Mother's Day weekend saw new offerings from Reese Witherspoon, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jack Black all stumble at the North American box office, albeit to varying degrees. Hot Pursuit placed No. 2 with a disappointing $13.3 million from 3,004 theaters.


Avengers: Age of Ultron Hits $77.1 Million Domestically and $875.3 Million Worldwide
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Update: May 7, 2015

Kevin Feige Says Quicksilver's Death is Final and Other Tidbits

Because Marvel has a habit of bringing characters back from the dead, like Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), some fans aren't ready to believe that there is no Tahiti-like recovery in Quicksilver's (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) future. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige made sure to put those thoughts to rest.

Feige confirms Quiksilver is dead. 100%, he's not coming back any time soon, there are no plans. No LMD, no escaping bullets, no retcon. Kevin Feige said he is dead and wanted to make sure people understood that.

Other interesting tidbits: Post Infinity War Part 2: Characters will continue, unknown if they will continue in the MCU with current actors, absolutely nothing set in stone. There are no active plans for the One-shots to return, unfortunately. If something good comes up, they'll do it, but for now, no.

There is a core group in Marvel that is in constant contact. They are constantly throwing ideas around, connecting things, creating future plot points, etc. At any given moment they are thinking 10 to 20 years ahead for their films, but actively working on the next 5 years.


Kevin Feige Confirms Finality Of Quicksilver's Death In Avengers: Age Of Ultron

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: May 7, 2015

Kevin Feige's Marvel Contract Renewed, MCU Won't Go "Dark"

Kevin Feige is the main architect of Marvel's Cinematic Universe, but some fans were a bit worried about his status as his contract is up in 2018. You can relax, as he revealed during the event that "his contract was renewed recently, but he would not say much on the subject."

If you were hoping Marvel films might put their patented humor on the back burner for Avengers: Infinity War Parts 1 or 2 you are out of luck. Feige has no interest in going really dark with the MCU.

There is no dark turn in the MCU. He says every year fans come up to him and ask him if this movie is when the MCU goes 'dark' or takes a 'dark' turn. He said while the trailers may seem ominous or have a sense of impending doom, the movies do not have that feel, and will not. He said he "hoped people would catch on by now" - there will be no giant dark turns in the MCU where it then continues to head in that direction. The humor is in the DNA of the movies, there are no plans to change that."

Have you ever wondered why Marvel films open up overseas before they hit stateside? Feige says that is because "many countries have holidays end of April, so it made sense to open it early" and that it "allowed distributors to tout foreign numbers going into domestic release."


Kevin Feige's Marvel Contract Renewed, Marvel Movie Universe Will Never Go "Dark"
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Update: May 7, 2015

INFINITY WAR To Be Filmed Entirely With New IMAX Camera

On the heels of the colossal domestic opening of Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron, Marvel, the Russo brothers and IMAX Corporation (IMAX) today announced that Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War – Parts 1 & 2, the two-part installment to the global blockbuster franchise, will be shot in their entirety using IMAX and ARRI's next generation revolutionary 2D digital camera – a joint customized digital version of ARRI's new large format camera, the Alexa 65.

The two-part Avengers saga marks the first time a Hollywood feature film will have been shot completely using IMAX cameras and will feature IMAX's exclusive aspect ratio, providing moviegoers a uniquely immersive experience. Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War – Part 1 is slated for release in IMAX theatres on May 4, 2018; Part 2 will open on May 3, 2019.

Prior to filming Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War – Parts 1 & 2, Joe and Anthony Russo, who also directed Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, will use the IMAX/ARRI 2D digital camera for select action sequences on the forthcoming Marvel's Captain America: Civil War, which will release in IMAX theatres in May of 2016.

Joe and Anthony Russo stated, "The intent with the Infinity War films is to bring ten years of accumulative storytelling to an incredible climax. We felt that the best way to exploit the scale and scope required to close out the final chapter of these three phases, was to be the first films shot entirely on the IMAX/ARRI Digital camera."


Avengers: Infinity War 1 & 2 To Be Filmed Entirely Using IMAX/ARRI Digital Camera

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: May 6, 2015

Joss Whedon Denies He Left Twitter Because of Angry Feminists

“That is horseshit,” Joss Whedon told BuzzFeed News by phone on Tuesday. “Believe me, I have been attacked by militant feminists since I got on Twitter. That’s something I’m used to. Every breed of feminism is attacking every other breed, and every subsection of liberalism is always busy attacking another subsection of liberalism, because god forbid they should all band together and actually fight for the cause.

“I saw a lot of people say, ‘Well, the social justice warriors destroyed one of their own!’ It’s like, Nope. That didn’t happen,” he continued. “I saw someone tweet it’s because Feminist Frequency pissed on Avengers 2, which for all I know they may have. But literally the second person to write me to ask if I was OK when I dropped out was [Feminist Frequency founder] Anita [Sarkeesian].”

What did happen, Whedon said, is that he chose to embrace his long-standing desire post–Age of Ultron to reclaim his personal life and creative spark — and that meant saying good-bye to Twitter. “I just thought, Wait a minute, if I’m going to start writing again, I have to go to the quiet place,” he said. “And this is the least quiet place I’ve ever been in my life. … It’s like taking the bar exam at Coachella. It’s like, Um, I really need to concentrate on this! Guys! Can you all just… I have to… It’s super important for my law!”

It wasn’t just the constant hate on Twitter that Whedon was eager to shut off, either. “So many people have said mean things, but so many people have said wonderful things. But how much approbation do I need before I become creepy?” he asked. “I so appreciate when people took the time to say something nice. But for my own self, it’s like, at some point, you’re just like a little compliment leech. That’s not going to help your writing any more than people slamming on you.”

“The real issue is me,” he said. “Twitter is an addictive little thing, and if it’s there, I gotta check it. When you keep doing something after it stops giving you pleasure, that’s kind of rock bottom for an addict. … I just had a little moment of clarity where I’m like, You know what? If I want to get stuff done, I need to not constantly hit this thing for a news item or a joke or some praise, and then be suddenly sad when there’s hate and then hate and then hate.”


Joss Whedon Calls “Horsesh*t” On Reports He Left Twitter Due To Militant Feminists
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Update: May 5, 2015

Joss Whedon on the Vision's Mjolnir Scene in AGE OF ULTRON

The Empire Podcast with Joss Whedon is filled with Avengers: Age of Ultron goodies. One of them, is when Whedon discusses the moment in the film where the team's distrust for The Vision (Paul Bettany) dissolves in a blink of an eye. Tony has put a portion of Jarvis' into the synthetic body that Ultron created, Thor brings it to life with a lightning bolt from his magical hammer Mjolnir. Thor explains to the team that Vision can be helpful to the team. The group's concern are quickly put to rest when Vision demonstrates his worthiness by picking up Mjolnir. Whedon explains how the scene developed:

"That came from a 'Do you know what would be cool?' moment. It’s the cheer moment of the film. And what’s great is that, like the Hawkeye thing, we’d set it up – we’d unknowingly set it up, just by having that ['Who is worthy enough to Mjolnir?'] sequence, then with Quicksilver as well, trying to grab it and it throws him off. Both of those things were in the script before I came up with the idea of [the Vision lifting Mjolnir]."

"I had done something similar in an episode of Angel, where I needed you to know someone was telling the truth. It was, very simply, Angel saying, 'He hates it if you ask questions, he can’t lie.' So, you just accept that."

"So on the one hand, I want them all to trust each other and go into battle not as a coherent group, but when they finally all show up at the church, they really do come together for the first time. On the other hand, I need them to take this guy with them, and I need something to say, 'All right, we’re off!' And that really does answer a lot of questions. It was so much fun and so cute. Chris added the 'Nice work!' as he walked by Tony, by the way."


Joss Whedon On Avengers: Age Of Ultron Moment Where The Team Trusts The Vision

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: May 5, 2015

Joss Whedon Reveals He Shot Alternate Quicksilver Ending

In his latest round of Avengers: Age of Ultron post-premiere interviews, director Joss Whedon has revealed that he filmed an ending with a very different outcome. And for anyone who’s seen the film can probably guess, that outcome involves a living and breathing Quicksilver, who perished in the film’s final act.

As Whedon described it, he filmed a separate ending where Quicksilver recovers from his numerous bullet wounds and joins Captain America’s New Avengers squad. He even received a fancy new costume to boot.

As Whedon described it to Empire: “We did actually shoot him in the last scene, in an outfit, with his sister. We also shot him, waking up, saying, 'Ah, I didn’t really die from these 47 bullet wounds!' Actually, we shot something else with that, but... maybe I’ll let you know about that later. But the intent was to earn this, and then you have to stand by it.”

Whedon has said in other interviews that Age of Ultron’s eventual Blu-Ray release will feature several deleted scenes, so hopefully Quicksilver’s more fortunate fate is included among them.


Joss Whedon Reveals Alternate Quicksilver Ending For 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron'
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Update: May 5, 2015

Joss Whedon Reveals Original Hulk Ending for AGE OF ULTRON

Leading up to the released of Avengers: Age of Ultron, there was a lot of talk and a lot of rumors concerning the Hulk. The character is the Avenger who benefited in popularity most from the first Avengers movie, but whose plans for future solo films have been muddied by conflicting rumors and report, particularly regarding a Planet Hulk movie.

In a podcast interview with Empire, Whedon revealed that there were never any real plans to send the Hulk to space, and that there are still no plans for a Planet Hulk movie, at least not that he knows of.

“You know, I never intended to shoot him into space. What I wanted to do was indicate that he might. I wanted the sky above him to be slightly thinner. A few stars. Because, you know, I put in, very specifically, the line, ‘Where in the world am I not a threat?’ And I wanted to leave people with the idea that, if this is the last movie, that he may have left the world behind, because I think there is something enormously poetic about that. There is also something enormously misleading about that, because they don’t plan to make Planet Hulk, as far as I know, so they were like, ‘No, just sky, no stars,’ which was less poetic, but still very beautiful.”


Joss Whedon Talks About Original Hulk Plans In Avengers: Age Of Ultron Ending
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Update: May 4, 2015

Captain Marvel and Spider-Man Were to Appear at the End

Avengers: Age of Ultron director Joss Whedon was a guest on the latest edition of Empire Podcast, and he he discussed plenty of spoilers. Perhaps the most intriguing nugget is that Whedon originally wanted Spider-Man and Captain Marvel to appear in the film.

At the end of Age of Ultron a new Avengers lineup is shown, but Whedon wanted two more new members to join the team. "I wanted all of those people. I said, 'It would be great if we could just add a few more. If we could have a Captain Marvel there, that you've made a deal for.' And they talked about it," Whedon explained. "And I was like, ‘And Spider-Man, we could do that too, because Sony had approached us during the first movie about a little integration. So, I would have put both of them in, but neither of the deals were made."

During filming, Marvel announced a Captain Marvel film, and they made a deal with Sony to include Spider-Man in their cinematic universe. After all of that they approached Whedon, which he recounts, "And then they're like, ‘We’re making a Captain Marvel movie and we’ve got Spider-Man as a property,’ and I’m like, ‘I’ve already locked my film you f***ers! Thanks for nothing.'”


Joss Whedon Wanted Captain Marvel and Spider-Man In Avengers: Age Of Ultron

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: May 5, 2015

Joss Whedon Reveals Fighting With Marvel to Keep Farm Scene

As it turns out, Avengers: Age of Ultron's battles didn't only happen on screen. Director Joss Whedon told Empire Film Podcast (minor spoilers ahead) that Marvel brass weren't thrilled with the scene in the film, in which Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) visits his family at their farmhouse, along with the moments when the characters experience dream sequences. On the other hand, the studio was quite adamant about including the segment involving Erik (Stellan Skarsgard) joining Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in a cave.

"The dreams were not an executive favorite either — the dreams, the farmhouse, these were things I fought to keep," Whedon said. "With the cave, it really turned into: they pointed a gun at the farm's head and said, 'Give us the cave, or we'll take out the farm,' — in a civilized way. I respect these guys, they're artists, but that's when it got really, really unpleasant."

Whedon explained that there was additional footage shot in the cave, but much of it was cut, as test audiences didn't respond to it. He said there was even a point in which studio notes led to the cave sequence getting excised completely: "I was so beaten down at that point that I was like, 'Sure, OK — what movie is this?' And the editors were like, 'No. You have to show the [events in the cave]. You can't just say it.' "


Joss Whedon on Fighting With Marvel Over 'Age of Ultron': "It Got Really Unpleasant"
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Update: May 5, 2015

Joss Whedon Reveals Thor’s Cut Subplot from AGE OF ULTRON

Chris Hemsworth’s Thor certainly has his moments in Age of Ultron, but it’s clear that his arc was streamlined in the editing process. In speaking with the Empire Podcast, Whedon revealed just exactly what Thor was originally doing in that cave, and it’s a fairly intricate subplot:

“There was a 195-minute cut of this movie. The original scene was that Thor went to speak to the Norn and how it would work was that he’d go in the pool and the Norn possess him, basically, and Erik Selvig asks all the questions, and the Norn, speaking through Thor, give the answers. So Chris got to do something different, and he really threw himself into it, and he did a beautiful job, but it wasn’t well regarded by the test audiences and I feel it’s probably largely because it was a rough cut with no effects, but also because it’s something that in a Thor movie would work brilliantly, but in this movie is just a little too left of centre.”

Whedon has said that they shot footage of Tom Hiddleston as Loki in Thor’s dream sequence, but Marvel thought things were already complicated enough without then bringing back a fan favorite character an hour into the movie. Speaking with Empire, he elaborated a bit on the dream sequence and Thor’s subplot:

“I do feel like they threw out the baby with the pond water, because I tried to set it up so people would accept it when it happens. Instead, we split the dream up, and then we had Loki in the second part of the dream, but then they were like, ‘That doesn’t work, do we want to introduce Loki now, this late?’”


Joss Whedon Reveals Thor’s Cut Subplot Scene from 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: May 5, 2015

Loki Deleted Scene Details from AGE OF ULTRON Revealed

Several days ago, it was learned that Joss Whedon filmed an Avengers: Age of Ultron scene with Tom Hiddleston, but it was cut because "it didn't play." During a spoiler-filled Empire Podcast, Whedon shared details regarding Loki's cut scene.

In the film, Scarlet Witch gets in the mind of several Avengers, one of them being Thor. Her manipulation induces a few dream-like sequences in Thor's mind. The first part of his hallucination had Thor at an Asgardian party. He comes across Heimdall (Idris Elba), who is blind and speaks cryptically.

Whedon had "Loki in the second part of the dream" walking Thor through his dream. "He’s so important to the mythos, and they’re like, 'We can’t get Tom. We can’t make a deal," Whedon recounted. "You can have Idris!' I was like, 'Oh, I love Idris! This is great!' And then I talked to Tom, saying, 'Just so you know, I feel bad not telling you, and I would never pressure you, but... I really feel like it would be great if you could do this...' And they’re like, 'But we already have Idris!' And again, I had no problem there. Everybody’s in!"

"We even had a little reference to the fact that he’s taken the throne, which was Tom doing his Anthony Hopkins impression when Thor says, 'Oh, what would father say?' Then Tom does his Hopkins impression, and Thor’s like, 'That is uncanny!' It’s sort of like his subconscious is telling him that Loki was imitating his father. But he would never make that connection."


Details on Tom Hiddleston's Deleted Loki Scene from 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'
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Update: May 5, 2015

Joss Whedon on The Vision's Mjolnir Scene in AGE OF ULTRON

The Empire Podcast with Joss Whedon is filled with Avengers: Age of Ultron goodies. One of them, is when Whedon discusses the moment in the film where the team's distrust for The Vision (Paul Bettany) dissolves in a blink of an eye. Tony has put a portion of Jarvis' into the synthetic body that Ultron created, Thor brings it to life with a lightning bolt from his magical hammer Mjolnir. Thor explains to the team that Vision can be helpful to the team. The group's concern are quickly put to rest when Vision demonstrates his worthiness by picking up Mjolnir. Whedon explains how the scene developed:

"That came from a 'Do you know what would be cool?' moment. It’s the cheer moment of the film. And what’s great is that, like the Hawkeye thing, we’d set it up – we’d unknowingly set it up, just by having that ['Who is worthy enough to Mjolnir?'] sequence, then with Quicksilver as well, trying to grab it and it throws him off. Both of those things were in the script before I came up with the idea of [the Vision lifting Mjolnir]."

"I had done something similar in an episode of Angel, where I needed you to know someone was telling the truth. It was, very simply, Angel saying, 'He hates it if you ask questions, he can’t lie.' So, you just accept that."

"So on the one hand, I want them all to trust each other and go into battle not as a coherent group, but when they finally all show up at the church, they really do come together for the first time. On the other hand, I need them to take this guy with them, and I need something to say, 'All right, we’re off!' And that really does answer a lot of questions. It was so much fun and so cute. Chris added the 'Nice work!' as he walked by Tony, by the way."


Joss Whedon On Avengers: Age Of Ultron Moment Where The Team Trusts The Vision

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: May 4, 2015

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Nabs $191.3M In Domestic Debut

Continuing a winning streak, Disney's Monday actual figures show Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron opening to $191.3 million from 4,276 theaters in North America, the No. 2 opening of all time behind The Avengers. The film performed better than expected Sunday, when estimates put the three-day take at $187.7 million.

Overseas, where the summer's first tentpole began opening last weekend, Age of Ultron earned another $168 million from 88 territories for a foreign total of $439 million and early worldwide haul of $631 million. In North America, all eyes were on the sequel to see if it could beat the $207.4 million debut of the first Avengers on the same weekend in 2012 and become the new champ. Instead, it came in more than 9 percent behind.

As the weekend wore on, it became apparent that Saturday night's Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fight was hurting Ultron in a big way. Some box office observers believe the movie could have approached $200 milion were it not for competition from the PPV event. Moviegoing tumbled 40 percent from Friday to Saturday in Los Angeles and San Francisco, for instance, and more than 50 percent in some Hispanic markets, such as El Paso, Texas.

Costing $89-$99 to watch, the fight is expected to have generated hundreds of millions in revenue. Additionally, thousands watched the fight on pirate sites. "The fight dinged all films across the board. The numbers on Ultron are still phenomenal but definitely less than they would have been," said one rival studio executive.

Disney and Marvel now boast the top three opening weekends of all time domestically, thanks to the two Avengers entries and Iron Man 3, which debuted to $174.1 million in May 2013. Age of Ultron pushes Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 ($169.2 million) to No. 4.


Box Office Report: 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Nabs $191.3 Million In Domestic Debut
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Update: May 3, 2015

Marvel Cinematic Universe Now Highest Grossing Franchise

With the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Disney and Marvel Studios have made a historic accomplishment at the worldwide box office. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is now the highest grossing movie franchise in the world.

With the addition of a $626 million global box office to date for Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has now grossed an astonishing $7.787 billion at the worldwide box office. Marvel took the top spot from the Harry Potter franchise, which now falls to second place with a $7.723 billion worldwide box office.

With Disney and Marvel Studios now releasing two to three movies a year under the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, it’s also unlikely that anyone has a chance of catching them any time soon. Harry Potter, James Bond, Middle-Earth, and Star Wars are the other franchises in the top five, and those franchises usually only release one film a year at the most.

Here’s a rundown of the top five franchises (via Wikipedia): Marvel Cinematic Universe - $7.787 billion, Harry Potter - $7.723 billion, James Bond - $6.160 billion, Middle-earth - $5.880 billion, Star Wars – $4.382 billion


Marvel Cinematic Universe Is Now Highest Grossing Movie Franchise In The World

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: May 2, 2015

Infinity Stone Manifestations Seem To Be Spelling Out THANOS

Marvel fans have noticed that the precious infinity stones are manifesting in objects that spell out the name of Thanos. This could be a coincidence or Marvel President Kevin Feige is even more clever than we originally thought.

T, is for the Tesseract, which is the Space Gem. The blue cube first appeared in Captain America: The First Avengers and then was used to open a portal in space in The Avengers.

H, is still unknown.

A, is for the Aether from Thor: The Dark World. It is commonly believed to be the Reality Gem, which has the power to alter reality. That could come in handy if things go south.

N, is still unknown.

O, is for the Orb Ronan the Accuser is seeking in James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy. That Orb contains the Power Stone, which gives the wielder access to all power and energy that ever has or will exist. Dang, that's powerful!

S, is for Scepter. You know, the one Loki used in The Avengers to turn Hawkeye into his mindless slave. It was later used in the experiments on Scarlet Witch and her brother Quicksilver in the post-credits Captain America: The Winter Soldier scene.

That leaves the Time and Soul gems up for grab. They did make a cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy, appearing as green and orange stones. Time Gem offers total control of the past, present and the future. Soul Gem allows the user to steal, control, manipulate and alter souls, living or dead.

Infinity Stone Manifestations Seem To Be Spelling Out Thanos
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Update: May 2, 2015

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Almost Featured the Grey Hulk

Wired has released a new Avengers: Age Of Ultron video detailing the visual effects that Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) put into the film. It also reveals that The Hulk was originally supposed to turn grey at one point.

"Initially, Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) was actually planned to turn grey when he is angry Hulk in the Hulkbuster sequence, but hey everyone want the green guy,"Mike Seymour revealed at the two-minute and thirty-five second mark. "So in the end, ILM just changed his eyes to make them look more sullen when he is under the control of Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen)."

Last January, PopVinyls.com posted an image for a Funko POP! Vinyl toy of a grey-skinned Savage Hulk along with their lineup of new Avengers 2 figures. Rumors started swirling that the grey Hulk might appear in Age of Ultron.

In the comics, The Hulk was originally grey, but issues with the ink led Stan Lee altered his skin color to green. They explained the change by saying each skin color represents a different persona, fighting within Banner's subconscious. Green is the savage version of Hulk and the grey version is the thinker, who has used the name Joe Fixit at times.

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Avengers: Age Of Ultron Almost Featured The Grey Hulk

Comments: Interesting. Clearly another nod to Ultimates 1 where the Avengers had to stop a rampaging grey Hulk.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: May 1, 2015

Critics Reviews for AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

Rotten Tomatoes: 76% Approval Rating (171 out of 226 critics like it)

Consensus: Exuberant and eye-popping, Avengers: Age of Ultron serves as an overstuffed but mostly satisfying sequel, reuniting its predecessor's unwieldy cast with a few new additions and a worthy foe.

New York Daily News - 4/5
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” is a kinetic, wicked mix of muscle and magic. Look no further if you want a world of superpowered freaks and geeks. But be aware: It comes at a cost. Vaporized in the parade of action and characters is the wonder and simplicity of its first, superior entry. That terrific 2012 blockbuster fulfilled comic-book fans’ dream of seeing Marvel’s mightiest heroes on the big screen. This one assembles more seriousness, and adds some fresh faces with fierce powers, though the peril feels preprogrammed.


Entertainment Weekly - B-
With Marvel’s latest comic-book battle royale, Avengers: Age of Ultron, I walked out of the theater feeling like the survivor of an all-you-can-eat buffet. There are five shock-and-awe action sequences when three would have sufficed. With his smarmy metallic croak, Spader is perfectly cast as the voice of Ultron. So much so that it’s surprising it’s taken this long for someone to tap into the actor’s gift for threateningly bitchy condescension in one of these things.


James Berardinelli - 2.5/4
Sure, there are some impressive special effects-saturated battle scenes but, despite the interesting camera work, these are more frenetic than exciting. Superheroes mowing down an army of robots - sounds as familiar as it plays out. Perhaps the biggest drawback to Avengers: Age of Ultron is the weakness of the central villain and his generic genocidal scheme. Ho-hum. Age of Ultron disappoints not because it's irredeemably bad but because it fails to achieve the level of its predecessor in nearly every facet.


Rolling Stone - 3/4
Age of Ultron is a whole summer of fireworks packed into one movie. It doesn't just go to 11, it starts there. But it's best when Whedon sins against the Hollywood commandment of playing it safe. He takes a few wrong turns, creating a jumble when the action gets too thick. But he recovers like a pro, devising a spectacle that's epic in every sense of the word. Age of Ultron is Whedon's last Avengers hurrah. And the monumental battle between gods and monsters that he stages to end the film does him proud. Bravo.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: May 1, 2015

Two Infinity Gauntlets Exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

As Age of Ultron’s mid-credits stinger revealed, Thanos has officially seized an Infinity Gauntlet and declared that he’ll collect the Infinity Stones himself. Of course, the Gauntlet—which holds all six of the Marvel Universe’s Infinity Stones—was last seen in Odin’s trophy room in Thor. This lead some viewers to wonder how Thanos broke into Asgard’s vaults and took the gauntlet so easily.

But, Marvel Studios Head Kevin Feige recently clarified that Thanos’ gauntlet is not the same one on Asgard. Meaning: the Marvel Cinematic Universe has two Infinity Gauntlets. As Feige put it: “There are two different gloves," he told CinemaBlend. "That was not Odin’s vault that you see at the end.”

Since the image from the Infinity War announcement confirms that Thanos will collect all six Infinity Stones and achieve god-hood in Avengers: Infinity War, does that mean a Marvel hero could rise to challenge him with a Gauntlet of their own? We suppose we’ll find out in a few year’s time. Avengers: Infinity War: Part One hits theaters in 2018.

Kevin Feige Says Two Different Infinity Gauntlets Exist In Marvel Cinematic Universe
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Update: May 1, 2015

Joss Whedon Talks Quicksilver's Death in AGE OF ULTRON

One of Avengers: Age of Ultrons’ most shocking scenes came at the end, when Quicksilver sacrificed his life to save Hawkeye from a stream of bullets. Not many saw the new Avengers’ death coming, except for director Joss Whedon and Quicksilver actor Aaron Tyler Johnson, of course. In discussing Pietro Maximoff’s untimely demise, Whedon revealed how the death came to be.

“The first meeting I had with [Aaron], I said this is my plan is to have—we always were ready for the idea that the Disney brass would come down and say, 'excuse us. Please leave the beautiful man in the franchise movie.' But it became clear certainly after we shot it, how well it worked, so then it was just my job to spend the entire movie trying to convince everyone that Hawkeye was definitely going to die, and that turned into a really fun game.

Like, because I played every trope. Every, oh, look, you know, we’re not all going to make it through this and we cut to him looking at his family, and I’m just like, 'How many ways can I be, ‘Oh, he’s safe. He’s on the, oh, he has to get off the boat. Oh, he’s—’ and I just wanted to like, you know, pull the switch out.' So yeah, that was the plan, but we did sort of keep it in our, in our pockets. We’re like maybe we’ll have to do a take backsies, but then he got shot a lot of times.”

But Age of Ultron never showed a gravesite for Quicksilver, leading some to suspect that the character still has some life in his legs. When asked about the missing grave, Whedon coyly responded: “We didn’t what? Oh, that’s true.”

Joss Whedon Talks About the Shocking Spoiler Scene from Avengers: Age Of Ultron
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Update: May 1, 2015

Loki's Scene Was Cut from AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

Though Ultron is burdened with plenty of glorious purpose in this weekend’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, many still miss the presence of the Avengers’ first foe: Loki. Sadly, the god of mischief is sitting the latest Avengers adventure out, even though his presence carries a large sway over the film’s event.

With his Avengers scepter playing a massive role in the sequel's event, one might have expected Loki to worm his way into the story. And according director Joss Whedon, he actually did. In Whedon’s original cut of the film, actor Tom Hiddleston’s Loki did have an appearance. But, as Whedon explained, he cut the scene out to make room for Age of Ultron’s even bigger moments.

“We did shoot something, but it didn’t play,” he said. “The movie has so much. It’s so filled. We didn’t want it to feel overstuffed. I really wanted to have Loki in it, but I understood the decision that there were now too many voices in the chorus.”

Director Joss Whedon Reveals Loki's Scene Was Cut From Avengers: Age Of Ultron

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: April 28, 2015

Chris Evans Reveals CAPTAIN AMERICA Is Probably a Virgin

Captain America may be The Avengers' star-spangled stud, but according to actor Chris Evans, the only action Steve Rogers gets is on the battlefield. In a recent interview promoting Cap's new adventure in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Evans theorized that his character is most likely a virgin.

"It’s funny when you think about it – he’s probably a virgin. [Laughs.] He's probably a virgin!" Evans said. "I don’t know when it would’ve happened." But when the possibility of a one-night stand during Captain America’s USO tour in Captain America: The First Avenger came up, Evans defended the Captain's more conservative virtues.

"He was on tour. That's true. Maybe one of those [dancing] girls blew his mind. [Laughs] He’s probably just a good guy. He was probably holding out for Peggy Carter and he's a little more old-fashioned in that sense," he told Entertainment Weekly. "These are a lot of things that I think are giant conflicts, but they're also very personal conflicts. He's a very human guy. That's why I like him."


Captain America Might Probably Still Be A Virgin According to Star Chris Evans

Comments: Aside from Evans joking and all, I always assumed that Cap got some action during the USO tour. It was very subtle but there was an exchange of looks between Cap and a dancer during the USO montage. Then there was his conversation with Black Widow in The Winter Soldier where he implied that he has had some experience after 1945. "I'm 95, I'm not dead," Cap said.
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Update: April 28, 2015

Robert Downey Jr. Talks About Controversial Interview Walkout

Robert Downey Jr. is finally opening up about what he was thinking when he walked out of an interview with U.K. reporter Krishnan Guru-Murthy last week. The video of the Avengers star's awkward exchange with the Channel 4 journalist, ending with Downey Jr. leaving and saying things were getting "too Diane Sawyer," quickly went viral. Guru-Murthy later defended his right to talk to stars about "serious topics."

"I'm one of those guys where I'm always kind of assuming the social decorum is in play and that we're promoting a superhero movie, a lot of kids are going to see it," he said on Stern's SiriusXM show. "This has nothing to do with your creepy, dark agenda that I'm feeling like all of a sudden ashamed and obligated to accomodate your weirdo shit."

"I'm a 50-year-old guy…and I'm completely unevolved when it comes to simple boundaries," the actor said. "[I thought,] 'You know what? You're weirding me out. You're a bottom-feeding muckraker.' The assumption is that there's a button that because you've sat down there, you're going to be scrutinized like a kiddie fiddler who's running for mayor."

He added, "What I have to do in the future is I just have to give myself permission to say, 'That is more than likely a syphilitic parasite, and I need to distance myself from this clown. Otherwise, I'm probably going to put hands on somebody, and then there's a real story.'"




Robert Downey Jr. Talks About Controversial Interview Walkout

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: April 27, 2015

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR to Shoot in Late 2016 for 9 Months

Chris Evans is out promoting Avengers: Age of Ultron, and very soon he’ll be suiting up again to start filming on Captain America: Civil War. Evans spoke to Esquire about his upcoming shooting schedule and says that filming on Civil War will go until about “August or September”, which is the usual shoot time for a major blockbuster film.

However, because he’s on a Marvel contract and Marvel has release dates for all of its Phase Three movies, Evans also knows that he’ll be needed for Avengers: Infinity War, which will be two films shot back to back. Evans tells Esquire that he thinks filming begins in either fall or winter 2016 and, “That’s going to be like nine months to shoot both movies back to back.”

So many actors are getting sucked into the MCU, so how many of them will be spending the larger part of a year working on these two movies? Evans doesn’t sound bummed by the prospect, and just accepts it as part of his working schedule. “”You know, you plan around the Marvel responsibilities,” says Evans. “You have to.”

Avengers: Infinity War – Part 1 will be released on May 4, 2018, and Avengers: Infinity War – Part 2 will open on May 3, 2019. Captain America: The Winter Soldier screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely will pen the script and Joe and Anthony Russo will direct.


AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR to Start Shooting in Late 2016; Will Film for 9 Months
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Update: April 26, 2015

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Opens to $201 Million Overseas

Avengers: Age of Ultron, the latest installment from Disney's Marvel unit, exploded in its overseas opening, taking in $201.2 million as it debuted at the international box office. It was the No. 1 movie in all the territories in which it opened, representing 55 percent of the entire international market, exceeding the first installment in the series by 44 percent in today's exchange rate, according to Disney's calculations.

Its top market was South Korea, where its $28.2 million debut ranked second all-time. A large portion of the movie is set in South Korea, and a handful of the Avengers swung through last week as part of their worldwide promotional tour. It was also huge in the U.K., where it scored the biggest superhero debut ever ($27.3 million).

It also opened to $16.2 million in Russia, which is neck-and-neck with Furious 7 for the top opening ever. It was second all-time in Brazil ($13.1 million) and third all-time in Australia ($13.1 million). Other top markets included France ($12.4 million) and Germany ($9.3 million).

There are a handful of other major territories on the way, including Spain and Mexico next weekend. China, which is sure to be the movie's biggest market, doesn't open until May 12th. The first Avengers earned over $86 million, which was a massive result three years ago. With the way that market has changed in the years since, it's hard to imagine Age of Ultron making anything less than $200 million.

"If you look at it from the point of view of the local currencies, this is much bigger than the first Avengers," said Disney executive vp theatrical distribution Dave Hollis. "It's a testament to the momentum of the brand and the consistency of unbelievable storytelling and world creation that the folks on the Marvel side are known for."


Box Office Report: 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Opens to $201 Million Overseas
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Update: April 25, 2015

AGE OF ULTRON Blu-ray Includes Extended Cut, Alternate Ending

Apparently (according to those who have seen it), many scenes from Avengers: Age of Ultron's trailer don’t make it into the theatrical release, meaning that fans will be getting an extended release at some point that is closer to director Joss Whedon's initial 3-hour version (which he confirmed in a recent Collider interview).

That version may come sooner than later, though, as an email from Amazon UK about pre-ordering the home release has also confirmed not only that the movie will contain that extended version, but that it will also include an alternate ending. This is also interesting because it seems like Marvel won't be holding back on a ton of features for a (presumable) future box set release, which should certainly make fans happy, at least.

Now, as for this alternate ending — it cannot presumably be all that different than what is part of the theatrical release, given the emphasis on continuity within the increasingly sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe.

[Update: Amazon UK has now sent out another email to customers which reveals that the information they sent out "may not be correct" because "the studio hasn't yet confirmed which special features will be included."]


Avengers: Age of Ultron Home Release To Include Extended Cut and Alternate Ending

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: April 21, 2015

A Character's Arm Gets Cut Off in Every Marvel Phase 2 Films

In an interview with Cinemablend, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige reveals that they’ve used the same Star Wars Easter egg in each and every one of their Phase Two films. It’s not exactly super obvious, but it’s a pretty cool choice and a neat way for Marvel to pay tribute to the epic Star Wars franchise. Might be considered a bit of a spoiler, so read ahead at your own risk:

"So is this a spoiler for Ant-Man… not really. I’m obsessed with Star Wars. Who’s not? I’m 40 years old. I’m in the movie business. I went to USC. So I’m obsessed with Star Wars – and it didn’t start out as intentional, but it became intentional, including that beat that you referenced. It sort of happens in every Star Wars movie, but I was sort of looking at it, ‘Okay, is Phase Two our Empire Strikes Back?’ Not really, but tonally things are a little different. Somebody gets their arm cut off in every Phase Two movie. Every single one."

If you hadn’t picked up on that Easter egg, then here’s a quick rundown of each character that’s lost an arm in Phase Two: Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian lost his arm in Iron Man 3 during the climactic final scene; Loki used one of his magic illusions to make it seem as though he’d cut Thor’s arm off in Thor: The Dark World; Bucky lost his arm when he fell from the train in Captain America, as revealed in The Winter Soldier; and Gamora cut Groot’s arm off during her introductory action sequence in Guardians of the Galaxy.


Kevin Feige Reveals Marvel’s Phase II Films Feature the Same ‘Star Wars’ Easter Egg
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Update: April 16, 2015

Rumor: The Defenders Will Be in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR 2

According to Bleeding Cool (who tend to be a little hit and miss with scoops, but do have a good track record), Daredevil and his fellow Defenders will make their big screen debuts in Avengers: Infinity War - Part Two. There's no details on whether that will be a cameo appearance or something more, but Marvel will clearly pull out all the stops for the movie.

By 2019, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist will have more than likely had starred in at least a couple of seasons each, not to mention The Defenders. Could an appearance in Avengers: Infinity War - Part Two lead to them getting solo movies in Marvel's Phase 4? In other news, the site also mentions that Agent Carter is "75%" confirmed for a second season.

In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige talks about the possibility of bringing the Defenders into the Marvel movies due to the insanely positive reactions to Daredevil on Netflix:

"Well right now what Jeff Loeb and the TV guys are focusing on is those shows and certainly with Daredevil coming out last night and being so well received, the next one is already in production, the one after that has been announced, so I think they’re doing quite well for themselves in that medium. We certainly have had discussions and thoughts of where down the line who could show up where but I think they’re being very smart in saying, 'Let us establish this here, first' and they’re off to a very very good start."


Rumor: The Defenders Will Make Their Movie Debut in Avengers: Infinity War Part 2
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Update: April 15, 2015

More Villains Besides Thanos in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

Joss Whedon has passed the Avengers directing duties off on Anthony and Joe Russo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier). They'll be helming the two-part Avengers: Infinity War. A monumental task that most fans have looked at as a pure showdown between The Avengers and Thanos. That won't be the case.

"A lot of people were surprised that Thanos wasn't the villains in Avengers 2, but he was never meant to be," Joss Whedon told Vulture. "He was always meant to be the puppet-master until he was done doing that, and then he'll be the big villain they face off with. Not solely - I'm sure there'll be plenty more [villains] in that monstrous epic, because one thing Marvel doesn't do is string a story out into two movies that shouldn't be two movies. They'll give you two big movies. I feel like we got two movies into this one!"

Which villains do you think will make an appearance in the two Infinity War films? You have to figure Tom Hiddleston's Loki will be one. Maybe, Hugo Weaving returns as the Red Skull. Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 will arrive in theaters May 4th 2018 and then Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 will arrive May 3rd 2019.


Joss Whedon Says 'Avengers: Infinity War' Will Have More Villains Besides Thanos

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: April 16, 2015

Joss Whedon Shot Captain Marvel FX Plates for AGE OF ULTRON

Kevin Feige: "There were drafts that maybe people somehow got their hands on and read early on that included some characters - maybe others, but certainly one, which is why it’s dangerous to read scripts early on, and talk about them early on…

Captain Marvel was in a draft. But to me, it would have done that character a disservice, to meet her fully formed, in a costume and part of the Avengers already when 99% of the audience would go, ‘Who is that?’ It’s just not the way we’ve done it before.

Thanos is the good ‘Who’s that,’ because he’s clearly a bad guy, for comic fans he represents a specific storyline, you can get the buzz started from fans to non-fans with that cameo - as opposed to a title character, who deserves their own story. Even Black Widow you don’t meet in the last two seconds of Iron Man 2 wearing her costume - you evolve that going forward.

The way we reveal Scarlet Witch in costume at the end of the movie? Those were Captain Marvel plate shots. Joss said, ‘We’ll cast her later!’ And I said, ‘Yeah Joss, we’ll cast her later.’ [Whispers to an invisible associate who isn't Joss] ‘We’re not putting her in there!’

Finally Joss was like ‘Let’s use those plates to let Scarlet Witch fly into frame, give her a big entrance?’ And that makes sense - she’s come to their side, and she deserves the cool intro, which will feed into another movie we start shooting in a few weeks."


Kevin Feige Reveals Captain Marvel Almost Ended Up In Avengers: Age Of Ultron
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Update: April 11, 2015

Captain Marvel Originally Set to Appear in AGE OF ULTRON

Don’t get your hopes up to see new superhero Captain Marvel introduced in the upcoming “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” No, it’s not misdirection, there are no sly, “Hi, I’m Carol” lines thrown in there — she’s not in it. However, that wasn’t always the case. At a press day ahead of the film’s release, Marvel chief Kevin Feige told MTV News that Captain Marvel was, “in an early draft of the script, yes.”

The new superhero, who is slated for a solo film in November 2018, would have appeared briefly in a key sequence toward the end of the film, but was cut for story reasons. Mainly: the character hasn’t been cast yet, nor has her look been solidified.

“It didn’t feel like the time,” Feige said. “We didn’t want to introduce her fully formed flying in a costume before you knew who she was or how she came to be.” Right now, Feige said, the studio is focused on finding the writers for the Captain Marvel film, “and we’re very close.” As for casting, the process is in its “very early days.”


Kevin Feige Reveals Why You Won’t See Captain Marvel In ‘Avengers: Age Of Ultron’

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: April 13, 2015

Mark Ruffalo Reveals Universal Owns Rights to Solo HULK Films

According to Hulk/Bruce Banner actor Mark Ruffalo, Universal Studios still holds the distribution rights to a Hulk feature film. Citing the Hulk as a “Universal property,” Ruffalo indicated that Marvel won’t move forward with an Incredible Hulk sequel until they get the Jade Giant back to themselves.

“As far as a Hulk movie, a standalone Hulk movie, Marvel doesn’t really have the rights to that yet. That’s still Universal’s property, so there’s that issue. That’s a big impediment to moving forward with that,” Ruffalo told Collider. “Now I don’t think that’s insurmountable, by the way, but I don’t know where it’s going from here for me.”

So, even though Marvel Studios can produce and create a Hulk solo, film, they’d have cede all distribution profits to Universal, whom they made a distribution deal with for 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. And while the Disney-less Marvel needed Universal to help distribute back then, that’s no longer the case.

Ruffalo also revealed, he has at least four more Marvel movies left in his contract, but could always do more. “I think it’s four now, but that could always go further,” he said. “That could include different—I could show up in another character’s movie; I could do Avengers 3 and 4; I could do a Hulk standalone; I could do a combination of those things. That’s four or five, I think.”


Mark Ruffalo Reveals Universal Studios Owns the Rights to Standalone HULK Movies

Comments: It all makes sense now why Marvel Studios isn't making a solo Hulk movie or hasn't been aggressively pushing for one. I guess that's two high-profile Marvel properties Universal has tied up, the second one being Namor. It's a shame, would have love to see a Planet Hulk and World War Hulk movies. Guess we'll have to settle for Hulk appearing in other superheroes' movies. Hope the Hulk in GotG 2 rumors turn out to be true.
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Update: April 9, 2015

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR PART I and II Get Screenwriters

Well, it's official. Look for this to hit the trades soon - Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely will write Avengers: Infinity War I and II, keeping them teamed up with their Captain America: Civil War and Captain America: The Winter Soldier directors Joe and Anthony Russo, according to Badass Digest. You were wondering who would handle the Marvel Cinematic Universe once Joss Whedon was gone? Why, it's the guys who knocked it out of the park with Winter Soldier.

Markus and McFeely have been a major part of the MCU from Phase One, writing Captain America: The First Avenger. They also wrote on Thor: The Dark World and created Agent Carter for ABC. Having them be there to wrap up Phase Three (and the whole MCU? Kevin Feige's contract is going to be up around 2018/2019, and while they have a Phase Four planned - with films through 2021 on the big white board - Infinity War makes for a nice place for everybody involved to step off and wave goodbye) makes a lot of sense, and reaffirms Marvel as a studio that works like the old Marvel Bullpen, with lots of in-house people doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

What this means in the immediate run is that Captain America: Civil War is even more likely to set up a lot of the stuff that will pay off in Infinity War - after all, the same team is making all three films. While Thor: Ragnarok is supposedly taking the universe-shaking role that Winter Soldier had in Phase Two, it's expected Civil War will help redefine the landscape that will lead to Infinity War.


Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely Will Write Avengers: Infinity War I and II

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: April 7, 2015

No Captain Marvel, No Post-Credits Scene in AGE OF ULTRON

Entertainment Weekly has spoken with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and he has revealed that Captain Marvel will not make her debut in The Avengers sequel. Also, the movie will include many other superpowered characters seen in previous films, including a few surprises, but rumors of Captain Marvel getting an introduction are false, Feige promises. There is a secret female character, but she may be familiar already. “It’s not a big deal. But it’s a good character,” Feige says.

Feige promised Avengers: Age of Ultron will still be packed with surprises. Linda Cardellini and Julie Delpy are in the movie, but they don’t want to reveal their characters just yet. We’ll also get to see some material with young Black Widow’s instructor that “will be a powerful moment in the history of Scarlett Johansson’s character.”

In a break from Marvel Studios tradition, Avengers: Age of Ultron will not have a post-credits scene, according to director Joss Whedon. Whedon tells EW that they simply couldn’t’ find a way to beat the post-credits shawarma scene from the first Avengers, so they decided not to try. However, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is quick to clarify that the movie will have a tag, as with the other movies.

“There will be a tag,” Feige explains, meaning an epilogue scene that pops up mid-credits. “But there’s not a post-post-credit scene.” Whedon says, “There is nothing at the very end. And that’s not a fake-out. We want people to know so they don’t sit there for 10 minutes and then go: ‘Son of a bitch! I’ll kill them!’”


No Captain Marvel, No Post-Credits Scene in Age of Ultron, Only Mid-Credits Scene
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Update: April 5, 2015

Final Trailer for AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Is Awesome

The final trailer (or extended TV spot) for Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron has been released. The latest look at the next superhero team-up shows a few new looks at the assassin-turned-S.H.I.E.L.D.-agent in action. While they’re brief, they show her working in sync with Captain America to pull off some pretty awesome maneuvers.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier saw Black Widow and Cap going on the run from the Hydra-infected S.H.I.E.L.D. and working together to bring down the organization to which they once swore allegiance. With Age of Ultron, it looks like the two will put their time in the field together to good use. Black Widow may not have superpowers, but she held her own with a pair of pistols and some bracelet shockers in the first Avengers, and here she performs some death-defying motorcycle stunts that will have any Fast & Furious fan drooling.

In what’s probably the most badass development of her character, she’s also seen wielding Cap’s trusty shield against one of Ultron's minion. We still don't know if she's worthy enough to pick up Thor's hammer — she doesn't have time for pissing contests like that, as shown in the Avengers 2 trailer — but she does have what it takes to play with Cap's toys. Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1st.

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Final Trailer: Black Widow And Captain America Take Down Ultron

 

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Update: February 9, 2015

It's Official: SPIDER-MAN Joining Marvel Cinematic Universe!

Spider-Man is getting a mighty Marvel makeover. Sony Pictures, which has been the steward of the franchise since 1999, is partnering up with Disney-owned Marvel Studios to bring a new version of the Spider-Man character to life. Latino Review was the first to report this a few weeks ago.

As part of the revamp, the new Spider-Man will first appear in a Marvel film. The companies are not revealing details but that movie is likely to be Captain America: Civil War; the character was a major player in the comics storyline. Andrew Garfield is not expected to reprise the character.

Once the character is re-launched, Sony will then release a new Spider-Man movie on July 28, 2017. Marvel’s Kevin Feige will join Amy Pascal as a producer on the new movie. The duo will “collaborate on a new creative direction for the web slinger,” according to the companies. Ari Arad and Matt Tolmach, who were producers on the previous movie, will now executive produce.

There is also talk of looking ways to integrate characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as the Marvel movies are known, into future Spider-Man films. The move is a major team-up for two rival studios. Spider-Man has been Sony's most lucrative franchise, but the most recent installment, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, disappointed. Disney's Marvel has had unprecedented success with its hero films.

Sony, however, will retain the final creative control and continue to finance, distribute, own the new movies.

To make room for Spider-Man, Marvel has pushed back a number of its films. Thor: Ragnarok has been moved to Nov. 3, 2017 from its July 28, 2017 date. Black Panther will now open July 6, 2018, moving from Nov. 3, 2017. Captain Marvel moved to Nov. 2, 2018 from July 6, 2018, while Inhumans is slotted for July 12, 2019, from its original Nov. 2, 2018 date.


Official: Sony Pictures Brings Marvel Studios Into The Amazing World Of Spider-Man
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Update: February 10, 2015

Details of the Sony & Marvel SPIDER-MAN Deal Revealed

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed new details on the Sony/Marvel Spider-Man deal. Instead of Sony selling the superhero back to Marvel, it made a move no one expected: opting to lease the rights to the web-slinger to its rival for a single film.

Marvel has been trying for years to wrest the Spider-Man rights back from Sony, offering billions, sources say. But Sony, franchise-starved as it is, eschewed the quick cash to keep its $4 billion franchise in house.

Sources say no money changed hands between the two studios in the deal and is instead seen as a quid pro quo transaction. Sony benefits from the free exposure of a younger, rebooted Spider-Man in a film from red-hot Marvel, while Marvel gets its hands on the most prized superhero in its lucrative universe. Also, since Marvel controls the merchandising rights to Spider-Man, the effect this move will have on sales could be worth more than any cut they would have seen. Variety says Sony will get more than 60% of the ticket sales.

Though Spider-Man will first appear in an unnamed Marvel movie, Sony and producer Amy Pascal will have more influence over the actor cast in the iconic role because Sony retains final approval. The studio is currently looking for an actor much younger than 31-year-old Andrew Garfield as well as a writer for its reboot.

Director Marc Webb will not be back to complete a third Spider-Man. Amazing producers Matt Tolmach and Avi Arad have been downgraded to executive producers, with no real say in the creative direction of the franchise.

One knowledgeable source sees the move as a first step to Marvel re-acquiring the rights to Spider-Man down the road, while another believes Disney is positioning itself to acquire Sony should it ever become available.


Details of the Sony/Marvel Spider-Man Deal Revealed; Looking to Cast Younger Actor