First official images for The Avengers: Age of Ultron

I'm a bit surprised this is hitting now and not at Comic-Con later this month, but I'll take it.

Marvel has released, via Entertainment Weekly, the first images from The Avengers: Age of Ultron. The film is the featured story in the upcoming magazine issue and includes an interview with director Joss Whedon.

With these images we get the first official look at Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch along with confirmation that Colonel James Rhodes, aka War Machine/Iron Patriot, will be in this Avengers film. We also see Banner working closely with Stark and what seems like an Avengers party in the Stark tower.
Joss Whedon also elaborated a bit on what role the villain robot, Ultron, will play in the film. There is already confirmation that Ultron is being portrayed by James Spader via motion capture, but he originates directly from Tony Stark as he creates an AI robot to replace the necessity for him to physically wear the Iron Man suit. Seeing that Ultron is AI and much smarter than the average human, he determines that Earth would be better without humans and aims to destroy them.

I am sure we will know more after Comic-Con next week and that we might even get another teaser like we did last year. However, it is possible that Marvel will do what they did with the first Avengers film and save the teaser for the post-credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy. Either way, I'm sure we will see some footage soon. The Avengers: Age of Ultron opens on May 1, 2015.

Age of Ultron schedule to fast-track Scarlett Johansson

Yesterday it was announced that Scarlett Johansson is pregnant with her fiance which is obviously happy news. However, one of my first comments was so much for Black Widow having a huge part in The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Apparently Marvel thought the same as they announced their intent to fast-track all of Johansson's scenes beginning right after her press tour for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Filming is set to begin overseas on April 5th.

This is a no brainer, in my opinion. Not only is there no way of telling when she will begin to show or exactly how pregnant she currently is, but it isn't necessarily safe to have a pregnant woman tumbling around doing stunts. Unless they have a major shift in their plans for Black Widow, I wouldn't expect too much at this point. This doesn't really bother me as Black Widow isn't necessarily a favorite of mine.

Marvel considering Black Widow spin-off film

For whatever reason, Black Widow is becoming quite popular with viewers when it comes to Marvel. After Scarlett Johansson's character was introduced in Iron Man 2, she has appeared in The Avengers and has a big role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It has also been said that her role in The Avengers: Age of Ultron is a lot bigger and more relevant. With that, naturally, Marvel is apparently considering a spin-off solo Black Widow film.

Kevin Feige describes her role in Age of Ultron as "very big" and stated that filming begins in late March. We are set to learn more about who she is and what she was prior to S.H.I.E.L.D. Now with that said, it is possible that we could see a solo film. Feige states they are brainstorming ideas but nothing is set in stone. I would bet if they are to do one it will be in Phase Three prior to the third Avengers movie. That's just my prediction.
I personally have never been a big fan of Black Widow, so if this never happens I won't be upset. I think the further expansion of every single character is a mistake. Not every member of The Avengers needs their own major story arc and/or their own movie(s). I always saw Black Widow and Hawkeye as supporting characters that are just there. There are already rumors that the Hulk will get another solo treatment which leaves Hawkeye completely in the dust. I don't think this is a smart move.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron begins shooting

Production for the anticipated Avengers sequel has begun shooting in Johannesburg. In addition to this location, production will eventually move to locations in London and northern Italy.
South African mayor Parks Tau thanked Marvel due to the economic boost it is sure to produce and the creation of jobs. The shoot in Johannesburg will use over 1,000 people over the course of two weeks.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron is set to hit theaters on May 1, 2015. It brings back Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, and Mark Ruffalo and will introduce Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and James Spader.

Age of Ultron receives another villain

In addition to a main villain battling against The Avengers in the upcoming sequel, we will have another villain to test the team. This villain is rumored to be more relevant to recent additions of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.

HitFix is reporting that Baron Von Strucker is the second villain in addition to Ultron that will be battling The Avengers, Von Strucker is another H.Y.D.R.A. leader (along with Red Skull whom we saw in Captain America: The First Avenger) and former Nazi soldier who has been altered to practically no physical vulnerability. He also possesses a super healing power which allows him to cheat death.As far as casting this character goes, apparently Marvel is seeking a physically imposing man aged 40-50. Rumors are already swirling around Dougray Scott and Marton Csokas.
Now, how does this come into play? Well, it is being said that Von Strucker is the one who brings Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch into the mix because they are both on his side. If this is true it will be an interesting storyline to see exactly how the twins join The Avengers. Unless they are altering the characters to be more of a "frenemy" situation than an ally.The other question is how this villain will tie into Ultron or to the other Avengers. I also want to bring up that most people are forgetting that we still might have Thanos in some capacity, so if that is the case this makes three villains total.

I am not putting too much stock in this just yet, but I am not counting it out. Until we get more info on the plot of The Avengers: Age of Ultron I imagine we will be getting a lot of rumors and word on the street situations.

Star Wars: Episode VII gets official release date

Everyone mark your calendars!

Star Wars: Episode VII is currently set to open, in 3D, on December 18, 2015. 
This will mark the first Star Wars film to not be released in the month of May and will be the first film in the franchise to have an initial release in 3D. All previous 3D Star Wars releases have been re-releases. There is no word on whether the film will be shot in 3D or if it will be post-converted. Episode VII will share the release weekend with Universal's World of Warcraft adaptation, Warcraft.
In addition to an official release date, we have also learned the real reason J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan stepped in and replaced Michael Ardnt to finish the script. Abrams cites speed as the real reason. Arndt exited the project and was replaced in order for them to meet the deadline. Producer Kathleen Kennedy previously tried to convince Disney to push back the release until 2016, but Disney wouldn't budge and was adamant about a 2015 release. As a result, Kasdan was brought in to help speed up the process.


I personally don't mind the December release date for two reasons. First off, in order to obtain the May release date they would either have to shift The Avengers: Age of Ultron or delay Star Wars until 2016. Second, releasing in December gives a bit of a break to viewers and gives them enough time to give us a quality product. There is obviously no way in hell we would get May 2014 and I think it's fairly obvious they aren't willing to shift The Avengers, so people just need to be happy with what we have. We have an official date. Now, it could still change so I am not putting much stock in this for right now. Seeing that it is going directly against Warcraft I wouldn't be shocked to see that one shift up or down by a week. Anything going up against Star Wars is going to get demolished.
Another sidenote about this recent release date, it has caused a rift that resulted in Disney moving the release date for Tomorrowland. Originally set for release in November 2014, it will now be released on May 22, 2015 which is three weeks after The Avengers: Age of Ultron and one week before Inside Out, the next Pixar release.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson confirmed for The Avengers 2

It has been rumored for quite sometime, but we now have confirmation that Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass) has officially joined the cast of The Avengers: Age of Ultron. He will be playing Quicksilver, aka. Pietro Maximoff. Quicksilver is the son of Magneto and brother of Scarlet Witch (aka, Wanda Maximoff). Scarlet Witch will be played by Elizabeth Olsen. The third new cast member to join Taylor-Johnson and Olsen, so far, is James Spader who will be playing Ultron. 

Taylor-Johnson will be the Marvel version of Quicksilver as Evan Peters is tackling the same character for Sony in X-Men: Days of Future Past.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron opens in theaters on May 1, 2015.

James Spader to play Ultron in The Avengers 2

Three-time Emmy winner James Spader has been cast to play the big villain, Ultron, in The Avengers: Age of Ultron. This casting is rather unexpected and we have no further information other than the actual casting.
There is some speculation about exactly how Spader will play Ultron seeing that he is a robot. Some are guessing Spader might do some motion capture and voice work. Others speculate he could just wear a robot costume and be assisted by CGI, similar to what they have done with Iron Man.

When I read this the first thing I thought of was Pretty in Pink. Yes, the John Hughes movie. Since then he has appeared on Boston Legal and The Practice. He was also in Lincoln which was popular around awards season. I think Spader will be a good addition to the Marvel Universe. I give them credit for getting some really great actors in these movies.

Guardians of the Galaxy main villain announced

Kevin Feige has confirmed that Ronan the Accuser (played by Lee Pace) is the main villain in Guardians of the Galaxy. However, Thanos will have a part in the movie. Feige describes the scene as Ronan being the big villain with Thanos sort of overseeing it all and that we will see more than just a couple seconds of him like we did after The Avengers. 
There is still no word on casting for Thanos. Some are suggesting that James Gunn and Marvel could pull another trick on the audience like Shane Black did with Iron Man 3. If you didn't know, the reveal of The Mandarin wasn't really what people expected. Could other characters like The Collector (Benicio del Toro) and Yondu (Michael Rooker) potentially be Thanos in disguise? Nothing is impossible as far as Marvel goes. I think they have proved that by now.
Seeing that Ultron has been revealed as the main villain for The Avengers 2 (aka, The Avengers: Age of Ultron) it is possible that they will tease us with Thanos for years to come. Some are speculating Thanos might not meet his final battle until The Avengers 3. Seeing that this movie leads directly into The Avengers: Age of Ultron, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ultron in one way or another. Even if it's just a post-credits scene.

Aside from villain news, Feige also confirmed that Guardians of the Galaxy takes place in the same timeframe as the other Phase Two films. I suppose that means there could potentially be subtle tie-ins or references to Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Guardians of the Galaxy hits theaters on August 1, 2014 and is the last part of Phase Two before The Avengers: Age of Ultron hits in 2015.

[Update] Elizabeth Olsen in final talks for The Avengers 2

I wrote just yesterday that Elizabeth Olsen was under consideration for the role of Scarlet Witch in The Avengers: Age of Ultron. We now have an update that states Olsen is indeed in final negotiations and barring any setbacks has the role locked.

She will join Aaron Taylor-Johnson, if his negotiations are ever finalized, as Magneto's twin children. It will also mark the second collaboration between Olsen and Taylor-Johnson as the two just wrapped Godzilla. Scarlet Witch is expected to be a major asset for the heroes as she has the ability to alter probability and outcomes.

Elizabeth Olsen on deck for The Avengers 2?

Originally we got word that Saoirse Ronan was up for the role of Wanda Maximoff (aka, Scarlet Witch) for The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Now it seems she may have passed as rumors are out that Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) is now under consideration for the role. If Olsen gets it, she will most likely be opposite Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass) who is the frontrunner to play Petro Maximoff (aka, Quicksilver).
Other projects that Elizabeth Olsen has on deck right now is Spike Lee's adaptation of Oldboy and the new Godzilla reboot which oddly enough also stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson. 

As you might know, Petro and Wanda are the twin children of Magneto from X-Men. Seeing that X-Men is not a Disney owned franchise and is owned by Fox, the characters will not be tied into Magneto for The Avengers. Not unless they want to pay a price to even mention the character. I suppose these characters will just come out of nowhere.
Quicksilver has the power of super speed while Scarlet Witch can alter probability and reality.

I think Elizabeth Olsen would be an interesting choice for Scarlet Witch but not necessarily a bad one. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out. Especially since they haven't officially signed Aaron Taylor-Johnson on to play her counterpart. That could still change.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron is set to hit theaters on May 1, 2015.

Loki will not appear in The Avengers: Age of Ultron

So Tom Hiddleston says.

Joss Whedon had already confirmed that the last Marvel movie we will see Loki in will be Thor: The Dark World but then kind of contradicted himself when discussing the potential future of Loki at Comic-Con. However, Loki himself (aka, Tom Hiddleston) has now confirmed that Loki will not be in The Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

“Loki’s not in it. Here’s the thing: I don’t think there’s anything else Loki could contribute to The Avengers, narratively. Joss gave me so many wonderful things to do in that first film that we’d only be trying to repeat ourselves, and probably less well in the second one.”

Now this doesn't necessarily rule out any potential part of a Phase Three movie, but it is still pretty unlikely. I think both guys are right in trying to move onto more villains rather than have The Avengers just face Loki's mischief over and over again. 

Black Widow a huge part of The Avengers 2

It appears that Joss Whedon is trying to make up for lost screen time.

After revealing that Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) was going to have a bigger role in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Whedon also elaborated on how Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) will be a big part of the sequel as well. This comes after some criticism came after the two characters had very low screen time compared to the other heroes despite the fact that Black Widow had more screen time than both Thor and Hulk in The Avengers.
Hawkeye brought in a whopping 12:44 and Black Widow had 33:35. She brought in just 4min less screen time than Iron Man and Captain America and is a main focus in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, so I don't know how she can be an even bigger part in The Avengers: Age of Ultron unless she surpasses the other heroes and becomes the absolute main character.

Also added for Age of Ultron are Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, the twin children of Magneto. Whedon expressed his fun with Black Widow due to the fact that she is just a spy who doesn't have the same morality the others possess.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron not based off comic arc

Or so Joss Whedon says. Now bear in mind this is the same guy who assured us Iron Man 3 wouldn't have the Iron Patriot, so I take what he says with a grain of salt.

But on with it... Joss Whedon has said that the upcoming Avengers sequel, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, will not be based off the Age of Ultron comic arc where Wolverine and the Invisible Woman are sent into the past to kill Ant-Man so he can't create Ultron. Whedon assured us that they are working on an original interpretation of the origin of Ultron story. He basically also said that people should stop thinking Ant-Man (aka, Henry Pym) will make a cameo in The Avengers 2 as a lead into Edgar Wright's Ant-Man movie.

Other than that he mentions that Age of Ultron will feature Hawkeye in a bigger, more important role and we will see him as more than the possessed scapegoat he was in The Avengers. Age of Ultron will also be a more global film in regards to the team not only worrying about the United States but about the fate of Earth and the whole galaxy.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1, 2015 and will be followed by Ant-Man on November 6, 2015.

SDCC: The Avengers 2 gets an official title

Say hello to The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Kevin Feige gave fans more than was expected including the surprise Guardians of the Galaxy panel and now the official title for The Avengers sequel. Feige brought in Joss Whedon to reveal a trailer of quotes for The Avengers that ends with Nick Fury telling Maria Hill that the group would be coming back together, and then the camera pans to reveal Ultron's helmet. After the helmet this showed up:

For those who don't know, here is the basics on Ultron:

He is the creator of the synthezoid, The Vision, who Ultron tries to use as a weapon to destroy The Avengers. Further flashbacks reveal that Dr. Henry Pym (aka, Ant-Man) is the creator of Ultron. However, the robot eventually created his own intelligence and rebelled. He tried to kill Pym and became interested in Janet van Dyne (aka, The Wasp).

The biggest question for most, including me, is with all these bad villains being introduced (like Ultron, The Vision, and Nebula), how exactly does Thanos fit into all of this if he is the main villain? Are they going to make him the one who is controlling all of this? It is also possible that Thanos has been announced but will be saved until The Avengers 3. At this point anything is possible.

It is also been suggested that the Age of Ultron comic arc will be the basis. Click the jump for a summary of that: