"Setting the film in New York City was very important for us," says executive producer
Louis D' Esposito.
"In ‘Iron Man’ we established Tony Stark on the West Coast with his amazing house in Malibu, but we also wanted him to have Stark Tower in New York City. So having ‘The Avengers’ set in New York was important, but the question became, ‘How do you stage a massive attack and battle in the streets and blow up New York City?’ It posed great logistical challenges that we felt we could overcome by shooting in other cities that could double for New York and piecing it all together with visual effects."
Those other cities included Albuquerque, New Mexico, for three months before moving on to Cleveland, Ohio; Wilmington, Ohio; Sandusky, Ohio; Worthington, Pennsylvania; and finally New York City itself.
"We had a great experience in New Mexico shooting on ‘Thor’ and Albuquerque Studios is a world-class facility that was brand-new and could accommodate all of the very large builds we needed to do as well as production support all in one self-contained facility," explained executive producer
Patricia Whitcher.
"With so many moving parts in a production like this, it really benefited everyone to have the ability to set up shop and shoot in one location for three months before going on the road for the last portion of the shooting schedule."
So, on April 24th, 2011, in downtown Albuquerque, the 92 day shoot kicked off with the scene in which Nick Fury confront Captain America in an old boxing gym. It is here that Steve Rogers learns that the threat they face is one he's only too familiar with. The Tesseract.
"I think he would be very hesitant to get back into this world if the content of the mission had been different," explains
Chris Evans.
"There isn’t anyone who has had more direct contact with the Tesseract than Steve Rogers. So even though he’s still adjusting and feeling conflicted with his new life, he’s going to give his all to the mission and help. That’s just typical Steve Rogers; he has some things to work out, but he knows his country needs him and he’s willing to give."
"When the film opens, we see Steve Rogers in the midst of his loneliness and disassociation," adds director
Joss Whedon.
"He is having a little post-traumatic stress disorder as he has only been out of the ice for about a month and is feeling very isolated. The idea of setting the scene in an old gym was because it is a place where he felt comfortable because it hadn’t really changed over the years. It’s very evocative of the 1940s and the way we lit it felt like ‘The Godfather,’ which is what I really wanted for this scene in which Nick Fury gives Steve Rogers his mission and shows him that the Tesseract is still active."
•Kevin Feige, Joss Whedon and Robert Downey Jr. Discuss MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS
•The Cast Of MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS Discuss Their Characters In The Superhero Ensemble
•Kevin Feige Describes THE AVENGERS As Being From Nick Fury's Point Of View
•Joss Whedon, Cobie Smulders And More Comment On Maria Hill's Place In THE AVENGERS
•Robert Downey Jr.: "If Steve Rogers And Tony Stark’s Relationship Doesn't Work, Then THE AVENGERS Doesn’t Work"
•Joss Whedon Describes Agent Coulson's "Man Crush" On Captain America In THE AVENGERS
•Robert Downey Jr. And Gwyneth Paltrow On The Return Of Pepper Potts In THE AVENGERS
STARRING:
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man
Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye
Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Ramanoff/Black Widow
Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson
Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill
Tom Hiddleston as Loki
RELEASE DATE: April 26th, 2012. (UK) May 4th, 2012. (US)
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