MARVEL MADNESS #5: AGENT CARTER S2, AGENTS OF SHIELD S3, NEW AVENGERS, CIVIL WAR SET, AND MORE

So this week’s Marvel Madness we talking renewals for both Agent Carter and Agents of SHIELD, our first look at the New Avengers, a gargantuan amount of Civil War set photos, possible Captain Marvel and Black Panther directors, and of course rumours and other stuff!

LET’S GET CRACKING!!!

Agent Carter Season 2:

“Dedicated to the fight against new atomic age threats in the wake of World War II, Peggy must now journey from New York City to Los Angeles for her most dangerous assignment yet. But even as she discovers new friends, a new home — and perhaps even a new love — she’s about to find out that the bright lights of the post-war Hollywood mask a more sinister threat to everyone she is sworn to protect.”

Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3:

“Director Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) embarks on a deadly new secret mission to protect the world from new threats in the wake of SHIELD’s wars with Hydra and a rogue faction of Inhumans.”

Agent Carter will once again fill Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s time slot while the latter series is on mid-season hiatus.

As Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron continuously dominates at the box office both domestically and globally, the many visual effects companies that contributed to the superhero sequel are now showing off their incredible work. We have some before/after shots that include an official look at the new costume designs for the Falcon, Scarlet Witch, War Machine, and the Vision that might carry over into Captain America: Civil War.

Furthermore, we also have some official Age of Ultron stills showcasing the Iron Legionnaires by VFX studio Trixter, as well as Perception’s main-on-end title sequence, which featured a sweeping shot of the super cool monument of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in battle with Ultron.

Before the opening of Age of Ultron, Whedon spoke to Hero Complex regarding the enormity of the project and the pressures that came with it. So, what most took its toll on the writer/director?

“The weight of the thing, the weight of the last thing, of this not just being the next thing that happens — I wanted this film to be its own movie. I wanted it to be better, if possible, than the first one — not that the first one was the best movie ever made, but I wanted to do better, just be better at shooting. I wanted to work harder on the script. I wanted to spend more time just really working every aspect of it, because why go again if you’re not doing something new?”

Indeed, that desire to do something new and unique has not always gelled with Marvel execs – just ask Edgar Wright. But even more so than Marvel’s head honchos, the main voice pressuring Whedon was apparently his own:

“I heard that voice in my head every time, ‘But is this a great idea?’ And suddenly I had doubt that I don’t usually suffer from. And meanwhile, the studio’s gonna have some too, because everything’s riding on this all of a sudden. And it became a problem in a way that nothing else has. And it was a hard movie to make on top of that. So being paralyzed by either indecision or the weight of responsibility? Not useful, don’t have time for your paralysis, son, snap out of it. This was the hardest work I’ve ever done… it a little bit broke me.

According to The Wrap, Marvel are eyeing Ava DuVernay to direct one of their upcoming diverse superhero movies. Those are obviously Black Panther and Captain Marvel, and insiders indicate that it’s the former which is currently the most likely possibility. That’s set to be released in 2018, a little sooner than Carol Danvers’ big screen debut, possibly explaining why Kevin Feige is looking to land the Selma director. She also has a credit for “promotional services” on Spider-Man 2.

They add that there is mutual interest on both sides, but Marvel is still considering other filmmakers. A woman has yet to direct a superhero movie, and the fact that DuVernay is both non-white and non-male would earn some serious PR points for them. That aside though, DuVernay is a great director who received almost unanimous critical acclaim for her work on Selma.

Variety reports that there’s still hope for ABC’s next spinoff of “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD.” Despite recent reports that the spinoff series (which was confirmed to be in early development this April) is dead, ABC Entertainment Group president Paul Lee says there is still a possibility for the project.

On Tuesday’s conference call ahead of the network’s Upfront presentation in New York, Lee raved about “SHIELD” and “Agent Carter,” which returns midseason with Season 2, revealing, “it certainly is a possibility of spinning them off.”

The spinoff was rumored to focus on Adrianne Palicki’s Bobbi Morse and Nick Blood’s Lance Hunter, and Lee admitted, “We absolutely love those characters on ‘SHIELD,’” so much so that they didn’t want to mess with success by attempting a spinoff at this point.

“SHIELD” has been a solid performer for ABC in ratings, and the eight episodes of “Agent Carter” maintained the show’s momentum during its winter break.

Lee also gave vague details about “American Crime” creator John Ridley’s highly classified Marvel project, saying “I can’t talk about the John Ridley one, other than to say that he’s working on it.”

So far, the majority of filming for Captain America: Civil War has taken place indoors on sound stages in Atlanta, Georgia. However, it appears the Marvel Studios production will finally be heading outdoors this week as locals have spotted some intriguing set preparations in multiple locations. One set of photos via ATLwood411  show what appears to be an entire village that’s likely doubling for part of the Black Panther’s African nation of Wakanda. Especially given previous Civil War casting calls had requested many extras for African Market scenes to be filmed this week.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Journal Constitution has shared some more photos from a different filming location for Captain America: Civil War. These particular photos, as well as a filming notice, indicate that Atlanta will also be doubling for London and during a period setting in the movie. Apparently, the production crew has transformed an Irish pub into an English Pub, and the filming notice suggests the scenes here will take place “solely” inside the building. However, the pub’s exterior will be visible through windows in the scene, so that explains the period cars and set dressings below.

After transforming different parts of Atlanta into Africa and Europe, Captain America: Civil War has now utilized a nearby church for scenes involving a funeral. There’s no word on who will kick the bucket in the highly-anticipated Marvel sequel, but the scene is said to also take place in London. And thanks to Lorenfay, Corey Tatum, and Jennifer Brett, we have some photos that feature several extras all dressed for the occasion, as well as a supposed first look at Chris Evans (Steve Rogers) and Emily VanCamp (Sharon Carter) from afar. Instant speculation would suggest that the funeral is for Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter, who we know is elderly and suffering from alzheimer’s.

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Thanks to Just Jared, we finally have a good first look at Chris Evans (Steve Rogers), Emily VanCamp (Sharon Carter), and Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson) as the stars were filming two seperate scenes yesterday in Atlanta, Georgia, for Marvel Studios’ highly-anticipated Captain America: Civil War.

As previously reported, Evans and VanCamp took part in scenes involving a funeral that’s set in London, which makes us think that it’s for  Hayley Atwell’s former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Peggy Carter. Of course, we won’t know for sure until next summer. Meanwhile, the leading man and co-star Mackie were also spotted filming a different scene together at an unknown location. Anyhow, check it out!

CA: Civil War | Set Photos | 1

Even more Captain America: Civil War set photos thanks to Just Jared, and which seemingly reveal why Chris Evans (Steve Rogers) and Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/ Falcon) are in full costume for today’s scenes in Atlanta, Georgia an African village. That’s right, actor Frank Grillo, who is reprising his Captain America: The Winter Soldier role as Brock Rumlow aka Crossbones in a much larger part, has now been spotted in full costume.

CA: Civil War | Set Photos | 2

In addition, the Daily Mail has provided more shots from the funeral scenes in which Chris Evans is still dressed in all black while helping to carry the casket. We also have our first photos of Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow( It appears directors Anthony & Joe Russo have given Black Widow long hair again following her shorter ‘do in Avengers: Age of Ultron), who it seems was also attending the funeral which is more than likely for Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter.

CA: Civil War | Set Photos | 3

Thanks again to Just Jared we see Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow heading into action (or escaping it) after some sort of scuffle, but where this will fit into the threequel remains to be seen.

CA: Civil War | Set Photos | 4

Once again thanks to Just Jared, we have even more images of Captain America wielding something, and another shot of Crossbones and The Falcon.

CA: Civil War | Set Photos | 5

And last but not least we have 4 set photos of Scarlet Witch herself, Elizabeth Olsen!!

Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” pases the billion-dollar mark 24 days after its global release! This marks the third time a Marvel Studios film has crossed this milestone and makes it the highest grossing film of 2015, domestically.

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” started hitting theaters on April 22 and debuted at #1 in all territories! In the U.S., it achieved the second biggest opening weekend of all time with $191.3M, behind only “Marvel’s The Avengers,” and in Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong, Philippines, Ecuador, and Bolivia, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” had the biggest opening weekend ever.

RUMOURS

We’ll meet Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther for the first time in Captain America: Civil War next year, but Marvel are already looking for a director to helm T’Challa’s 2018 solo movie. It sounds like Ava DuVernay is a strong contender, but now another name may have entered the mix, and once again, it appears as if Kevin Feige is going to make an unexpected and interesting choice.

According to El Mayimbe (via Twitter), it sounds like Marvel have met with Dope director Rick Famuyiwa. It’s strictly a rumour for now of course, but the studio is known for hiring lesser known (i.e. cheap) filmmakers who have impressed critics and moviegoers with TV shows or smaller films. Famuyiwa is a native of Nigeria, and the buzz around Dope has been good, so it’s well worth keeping an eye on this.

It’s hardly a spoiler to say that superheroes will fight in next year’s Captain America: Civil War, but a new rumour details a specific battle between one fan favourite character and another who will be introduced to the MCU for the first time next year.

It’s nothing too revealing of course, but it is interesting to wonder what will lead Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) to come to blows in Captain America: Civil War next year. For example, whose side will they each be on? Now that we know he has a family – who he wants to keep secret – my guess is that Clint will side with Steve, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Will the Green Goliath be smashing his way into Captain America: Civil War along with the rest of his Avengers team-mates? That’s certainly seems to be what Mark Ruffalo is suggesting with both the Tweet below and this Instagram post, but it’s always possible he’s just having a bit of fun or welcoming the new cast members to the MCU. Then again, it seems odd that he’d wait a full week after the announcement just to do that.

The full casting announcement for Captain American: Civil War confirmed the long standing rumours of Paul Rudd and William Hurt appearing in Civil War, with Rudd of course returning as Scott Land and Hurt reprising his role as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, last seen in The Incredible Hulk. But these confirmed castings also lend credibility to a rumour from last year concerning their roles in Civil War, as well as Hurt appearing in Ant-Man. Because it’s an old rumour it’s worth revisiting in light of this new confirmation.

Spoiler Warning: Possible heavy spoilers for both Ant-Man and Civil War ahead.

Given it’s a superhero movie, we can safely assume that Scott Lang is successful in stopping Darren Cross’s evil plan in Ant-Man (whether or not this involves Cross actually being killed, or perhaps banished permanently to the microverse ready to return in future installments, remains to be seen). Normally, I wouldn’t count out Hank Pym’s character biting it to create some emotional pathos for our characters, but a rumour last year also provides details about a possible post-credit scene involving Pym, as well as how Ant-Man fits within the tapestry of the larger Marvel Universe. Apparently the events of Ant-Man take place in the same time frame as Avengers: Age of Ultron, rather than after it, but the post-credit scene catches us up with the aftermath of Age of Ultron. According to the report, the post credit scene involves General Ross (played by Hurt) reaching out to his old colleague Hank Pym, on behalf of Tony Stark. When Pym asks Ross why Stark needs him, Ross allegedly responds, “Haven’t you seen the news? We’re at war.” Now, this doesn’t quite fit into the end of Age of Ultron – things are relatively peaceful when the credits roll – but perhaps futurist Tony Stark is predicting the Civil War to come, and wants Pym on his side. The report also suggests that Tony is reluctant to use his own technology after the disaster that was Ultron, and so requires the military aid and scientific expertise of Ross and Pym.

The report also features a hint about both Black Widow’s role in Civil War. The report confirms early rumours that Black Widow’s role in Civil War will be a relatively small one, with Widow “arrested for aiding fugitive superhumans in a power play by Stark.” A smaller role for actresses Scarlet Johansson makes a great deal of sense. Not only are there an absurd number of characters appearing in Civil War –there are thirteen returning characters, plus the introduction of Black Panther, Baron Zemo, Everett Ross (likely), and of course Spider-Man – but she also has a nine-month old child and an incredibly busy 2016 lined up. Johansson is scheduled to start shooting Ghost in the Shell in January or February of next year, followed by Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 & Part 2 later that year, which will reportedly film for approximately nine months.

Finally, the report goes on to suggest that Ant-Man may be brought into the Avengers film in a jail break sequence freeing Black Widow. The source suggests this would take place in a future Marvel film, but given Ant-Man’s confirmed appearance in Civil War it seems more likely that this would happen in that film. Captain America recruiting former ne’er-do-well Ant-Man to join The Avengers, only to use him in the service of breaking a prisoner out of jail, seems like a perfect way to bring Scott Lang into the larger Avengers fold.

Of course, it’s worth taking all these rumours with a large grain of salt – Marvel is well known for its constant story revisions, and the source for these rumours was anonymous and seemingly unverified. Still, they all seem relatively plausible, and the confirmation of these characters appearances in future marvel films – long before such casting was announced – lends them credibility.

That’s all folks, hope you have now fulfilled your Marvel news cravings! But be sure to check in next week for more news about Marvel!
PEACE!!

Mark Ruffalo Talks STAR WARS, Black Widow Debacle, And She-Hulk

Mark Ruffalo, who stars as The Hulk/Dr. Bruce Banner in Avengers: Age of Ultron, participated in a Reddit AMA and was asked who his top choice would be for Banner’s cousin Jennifer Walters, also known as She-Hulk.

“Oh wow, that’s pretty crazy. Well I think Zoe Saldana would be a great She Hulk,” Ruffalo replied. “It’d be nice to see someone like her join the Avengers. Or someone quiet and demure like Emma Stone would be nice. But it would be up to the powers that be.”

It is virtually impossible for his Infinitely Polar Bear co-star to play She-Hulk since Saldana already plays the green-skinned Gamora (Guardians of the Galaxy) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Keep in mind, Ruffalo is just thinking about who he thinks is the best choice – regardless of logic.

Emma Stone (The Amazing Spider-Man) is a fun choice. Yes, she too has already been in two Marvel films but that was pre-Sony-Marvel deal. So her Gwen Stacy was never a part of the MCU. She’s fair game to be She-Hulk.

She-Hulk was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema and first appeared in She-Hulk #1 (February 1980). When Jennifer Walters was seriously injured in an accident her cousin Bruce gave her a blood transfusion that ended up infusing her with a milder version of his Hulk-like powers. She got his strength, but kept her wits.

Ruffalo recently worked with Star Wars: Episode VIII director Rian Johnson on the film Brothers Bloom. When asked during the same Reddit AMA what it was like working with Johnson, Ruffalo dropped a little hint that he’d like a place in Johnson’s Star Wars:

Loved working with Rian. He is an incredibly gifted film maker and a really fine man. I hope he has a place for me in the new StarWars. Knock knock, Rian.

The comment comes off as a good nature ribbing, so fans probably shoudn’t take it as anything more that. Then again, if it came to pass, Ruffalo in Star Wars may be the closest thing we ever get to a Planet Hulk movie.

Mark Ruffalo, the actor who plays Banner in the film, has already praised Whedon’s work and expressed a different view of Bruce and Natasha’s relationship. During yet again the same AMA on Reddit, Ruffalo went into a much more detailed defense of the Age of Ultron director:

I think it’s sad. Because I know how Joss feels about women, and I know that he’s made it a point to create strong female characters. I think part of the problem is that people are frustrated that they want to see more women, doing more things, in superhero movies, and because we don’t have as many women as we should yet, they’re very, very sensitive to every single storyline that comes up right now. But I think what’s beautiful about what Joss did with Black Widow – I don’t think he makes her any weaker, he just brings this idea of love to a superhero, and I think that’s beautiful.
If anything, Black Widow is much stronger than Banner. She protects him. She does her job, and basically they begin to have a relationship as friends, and I think it’s a misplaced anger. I think that what people might really be upset about is the fact that we need more superhuman women. The guys can do anything, they can have love affairs, they can be weak or strong and nobody raises an eyebrow. But when we do that with a woman, because there are so few storylines for women, we become hyper-critical of every single move that we make because there’s not much else to compare it to.
So I know Joss really well. I know what his values are. And I think it’s sad, because in a lot of ways, there haven’t been as many champions in this universe as Joss isand will continue to be. And I know it hurts him. I know it’s heavy on him. And the guy’s one of the sweetest, best guys, and I know him – as far as any man can be a champion for women, he is that.
So it’s been a little disheartening.
But I also see how much people love that aspect of it. There’s an equal amount of people who find the love interest between Banner and Black Widow to be a big standout. And it’s very satisfying to people. So it’s a movie. People are going to have their opinions. And that’s actually a great thing. The fact that this is a debate that’s coming out of this movie is probably a positive thing.
I just don’t think that people should get personal with Joss, because he really is – of anyone – an advocate for women. He’s a deeply committed feminist.

Whedon left Twitter amidst a the barrage of criticism, though he clarified that he was by no means driven away by any group of people with any particular point of view, but left to better focus on his next writing project. It’s also worth noting that the Banner relationship is only one of the sticking points fans have had with Black Widow’s characterization in Age of Ultron, and not the entirety of it.

Feige & Whedon Talk Being Accused Of ‘Ruining Hollywood’

Despite combining to create one of the most beloved franchises in movie history, Marvel’s Joss Whedon and Kevin Feige have recently found themselves at the receiving end of a bit of criticism regarding Hollywood’s so-called ‘superhero fatigue’ problem. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone to promote Age Of Ultron, the pair sat down and addressed some of their critics’ concerns…

Kevin Feige, upon being asked about whether superhero films are “ruining hollywood”:

“Well, I will say we’re in good company. If you look through the decades of people who’ve been accused of that. Star Wars ruined Hollywood, Steven Spielberg ruined Hollywood — I’ll be in that company any day of the week.
“But the truth is, we don’t spend a lot of time looking at that stuff because we’re too busy trying to make the movies. I haven’t been involved in a project that’s been nominated for an Independent Spirit award, but I imagine those people put all their blood, sweat, and tears into it to try to get it done. That’s exactly what we do over here every single day.”

Whedon seemed to take the criticism in good humor, while building on Feige’s earlier comments:

“They don’t have the Hulk. The Hulk wants to do more independent stuff. It’s just his agent… The Marvel paradigm is new and is being copied by a lot of people, because it worked. But they’re being blamed for something that happened long before comic books became the basis for a lot of these blockbusters.”
“As for whether the paradigm will sustain itself or whether or not people will get sick of superheroes, who knows? Sure, I could stand to make a movie where guys don’t have to be sewn into their outfits. That would be fun. But a lot of vitriol has come Kevin’s way and Marvel’s way. I think perhaps that is misguided.”

Feige concluded the interview by responding to a question many people have been wondering about – when he thinks the superhero bubble will pop:

“As soon as there are a bunch of them that are terrible, that’s when it will end. I don’t believe in the superhero-movie genre. With Guardians of the Galaxy, we wanted to do a big space movie; with Ant-Man, we wanted to do a heist movie; Winter Solider, we wanted to do a political thriller.”
“I’m more entertained by all of those kind of movies when there’s superheroes in the middle of them, so that works out for me. But, I do believe and hope that that’s what we’ll continue to sustain, at least the ones we’re responsible for. The other ones we have nothing to do with – and we go see them when they come out on opening weekend.”

Ant-Man will be in theaters July 17, 2015; Captain America: Civil War – May 6, 2016; Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man reboot – July 28, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Black Panther – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – November 2, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019.

Source: Rolling Stones 

MARVEL MADNESS #4: ANT-MAN Poster, CIVIL WAR Art, Joss Revealing All, AND MORE!!

Well will you look at that it is another Wednesday which means another Marvel Madness! This week’s edition we have an Ant-Man poster, Civil War promo art, Joss revealing all, Ruffalo talking HULK, Spider-Man directors?, and much much more!

By way of a thank you for making Avengers: Age Of Ultron a “global event”, Marvel has released a new theatrical poster for their next movie, Ant-Man. This international one-sheet features Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) surrounded by friend and foe alike.

In “Ant-Man,” Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) approaches master thief Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) with a suit that grants him the ability to shrink in size but increases his strength! Scott must embrace his inner hero and put the suit to good use and save the world under Pym’s leadership.

Ant-Man stars Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, Evangeline Lilly, David Dastmalchian, Michael Pena, Bobby Cannavale, Abby Ryder Fortson, Judy Greer, Wood Harris John Slattery and Gregg Turkington. The film opens July 17, 2015

Umberto Gonzales has given us our first promo art for the upcoming Marvel movie, Captain America: Civil War, and as you can see, Steve’s suit hasn’t been changed all that much from Avengers: Age of Ultron, but it does have quite a bit more red and maybe a slightly more armoured look. He’s going to need that extra protection too, especially as Iron Man appears to be in a version of the “Bleeding Edge” armour from the comic books. The circular arc reactor Joss Whedon was so fond of also appears to be gone, while the helmet gives off something of an Ultimate vibe

Also speaking to MTV, Chris Evans stopped short of calling Captain America: Civil War an Avengers film. Instead, he revealed that Civil War is more of a “setup man” for Avengers: Infinity War. Said Evans, “Captain America: Civil War is the jumpoff into Avengers: The Infinity War. Civil War is going to be the setup for the real battle. So yeah, there are a lot of people – a lot of people in Cap 3.”  
Watch the video above to see the rest of the Age of Ultron cast discuss appearing in Civil War and coyly tease where their allegiances may lie between Captain America and Iron Man.
Captain America: Civil War is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, and confirmed cast members include: Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, Daniel Brühl as Baron Zemo, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow / Crossbones, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon, and Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther. The film is set for release on May 6, 2016.

Age of Ultron Spoilers Incoming*

CinemaBlend asked him if Aaron Taylor-Johnson took the role of Quicksilver because he knew that it would be a one-and-done part, that he wouldn’t be locked into a lengthy Marvel contract, like other actors. And according to Aaron Taylor-Johnson, that wasn’t the case, at all. The actor told me during our exclusive interview:

No, because… I still feel like, you know, they were the best. I mean, I thoroughly enjoyed working on [this movie], and would love to do, I would love to being doing more movies with the guys at Marvel. Maybe there will be some case where that might happen. Again, I’m not sure, but…”

At that point, I pointed out that no one really dies in the MCU. Nick Fury and Special Agent Phil Coulson both “died” on screen, but found ways to return. Elaborating on that, Aaron Taylor-Johnson admitted to me:

I’d love to find what that loophole is, because I think they’re the best guys I’ve worked with in a long time, and yeah, you know, it’s cool.”

While talking with Empire Magazine, Avengers: Age of Ultron writer/director Joss Whedon talked about the shocking death in the movie, the new line-up at the end, what part Loki would have played in the film, his hopes of having Captain Marvel and Spider-Man in the film, and the Hulk in space rumors.
Here’s some of the things he talked about but check out the podcast down below!
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.”

One of the weirder digressions in Avengers: Age of Ultron has Thor seeking answers to questions that crop up in a nightmare sequence. It feels tacked on, almost as if it were part of a much longer storyline that was whittled down into near-incoherence. As it turns out, that’s exactly what it is.
Director Joss Whedon reveals what we’re missing in the final cut of the movie, and with that added context, it makes much more sense. 
Whedon explains what was supposed to happen.

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 [Hemsworth] 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.

The Norn are, essentially, goddesses of destiny within the Marvel universe. I’m betting one of them is the mystery woman in the cave who was spotted in early trailers for Avengers: Age of Ultron, but got cut before the film hit theaters.
Whedon admitted that integrating Thor into Avengers: Age of Ultron was a challenge, but thought the subplot he finally came up with was “a huge win.” Unfortunately, the execs didn’t seem to agree:

The dreams were not an executive favorite. The dreams, the farmhouse, these were things I fought [for]. With the cave, they pointed a gun at the farm’s head and ‘Give us the cave’. They got the farm. In a civilized way – I respect these guys, but that’s when it got really unpleasant. There was a point when there was going to be no cave, and Thor was going to leave and come back and say, ‘I figured some stuff out.’ And at that point I was so beaten down, I was like, ‘Sure, okay… what movie is this?’ The editors were like, ‘No no, you have to show the thing, you just can’t say it.’ I was like, ‘Okay, thank you, we can figure this out!’ You can tell it was beaten down, but it was hard won.

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.
Whedon revealed to the Empire Film Podcast that he fully intends for Quicksilver to stay dead:

It felt very disingenuous for me, especially the second time around, to make what I refer to as ‘a war movie’ and say that there is no price and everybody walks away. In this movie, we’re saying, ‘Prove to me that you guys are heroes.’ And he’s the guy that does it.
I knew it would be resonant, and make everything else work better and matter more. The city in the air, that’s just an explosion – Wanda’s grief, that’s extraordinary. 

It’s not ultimately up to Whedon, though, and he’s well aware of that fact. In fact, he planned for the possibility that he would be overruled.

I said to Aaron, ‘The only way you’ll stay alive is if the Disney executives say, “Hey idiot, this is a franchise, and we need all these people and you’re not allowed to kill them off!”
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!’

*End of Spoilers

Whedon addressed the Avengers Age of Ultron Spider-Man rumors. Speaking about the Avengers lineup at the end of the movie, he revealed:

I wanted all 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. I was like, ‘And Spider-Man, we could do that too, cause 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. And then they were 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 fuckers! Thanks for nothing.’

Here’s the podcast to listen to your heart’s content:

Collider had a chat with the HULK himself, Mark Ruffalo, they talked about Avengers: Age of Ultron, his movie contract with Marvel, Hulk’s involvement in Captain America: Civil War, and more!

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Mark Ruffalo:

Discusses worst job before acting and his old boss.
[01:31–5:00]: Talks about most memorable moment on the set of Avengers: Age of Ultron, his movie contract with Marvel, Hulk’s involvement in Captain America: Civil War, and why we haven’t seen a new standalone Hulk film.
[5:01–9:10]: Discusses the future of Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in regards to the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron and beyond, his discussions with Joss Whedon, and twists in the film.
[9:11–11:00]: Talks about deleted scenes in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and teases Now You See Me 2.

If you saw AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, and the box office returns indicate you probably did, you likely noticed multiple scenes in the film that address the potential casualties as a result of Ultron’s actions as well as those of the Avengers themselves. This is a stark contrast to the events in both MAN OF STEEL and THE AVENGERS, two films criticized in different ways for the way they tackled the civilian body count in their respective scenes of city-wide destruction.
In an interview with Vulture, director Joss Whedon responded to why they felt it was necessary to represent the carnage responsibly.

“Absolutely, yes. Something that Kevin and I talked about from the start was that we’d seen a little bit of a trend in movies where the city gets destroyed and the heroes say, ‘We won!’ And I’m thinking, Define ‘win.’ [AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON] gets back to what’s important, which is that the people you’re trying to protect are people. We knew that we wanted to play with a lot of big, fun destruction, but at the same time, we wanted to say, ‘There’s a price for this.’ So we got very specific about it, because whether the Avengers are heroes or not is called into question in this movie, or whether the hero as a concept is still useful for society. It sort of becomes the central issue in the final battle, and it’s also a good way for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to be put at a disadvantage.”

During an appearance on the Conan show on Monday night, Jeremy Renner opened up about the trouble that he got into for calling Black Widow a slut.

“It was a joke, off-colored, whatever, but yeah, I’m unapologetic about a lot of things,” said Renner. “But yeah, I got in a lot of Internet trouble. I guess that’s a thing now.”

Renner added, “I was asked the question like, so Black Widow’s been linked to Hawkeye, Iron Man, Bruce Banner, and Captain America, so what do you think about that. Well, I said, ‘It sounds like she’s a slut.’ Now, mind you, I was talking about a fictional character and fictional behavior, but Conan if you slept with four of the six Avengers, no matter how much fun you had, you’d be a slut.”

Collider recently spoke with Hardy, and touched on superhero movies with the actor. Hardy was set to star in the supervillain team-up film Suicide Squad, but had to drop out. Nevertheless, he still wants to do a comic book movie, and at the top of his list is The Punisher:

Collider: I heard Warner Bros. has a few more superhero movies, maybe one or two that they’re developing [Laughs].

HARDY: I want The Punisher… I want The Punisher, or Splinter Cell, I want something…I don’t know what I want.

You as Punisher could be very interesting.

HARDY: I’m not big enough to be The Punisher, I’m 5’9” [Laughs].

But I actually think that adds to the character.

HARDY: Frank Castle, I would love it. Is that him, isn’t it?

Yeah. It’s Frank Castle.

In the following interview with MTV News, Daredevil star Charlie Cox reveals which specific comic book storyline featuring a team-up between the Man Without Fear and Spider-Man he’s particularly fond of, as well as his desire to make that a reality on the big or small screen.

The British actor also comments on his character’s role in the likes of Civil War and the New Avengers, and seems hopeful that he will end up becoming part of one of those in Marvel’s Phase 3 slate. Cox also expresses disappointment that real-life friend Andrew Garfield is no longer Spidey.

Deadline are reporting that Marvel Studios have narrowed their search for the director of the Untitled MCU Spider-Man. They sat that these are in contention for the director’s chair: 50/50 and Warm Bodies writer/helmer Jonathan Levine; Ted Melfi, writer/director of Golden Globe-nommed St. Vincent; Pitch Perfect helmer Jason Moore; John Francis Daley & Jonathan M. Goldstein, the directors/writers of the updated version of John Hughes’ Vacation; and Napoleon Dynamite and Don Verdean writer/director Jared Hess.

Deadline also gives us a possible plot-line for the movie itself saying that Kevin Feige and his producing accomplice Amy Pascal are planning an arc that will tell the Spidey story over three to four movies, each covering a year of high school for Peter Parker, who’ll already have been bitten by the radioactive spider so we don’t have to see that all over again.

Slight AoU Spoilers

As we know, Thanos will try and assemble all of the Infinity Gems before we get to Avengers: Infinity War part one and two. Even though we have a pretty long way to go before we lay eyes on this film, you can keep your knowledge of the MCU fresh. How so? You can check out a handy new infographic constructed by IGN, which tells you everything you’d want to know about the infinity stones we’ve seen so far.

Ant-Man will be in theaters July 17, 2015; Captain America: Civil War – May 6, 2016; Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man reboot – July 28, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Black Panther – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – November 2, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019.

Phew! That’s a wrap for me for this week’s Marvel Madness, click here for other things and don’t forget to come back next week for more Marvelous news!

PEACE!

‘The Hulk’ Was Originally To Turn Grey In AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

The following video takes a closer look at the work which went into bringing the Hulk vs. Hulkbuster fight to life in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and it’s revealed that the plan was for the Green Goliath to go grey during the time he spend under the control of the Scarlet Witch. A specific reason for that not happening in the movie isn’t given, but it sounds like Marvel decided to keep him his original colour, possibly overruling Whedon’s original plan. Who knows, but as merchandise was made for a grey “Savage Hulk”, it might have been a choice made at a fairly late stage in production.


Ant-Man will be in theaters July 17, 2015; Captain America: Civil War – May 6, 2016; Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man reboot – July 28, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Black Panther – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – November 2, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019.

Joss Whedon Explains LOKI’S Cut From AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON And Other Things

Idris Elba let slip last year that he had filmed an Avengers: Age of Ultron scene with Tom Hiddleston, but while Heimdall does make an appearance in the Marvel sequel, Loki is nowhere to be seen. Evidently, Hiddleston’s cameo was left on the cutting room floor, as Joss Whedon now confirms.

“We did shoot something, but it didn’t play,” the Age of Ultron writer-director told MTV News. “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.  Whedon added, “At some point the embarrassment of riches is actually embarrassing.”

Perhaps, Tom Hiddleston’s cameo will be included in the many deleted scenes to be featured on the Blu-ray and DVD* release for Avengers: Age of Ultron. In the meantime, we can still expect the God of Mischief’s full-fledged return in Thor: Ragnarok on November 3, 2017.


*Amazon a few days ago showed that Marvel has plans for an extended cut and alternate ending for Avengers: Age of Ultron when it reaches DVD and Blu-ray. The information came from an email which was sent out by Amazon with a link to pre-order the sequel. Well, the online shopping service has now sent out another – to UK 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.”

That all makes sense, especially when Avengers: Age of Ultron has only just come out in the UK. However, it’s hard to imagine that Amazon just plucked this information out of nowhere, so it could just be that they’ve had a telling off from Disney for revealing something they shouldn’t have. We’ll have to wait and see, but it will probably be a long time until we get any sort of confirmation

At the recent Los Angeles press day for the film, Collider landed an exclusive interview with Joss Whedon. He talked about memorable moments from filming, his first cut, deleted scenes, if he planted any hidden Easter Eggs, how the finished film compares to what he thought going in, future plans now that his Marvel contract has ended, the full version of “Save or Kill”, and more.

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Ant-Man will be in theaters July 17, 2015; Captain America: Civil War – May 6, 2016; Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man reboot – July 28, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Black Panther – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – November 2, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019.

MARVEL MADNESS #3: Hawkeye Going Solo?, Marvel Annoyed With Joss, Scarlet Witch Costume And MORE!

So it is another Wednesday and that means another Marvel Madness! This week’s edition covers topics like a possible Hawkeye solo movie, Marvel butting heads with Joss Whedon, the updated Scarlet Witch costume, and MORE!

Iron Man, Captain America and Thor each must be something special. Out of the current Avengers line-up (not including Edward Norton’s Hulk), they are the only ones to have starred in standalone films. While Marvel teased big plans for Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk and Scarlett Johansson keeps lobbying for a Black Widow movie, poor Hawkeye is chillin’ in left field. He does have a significantly larger part to play in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but will we ever get to see him in a solo Hawkeye film?

The Daily Beast recently spoke with Renner about his latest reprisal of the character for this weekend’s big superhero movie event, but the site also asked about this pressing issue. According to Renner, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities.

There are always talks about things, but that doesn’t ever mean they’ll become a reality. All these things can still happen. They just pave some road and plant some seeds for future things—if they choose to go down that road.

AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON SPOILERS from this point on! 

So at the end of Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) becomes a full-fledged member of the team, and gets a brand new costume (and hairdo) to mark the occasion. She’s seen using her powers to levitate, and as she lands the camera pans up for the reveal, which is why we only have an image of her from the waist up. Those hoping for something more similar to the barely there outfit she sports in the comics might be disappointed, but I think most would agree it’s a pretty cool look for the character.

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******AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON SPOILERS******SCARLET WITCH NEW COSTUME
Posted by Sean Murphy TV on Monday, 27 April 2015

Spider-Man: The New Avenger? According to Umberto Gonzales (who is no longer part of Latino-Review and is instead creating his own site), that might be the title of Marvel’s Spider-Man reboot.

It’s strictly a rumour for now, and chances are that those previous reports about the movie being called Spectacular Spider-Man were correct. However, Spider-Man: The New Avenger works a lot better, especially as it will make it clear to regular moviegoers that this version of the wall-crawler exists in the same world as The Avengers, and not the one created by The Amazing Spider-Man movies. Kevin Feige will want to do everything possible to distance this franchise from that one.

This title would also confirm that Spidey will be a member of the team which rumour has it will be led by Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe following the events of Captain America: Civil War.

Joss Whedon has been talking about the confusion he caused by killing off Agent Coulson in The Avengers movie, bringing him back to life in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show, but then keeping him dead for Avengers: Age of Ultron.

IGN caught up with the writer-director to discuss the new film, and asked if Phil Coulson is indeed still deceased as far as the movies are concerned.

“Yeah he’s dead. The entire television series is just a fever dream. It’s a Jacob’s Ladder moment he’s having at the point of death, but we don’t give that away until after season seven. And there’s a snow globe. Now I’ve given it away. Bollocks!

“It’s a weird little yes and no. As far as I’m concerned in the films, yes he’s dead. In terms of the narrative of these guys [The Avengers] his loss was very important. When I created the television show, it was sort of on the understanding that this can work and we can do it with integrity, but these Avengers movies are for people to see the Avengers movies and nothing else. And it would neither make sense nor be useful to say ‘Oh and by the way remember me? I died!’”

And it sounds like the somewhat confusing decision has caused some consternation within the MCU.

“I think actually the movie people were a little bit cross about the TV show.” “They were sort of like ‘Well you can have this but not this. And this but not that.’ It’s complicated enough as it is without me adding another layer of complication. We also created a TV show called S.H.I.E.L.D. right before they made a movie where they destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D.. So everybody’s having a GREAT time!”


In the above interview with IGN, Avengers: Age of Ultron director Joss Whedon confirms that he pushed for Daredevil to get a movie rather than a TV show. It’s not a fight he won obviously, and Kevin Feige’s decision to reboot the character on the small screen obviously paid off in a major way as the Netflix series has been hugely successful. Why then did Whedon want DD to get a movie?
“I fought for Daredevil to be a film instead of a TV show,” Whedon reveals. “Then under the auspices of Drew Goddard and Steve DeKnight… I’m dying to see the show but they released it just as I started the press tour! If the show’s working, the show’s working. Comic books are serialised entertainment and a lot of them lend themselves to TV shows as much or more than they do to movies.” Charlie Cox has said that he would like to star in a Daredevil movie, while there have been rumours that the Man Without Fear will show up alongside his fellow Defenders in Avengers: Infinity War. A cameo in Captain America: Civil War is looking extremely unlikely. 
What makes Whedon suc a big fan of the character? “I like him because he’s basically Marvel’s Batman, thanks to Frank Miller basically. So for me I didn’t think they’d be able to sustain that sort of mood on TV but TV has changed so much. It’s come up so much that I think it might just be the right place.” 

It could just be a matter of time before Marvel and Sony officially announce our new Spider-Man, because the latest report reckons Asa Butterfield (Ender’s Game, Hugo) is not only the frontrunner, but might possibly have the role in the bag already. Latino Review‘s sources believe the 18-year-old actor is the favourite, with one of them pretty sure he’s already been cast, claiming “Marvel had liked him since day one.”

After launching in 44 markets with $200.2M, Walt Disney’s Marvel Avengers: Age of Ultron is setting foot in the states. Conservative estimates see the film doing safely $200M at the domestic B.O. at a total of 4,247 engagements, but industry estimates see the Marvel superhero team film easily kicking the first Avengers, which owns the highest domestic opening of all-time at $207.4M, aside with a bow of $210M-$230M. Note that $230M is a very aggressive estimate.

At the recent Los Angeles press day for the film, Collider landed an exclusive interview with Scarlett Johansson. She talked about the positive reception for the film, how much Kevin Feige has told her about Black Widow’s future, working with Captain America: The Winter Soldier directors Joe and Anthony Russo again on Captain America: Civil War and what she thinks of them directing Avengers: Infinity War, her reaction to reading the Civil War script, her Marvel contract, and her thoughts on a solo Black Widow movie.
Obviously your character is an integral part of the Marvel universe and for the foreseeable future. How much has Kevin Feige told you, ‘This is where we’re going with the character’ and how much is it you figuring it out movie by movie?
JOHANSSON: I think in the grand scheme of things The Widow has a greater purpose, and I think all of the characters do one way or another. There’s definitely –especially with the Civil War coming up I think it’s pretty clear where the pieces will fall. I think all that we’ve built up to this point, in regards to our characters’ own individual kind of moral compass and thought process, and background, and training, and experience, will have us kind of siding one way or another. That part of it is –I know where I’m going, I’m not always sure how I’m gonna get there, and that is developed over each film.
You’re getting ready to film Civil War, which so many of us are so excited for, also because Spider-Man’s being brought into the picture and you’re working with Joe and Anthony Russo again. How excited are you to jump back in to something that so many fans are looking forward to?
JOHANSSON: I’m excited to work with the Russos again, they have a very different approach to this universe than Joss, just different. It will be interesting to see how they treat all of these new characters. When we were doing Cap 2 the film felt very much like we were doing a kind of ‘70s style car-chase political thriller; it had that kind of flavor, but they were also dealing with far less characters, the stakes were just different. Now with Civil War it’s gonna be interesting to see how they set up this next phase. I think Cap 3 is definitely sort of like a pre-Avengers 3 and 4, it feels like that, whereas Cap 2 didn’t feel like necessarily it was part of The Avengers. I mean, it does and it feels like a piece that fits in, but it didn’t feel like it was leading you into Avengers 2.
Have you read the script for Civil War? What was your reaction when you did?
JOHANSSON: I have read the script for Civil War. You know, the film has a very different feeling than kind of anything that I’ve read or been a part of Marvel’s before. These films are –I don’t think darker is the right word because there’s definitely always going to be some kind of levity and that comes in like a form of humor, or hope. When you compare these films to like Batman, it’s a different feeling obviously, it’s a different audience experience, but these films as the stakes loom like larger and larger I think these films are kind of maturing with the audience; so there’s even kind of more –I think– complex psychological twists that I sort of hadn’t necessarily anticipated.
Your relationship with Cap is so strong from Winter Soldier, does that automatically mean Black Widow sides with Cap in Civil War?
JOHANSSON: [Laugh]. I can’t say anything about that. [Laughs].
[Laughs] I had to try though.
JOHANSSON: I think that…It’s…I can’t say anything [Laughs].
There’s been a lot of talk that with Avengers: Infinity War Part I and II some of the cast might only be in Part II because of contracts. Are you in both parts of that, do you know?
JOHANSSON: I don’t know, I believe so. I have no idea exactly what shape those scripts are gonna take, so it’s too early to say.
I wanted to specifically ask a lot of the cast yesterday about contracts, because a lot of people are coming near the end of their contracts, and I don’t know what you signed on for, I don’t know if it’s public knowledge. But are you nearing the end of your contract?
JOHANSSON: My contract has changed; myself and Marvel didn’t really know how the fans were gonna react to Black Widow the first time and how she was gonna be—they couldn’t anticipate how they would want to user her or if they would want to use her. I mean we invest in that character, but the audience had a great reaction to the character, which has been so awesome. For instance, I wasn’t contracted into doing Cap movies, but that storyline worked out so well I kind of branched off and I found myself in that standalone movie. My contract is kind of mutating, I guess [Laughs] or morphed to fit the demand of the character.
So basically you still have multiple pictures left or it’s been a good relationship back and forth?
JOHANSSON: It’s been a very good relationship back and forth and I think Marvel—the one thing about working with them is they don’t want anybody to work in the movie that doesn’t want to be there, obviously. So whatever you’re contracted to should not feel like golden handcuffs, and they don’t want that either.
A lot of people want to see a solo Black Widow movie and were a little bit disappointed that on the epic schedule that Marvel released, there was no solo movie. How do you feel, do you want to have a solo movie on your own, or do you feel that maybe the character is best when it’s part of this group ensemble?
JOHANSSON: I think that there’s room for a standalone movie. The character has a really rich origin story and I’ve been really fortunate to kind of place all these layers on top of one another and kind of build up this character to this point where I think I can now start to peel them away and reveal different sides of her and really focus on—I think I’ve been able to grow with the character, the character’s been able to grow with me. Her dilemma that she faces it’s a deeply personal one, she has this great, huge, epic kind of calling and now is suddenly going, ‘Wait a minute. I have this epic calling, but I wanna make a choice for myself. I feel like I’ve put in the hours, I should be able to make active choices’ and she inevitably chooses the heroic path and kind of puts her own personal desires and needs aside. Those are things that kind of butt up against each other and interesting things happen when you have a character that’s pulled in many different directions and I think there’s –In my mind there’s room for plenty of more Black Widow and certainly more –I think I could see her in a standalone film.
If you don’t mind, have you actually asked Kevin, ‘Hey, Kevin…’?
JOHANSSON: I’ve spoken to Kevin about it. I mean, of course, of course we’ve had that conversation before, and I think Kevin would also like to see a standalone film. I think I can speak for him and say that. That’s all, really. Right now I think this character is used well in this part of the universe, but I think that Kevin, I mean, we’ve talked about it and we both share similar vision for what could be a standalone series.
And THAT’S ALL FOLKS!! Be sure for to check out more news here, and see you next week!

Joss Whedon Talks Post AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Filmmaking

Joss Whedon has been talking about his post-Marvel movie career, telling IGN that he’s definitely interested in directing a Star Wars film, but stating that he wouldn’t want to see the franchise crossover with the MCU.

Disney owns both properties these days, so while Whedon was doing the publicity rounds for Avengers: Age of Ultron, we asked him if he’d be interested in potentially relocating to a galaxy far, far away.

“Right now I’d be interested in a long nap! But are you kidding? It’s Star Wars! It’s always going to be Star Wars!”

Whedon is less interested in seeing the franchise merge with the Marvel Cinematic Universe however. “I rule out nothing” he explained. “But I think it would not be my choice. You have two enormously strong, very textured universes. To say we have just the one would be to in some way dilute them. I think it makes sense to keep them in their own time, which I believe was long ago and not so close by.”

The writer-director added that while it’s great to mine all these properties from the past for material, studios should also be striving to come up with original ideas.

“It’s pretty exciting – I have to say. I saw the new trailer for Star Wars as everyone else had. ‘It’s good to be home.’ But at the same time we’re all painfully aware that at some point we’ll be running on fumes. I love working with the characters I grew up reading about but we need to create the characters that other people are going to grow up reading about.”

Source: IGN

Joss Whedon Dismisses Marvel Vs. DC Talk


Rather than being grateful about the sheer amount of comic book movies on the way, a lot of fanboys seem unable to stop bickering about which is better; Marvel or DC Comics adaptations. This is not something Avengers: Age of Ultron understands. “I get very confused when people say we’re in competition,” he tells MTV News. “Competition for what? Their movies are so different. The way they approach them — the Marvel aesthetic and the DC aesthetic — couldn’t be more opposite. I love that. I love going to their movies. I want to see how they build their team. I want to see Affleck play Batman. Now I just get to sit back and be a fan of both.” As for which character from the Distinguished Competition he most wants to take a crack at (he is a free agent after all), Whedon added: “Nobody doesn’t want Batman. Everybody wants to play with Batman. Come on!”

Source: MTV News

Joss Whedon Talks PLANET HULK

Will we get a standalone Hulk movie or won’t we? It’s the question on everyone’s mind ever since Mark Ruffalo took the role of the Jade Giant and nobody is relenting. The theory was for a long time that at the end of Avengers: Age Of Ultron, we would see something hinting towards a Planet Hulk film, but director Joss Whedon thinks that might not be the best thing.
When asked about the character, in an interview with IGN, here’s what Whedon had to say about the character.

“I always think that there are basically two Hulks. There’s horror movie Hulk and superhero movie Hulk. In the first film we got a taste of both and it really has to do with Banner’s attitude about who he is when he turns into the Hulk. And since the movie begins with the team together, the first thing we see is superhero Hulk, who has a level of cogency that makes him still useful and he isn’t just swatting things madly. But then, once the Scarlet Witch gets done with him, we get to see a vision of him that we have never seen before where he is completely out of control. And also clearly in a lot of pain. It was kind of beautiful to be able to go that far with him.”

When pressed on why there aren’t any plans for a stand alone Hulk movie, Whedon was more than candid with his response.

“Honestly I think it’s a legal thing. I think it’s because there’s other studio rights and this and that. It’s difficult. Hulk movies are very difficult because it isn’t a classic superhero story. It is more of a werewolf story, and finding a way to thread both of those makes if difficult. But I think it has more to do with the boring issues… because they love the Hulk and they love Mark as much as I do.”

It’s interesting to note that the Universal aspect of the Hulk’s rights continue to be a roadblock to any real plans that Marvel may or may not want to pursue with the character. However, if there is one thing Whedon is fairly certain on, its that a Planet Hulk is not the right offramp to take when they get to it.

“It [Planet Hulk] absolutely could be put onscreen. I don’t know if it should. I think part of what makes the Hulk great is the world around him and the Banner of it. And it would be mad expensive as well. I think if they were going to do a Hulk movie, they’d want to keep it more grounded.”

Source: IGN