Casting for Avengers: Age Of Ultron hasn’t been as exciting as say, Justice League, for the simple fact that the most of the major cast members will be returning from the previous film. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t characters who still need to be cast though, and one of the biggest that fans were guessing at was who would play the titular villain. Well the guessing ends today, as Marvel have announced that their Ultron will be James Spader.
Spader, best known for his role in David Cronenberg’s Crash, his award-winning performance on Boston Legal, and his stint on The Office, also has a new show coming to NBC this fall called The Blacklist. He’s an Emmy Award-winning actor, and the press release from Marvel names a long list of impressive directors the actor has worked with.
Spader definitely has the sort of sinister voice that could be great for Ultron, though I’m sure some sort of effects will be added as well, but probably not to the extent of Bane. We’ll have to wait until the movie, or at least a trailer, to see just what is done with his voice. Regardless, he can be creepy and he can seem downright evil in certain roles, so I’m not sure that much more can be asked for out of this villain.
Just because Ultron has been selected, that doesn’t mean casting for the film is done. Elizabeth Olsen is close to signing as the Scarlet Witch, and she would be another stellar edition to a film that is shaping up even better than its predecessor.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron hits theaters May 1, 2015.
What do you think of Spader playing Ultron? Will he be enough of a villain to challenge the whole ensemble in Avengers: Age Of Ultron? Check out the full press release below and then head on down to the comments section to share your thoughts.
James Spader will face off against Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as the villain in Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the sequel to 2012’s record-breaking “Marvel’s The Avengers.” The Emmy Award-winning actor will play Ultron in the Avengers’ much anticipated return to the big screen from writer/director Joss Whedon. The film comes to theaters on May 1, 2015.
Spader earned three Emmy Awards for his role as Alan Shore on “Boston Legal” and “The Practice,” and will return to television this fall in NBC’s highly anticipated series “The Blacklist.” Most recently Spader was seen in the critically-acclaimed film “Lincoln” directed by Steven Spielberg and has previously worked with a long list of accomplished film directors including David Cronenberg, Curtis Hansen, Sidney Lumet, Mike Nichols, Tim Robbins, Robert Rodriguez, Steven Soderbergh, and Oliver Stone. David Mamet also directed Spader in the Broadway play Race.
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” will bring the Marvel Universe’s biggest heroes together again to face one of their biggest villains, with “Marvel’s The Avengers” director Joss Whedon returning to write and direct the sequel. “Marvel’s The Avengers” was released in 2012 and went on to earn $1.5 billion worldwide, making it the third-largest grossing movie of all time.
Spader is represented by ICM Partners and his lawyer Melanie Cook at Ziffren Brittenham.