You’d be forgiven for thinking that there was no footage left of Avengers: Age of Ultron following the barrage of clips, teasers and grandiose trailers for Joss Whedon’s film, but today heralds the release of yet another clip for the superhero sequel that sees the titular, power-mongering AI call out Tony Stark.
That’s not the only Marvel-related tidbit we have for you today, however, as Whedon revealed in an interview with Vulture that the very first cut of Age of Ultron came in at an eye-watering three-and-a-half-hours in length. We always knew that the follow-up to the 2012 smash hit would be colossal in size and scope, but this proves just how massively important the film is for the overarching Marvel Cinematic Universe. Further into production, the director managed to scale back quite impressively, capping off the running time at 142 minutes – exactly one minute shorter that the original movie.
“There’s one or two things that I’m unhappy about not having in there, but they’re small,” Whedon said. “I said to Kevin [Feige] before we started, ‘My secret fantasy that’ll never come true is that the second one is shorter than the first.’ And we’re shorter by a minute.”
While 142 minutes is still an almighty length of time, there’s no doubting that Whedon’s Marvel swan song is an almighty project, bringing together old friends and new enemies in an event that will likely shape the MCU for years to come.
At long last, Avengers: Age of Ultron will debut in theaters on April 23 and May in the United Kingdom and North American, respectively.
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.
