Joss Whedon Talks Up AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Early Cut And 'Fan Joy' Moments
From a recent screening of the Marvel sequel, to what makes it different from other superhero movies, hit the jump and check out the latest from director Joss Whedon on Avengers: Age of Ultron.
When SFX magazine spoke with Joss Whedon sometime last month, the Avengers: Age of Ultron writer/director was (and still is) in the editing process and nearing a final cut. "We're at the insane-o-stage," he said. "I think we're just about to come out of the insane-o-stage and into the 'Hey, this looks like a movie!' stage. I believe that it's starting to come together." He later spoke about the plot, which will see Earth's mightiest heroes deal with personal challenges as well as a maniacal robot. "What drives this story is the idea power and connection, and how the more you have of one the less you have of another," explained Whedon. "And the idea of heroes and whether or not that's a useful concept. I know it seems like we've heard that before but I feel that this movie makes an argument that is worth listening to. It's about damaged people, because guess what I like to write about! And it's about trying to find some kind of connection, because the Avengers are the most isolated people in the world. They're different to everyone else. They're richer, or stranger, or they're monsters or they're gods. Not one of them is really a part of the world. And this movie kind of drags them back down to Earth a little bit, which is both painful and exciting."
Speaking of "exciting," yesterday's trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron teased plenty of fan service; from the team taking on a secret Hydra base, and the Hulk fighting Iron Man's Hulkbuster armor up a skyscraper, to the all-out war between the heroes and Ultron's army of drones. When asked if there is a moment in the much-anticipated Marvel sequel where he can ignore fan expectations and just take in the fan joy of the visuals he's bringing to the big-screen, Joss Whedon responded: "Oh, there's more than one! Honestly, we screened the movie last night, and just to sit down and watch it, which is not something you really get to do at this stage... I was like okay, some of this is the bomb. Some of this is really really lovely. The actors are killing it, the sequences are exciting, the editors are amazing and Ben Davis, who shot it, has made it a work of art. There are some hardcore action sequences in this but what's really grand is how the characters play through those. It's always got to be about the people. Not just the smaller moments, where they're talking alone, but the way they're interacting during the action is really exciting for me. I'm a people person unless I'm in an actual room with people." If you haven't already, be sure to pick up the latest issue of SFX, or stay tuned to CBM for more from Joss Whedon. What do you think?
Marvel Studios presents Avengers: Age of Ultron, the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to the Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure. Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk. Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision. Written and directed by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige, Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” published in 1963. Get set for an action-packed thrill ride when The Avengers return in Avengers: Age of Ultron May 1, 2015.