Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1st, 2015)

[jye4ever]

Muse See This

Bad *** Digest description:

I won’t lie: I walked out of the Marvel panel wishing there had been more. Their big announcement - Guardians of the Galaxy is getting a sequel - had been spoiled by the trades. They just squatted a whole bunch of release dates, and I fully expected to get a complete rundown of Phase Three, or at the very least more info on the upcoming sequels. But there were no new announcements made today.


What there was was some incredible footage from Avengers: Age of Ultron - footage so good, so strong, that it more than made up for the lack of news. And it’s footage so well shot that it’s going to shut up a lot of Joss Whedon’s naysayers. I’d like to see what TV shows are shot like this.


The footage opened with the much-discussed party scene, where all the Avengers take turns trying to lift Thor’s hammer. We talked about it a lot here in the comments - how would Joss Whedon handle Cap trying? Surely he’s worthy, but having Cap pick up the hammer at a party feels like a waste of a potential crowd-pleasing action beat. Whedon handled it well - Cap is the only one who can even budge the hammer, and when he does the shot rack focuses to Thor on the couch, looking more than a little perturbed.


But the revelry is cut short by a high-pitched whine. Ultron, a shambling mess of jammed together junk parts comes in. He says none of them could be worthy of the hammer, as they’re all murderers and liars, people who protect the status quo instead of changing the world. And he must exterminate them. Then more Ultrons burst through the wall and attack.


James Spader’s Ultron sounds like James Spader coming in over a slightly fuzzy radio station. He’s definitely doing ‘maniacal villain’ voice, but nothing too hammy. I like the fact that Ultron sounds organic and not autotuned. It’s cool, and it makes him a character.


Then we cut through a bunch of other sequences: a city in ruins and Hawkeye helping survivors out of rubble. Bruce Banner on a Quinjet in a straightjacket. Quicksilver running at super speed through a train car. Thor smashes a futuristic looking (Hydra?) tank. Black Widow dropping out of a quinjet on a motorcycle and hitting the street driving. But the action centerpiece was a shot of the Hulkbuster armor stepping into frame, with a thicker helmet popping up to encase Iron Man’s itty bitty normal helmet. And they fight! Hulk throws a car at Iron Man, who staggers back, and then staggers back more as the Hulk hits the car that is now pinned on Iron Man’s chest!


The footage looked big, and it looked global. This is a worldwide threat.


We also saw Ultron in his final form, and his lips move! He’s basically liquid metal.


Finally there was a shot of the Avengers all laying - seemingly dead - on what looks like Thanos’ asteroid. Captain America’s shield is shattered. Only Tony Stark is alive, looking in horror at his dead friends.

Spoiler

Small spoiler, I guess: they don’t die in this movie. One of Scarlet Witch’s powers is creating hallucinations, and I’d wager that’s what is happening here.

The footage was incredible, cinematic and exciting. While I wish Marvel had revealed more, what I really wish is that they had shown this twice - I could have sat through it three more times, easy.

 

[Niltusk]

Captain America’s shield is shattered.

You know when this played, wherever he was, whatever he was doing, Khev had a Yoda order 66 moment.

 

[jye4ever]

Yup, Khev will need Ultron > Cap therapy for a very long time.

 

[jye4ever]

Paul Bettany comes into the room at the San Diego Hard Rock Hotel in a light pink striped shirt, all smiles and easy going humor which never goes away. Charming and deprecating, he sat down to talk about his role as the Vision in the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron with an eye entirely on what he can’t say, starting with a quick glance at a faux message on his phone until he declared “Yep, I can’t say anything.”


He sits anyway, taking a tense look at the window and making sure the blinds are closed.


Paul Bettany: I don’t like sitting near a window with my back to it. It’s like I can see the glint off the Marvel snipers lenses.


SuperHeroHype: So how did it come about, you taking on the Vision role in Avengers? Did you know early on that you would do that?


Bettany: For a long while I discovered, having playing J.A.R.V.I.S., I wasn’t allowed to then play another character and Joss Whedon and I got on very well and he looked for a way to make that work and found it, though I can’t say what the relationship is between Vision and J.A.R.V.I.S.. Everything is a double-edged sword, I used to be in a studio for 45 minutes and do J.A.R.V.I.S. and get a huge bag of cash and go my way like a burglar, and now they want me to work for my money. Which is great and sweaty and hot, which you’ll realize once they unveil everything. It’s really ******ing cool. It’s great to join this train which is on really clear tracks.


SHH: What intrigued you about the Vision?


Bettany: I’ve got to say that the greatest thing about the job for me is that however much research I could do, I would never know as much about Vision and this world as Kevin Feige and Joss Whedon, so it’s nice to give all responsibility of that to those guys. The thing that appealed to me is that this sort of nascent creature being born, being both omnipotent and totally naive, the sort of danger of that and complex nature of a thing being born that is that powerful and that created in a second and the choices he makes morally are really complex and interesting. They’ve really managed to maintain all of that, the old image I love is of him crying, I think it’s really expressed kind of beautifully in this “Avengers” film.


SHH: This seems like a great ensemble to be a part of. Was that how it worked out? Or are you with just a few of them?


Bettany: It’s both those things. Initially its everyone on set at the same time, the sort of introduction of Vision on the first day and that was huge and everyone was incredibly welcoming, and really prepared. That sounds really sutpid but I can’t tell you how often you get on set with famous actors and they haven’t done any work and you realize ‘you don’t know what the scene is.’ But this situation is there are so many characters everyone only gets 2 or 3 takes so everyone is really focused.






SHH: Is there a different voice from the Vision than J.A.R.V.I.S.?


Bettany: I can’t talk about that. It happens entirely naturally on set and those things are hard to analyze and there are absolute differences clearly.


SHH: Was it something you worked on beforehand?


Bettany: I worked on it, but the interaction with other people and actors, but the director changes thing. He is not J.A.R.V.I.S. and he is not a child of Ultron, he is the Vision. That weirdly happened on its own. He’s J.A.R.V.I.S. but yoked.


SHH: Was it great to work with Robert Downey in person instead of just being in a booth?


Bettany: It was lovely. Often you’re saying outlandish things to each other, with all of them, with him and Spader and Ruffalo and Hemsworth, it’s amazing how you can sell these very outlandish notions.


SHH: What is Vision’s relationship with Stark like?


Bettany: That’s very, Vision feels paternal to a number of people.


SHH: How many times do you get to punch?


Bettany: I’m really good at punching. Vision is good at punching.


SHH: What’s his relationship with Scarlet Witch?


Bettany: Protective.


SHH: A lot of cast members sign on for multiple films in the series. How many are you signed on for?


Bettany: 358 films I’m signed for.


SHH: We’d heard, during a WWII flashback scene filmed with Chris Evans and Haley Atwell, you were also there. Is that true?


Bettany: Not unless I was wildly drunk when it happened. But the film is not finished yet.






He’s asked about rumors of J.A.R.V.I.S. appearing on the “Agent Carter” series. He looks for Marvel snipers, but says nothing. Then he’s asked about missing the irony he lived in voicing J.A.R.V.I.S.


Bettany: It’s hard to be like that with Vision. He is someone who is learning about the world at an exponential rate. He becomes more sassy as the movie continues.


SHH: How do the Avengers feel having Vision around?


Bettany: Incredibly jealous (laughs). It’s been a really lovely working experience. In the plot there was a lot of distrust and that has to be navigated by the vision and he does it in a quite extraordinarly shocking way. It’s a real roof raiser of a moment.


SHH: Do you get to wear the big yellow cape?


Bettany: Can’t discuss that. There is a cape, and it is fabulous.


SHH: How does it feel in the costume, how do others respond to it?


Bettany: With a great deal of pity. It is a real thing. We talked about how to keep me cool in that costume. While it is one of the most genuinely extraordinarily costumes that has nothing to do with me they’ve manufactured, it’s really cool looking. The consequence is it’s ******ing hot!


SHH: What’s it like playing a character going through such a rapid evolution.


Bettany: I talked about it a lot with Joss. It’s sort of about experiencing and processing things in the moment. Superhumanly quickly. I know how that feels to play it, but it will be up to others to judge. I’m working out the question in the moment rather than having pat answer.


SHH: Can you talk about his abilities in the film?


Bettany: No? yeah, a little. We’ve talked about how he’s incredibly good at punching, which is key. He has the ability to change his density and that is … that’s awesome and exploited brilliantly by Joss in some cool moments when Vision is able to do something that is otherworldly. And he’s discovering all as he goes along.


SHH: Did you have to do wire work?


Bettany: Yeah. Have you ever been hung in the air by your genitals? I have. It’s great. There’s a lot of wire work, and I enjoy it. ‘They make it as comfortable as they can possibly make it, which is really uncomfortable. It’s as hard as doing something really uncomfortable for a lot of money can be. But the results are awesome. Forget my genitals for a second, I know you were thinking about them, for me it’s another layer of clothing I have to wear.






SHH: Are you surprised at the number of people getting into superhero franchises, because they are growing? Did you feel desire to join it, join Avengers?


Bettany: I’m an actor and I’m not naturally blonde so I don’t tend to think things through clearly. I fell into it. I got a call on a Friday night from Joss going ‘Do you want to be the Vision?’ I can’t explain the amount of luck that went into that. And frankly for ages, because I understood once you were one character in a Marvel series and never another, I understood that was my thing. I’d be Jarvis and get my bag of cash and go. We all had so much fun. I’m eternally grateful.


SHH: What do you love about working with Joss?


Bettany: There’s a lot of dancing which goes on on set, which might be how he bust his leg. No time have I had a movie, except maybe with Peter Weir, where I felt certain someone had a better idea what I should be doing. You feel very safe – when he says ‘I think it should be more like this’ you go ‘I get it’ and even if I don’t you do it his way. And he’s incredibly relaxed and having the time of his life.


SHH: Was more shawarma eaten?


Bettany: Simply can’t talk about it.


SHH: Did you know Marvel films were going to be like this in Iron Man?


Bettany: I didn’t. I could lie, but I didn’t. I did it because it seemed like a fun idea at the time. I make astonishingly simple decisions, not in a zen way but simple minded.


SHH: What does James Spader bring to Ulton?


Bettany: We have a scene and it was the first scene we shot together, and it was just . . .. even tough you’re talking with these very far fetched ideas, he found something that was very human about our relationship and it was, um, it was really amazing. You look into his eyes, he was there, it doesn’t’ matter what he was talking about, you believe him. It was a great scene to work on. He was just so present, which is very difficult when you’re in a fractal suit. You believe everything he said.

 

[The Josh]

The trailer for this was totally badass!

 

[jye4ever]

 

[bransen2099]

Still waiting for Marvel to upload the panel...

 

[c3r1h5]

My wife and I got into a samsung event at sdcc and we were able to watch the trailer. It's really awesome and I hope they put it up for everyone soon.

 

[Entropy]

The trailer was indeed mind blowing.

 

[GasparZizou]

Wheeere is da trailaaah!

 

[thedopefreshness]

Cinema Blend:
You didn’t make it to San Diego Comic-Con this year, so you weren’t able to see the The Avengers: Age of Ultron footage shown in Hall H. But you tracked the panel at home using social media, you read the descriptions of what was shown, and you are DYING to know when you will finally be able to see it with your own eyes.

I have mildly bad news for you.

"Not for a while," said Marvel President Kevin Feige, who sat down with us for an exclusive interview about all things Marvel at Comic-Con. When I mentioned how buzz swirling out of Hall H usually excites fans tracking a movie’s details from home, he admitted that a trailer or footage for Joss Whedon’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron wouldn’t be coming to theaters or the Internet until "later, much later."

I know. I’m sorry. It really sucks.

It’s not usual for a major blockbuster to tease their concepts a year away from release. And while the May 1 date of Age of Ultron is, roughly, 10 months away, Kevin Feige and Marvel still have a lot on their plate in terms of promotion before they even start discussing the second The Avengers. For example, they have Guardians of the Galaxy opening in theaters on August 1. Reviews have been positive, but Feige made it clear that after Comic-Con, Marvel’s emphasis will fall right back on James Gunn’s movie, hoping to ensure that it is a major success.

Then, it will be on to The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Part of it might be that the sequel to the highest-grossing Marvel Studios movie to date ($623 million domestically) doesn’t need that much promotion. Fans know that it’s coming, and its prime release date at the start opf the 2015 summer blockbuster season means that the marketing machine will be in high gear soon enough.

But it’s hard, when you are sitting outside of Hall H looking in, to hear about amazing footage and realize it will be a while before you are able to check it out. I wish I had better news. But Feige repeats that it will be "a while" before footage makes its way outside of San Diego, so patience will be a virtue.

Now we've got to sit back and wonder how long 'a while' is.

 

[Ropen]

It's going to be a trip watching Vision with Paul Bettany voicing him, it's like Jarvis you are no talking to stark, but still it's awesome Paul Bettany got a chance of a lifetime.

It is kind of funny how he mentions that he can't play another Marvel character, but Chris Evans as a the Human torch and then Captain America was a trippy, even the Lego Marvel Super Heroes had a trophy about that lol.

 

[DFanatic]

Damn, it's almost breakfast time and no footage. Thanks for nothing, everyone at Comic Con.

 

[Ropen]

It's Marvel, they probably take down the videos before they get uploaded 100%

 

[bicoid18]

Still waiting for Marvel to upload the panel...

Someone uploaded a chunk of it already.

https://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=Qy_c6ze7V_c

I'm still awake just trying to catch up on SDCC news and waiting for leaked clips.

 

[therealjustin]

Me too!


I just don't understand why they(Marvel) would want the footage taken down.

 

[DFanatic]

Ahhh screw it. We would have seen it by now. I'm going back to bed.

 

[Brainiac]

very disappointed not to see anything

 

[Brainiac]

very disappointed not to see anything

I thought the description was not good enough.... so I refused to read it and my resistance lasted all of 5 seconds and I broke down...



I cant even imagine seeing that...... sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Jealous

 

[RIDDICK]

That interview with Paul Bettany was hillarious
Love old school Brits!