Marvel Studios may have laid out a show-stopping and expansive cinematic blueprint, laying claim to a plethora of release dates from now until the end of time, but the company have remained a bit coy on the actors and directors attached to each project as they’re still so far out from release. Even still, one of the more prominent tidbits of speculation doing the rounds on the Internet has been that the studio has effectively tapped The Winter Soldier‘s Joe and Anthony Russo to helm the two-part Avengers: Infinity War.
Such a switcheroo would therefore make this year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron Joss Whedon’s last outing, and the filmmaker himself backed up this claim by stating that it is “very doubtful” he will oversee Earth’s Mightiest Heroes on the big screen again.
“I couldn’t imagine doing this again. It’s enormously hard, and it [will] be, by [the time I would make ‘Avengers 3 & 4’], a good five years since I created anything that was completely my own. So it’s very doubtful that I would take on the two-part Infinity War movie that would eat up the next four years of my life. I obviously still want to be a part of the Marvel Universe – I love these guys – but it ain’t easy. This year has been more like running three shows than any year of my life. It is bonkers.”
Interestingly, this is the first time that Whedon has touched upon the Infinity War films since Marvel first announced them, though it appears as if the director’s heart is set when it comes to his own future within the ever-expanding MCU. His departure from the helm will no doubt be met with some disappointment from fans, particularly considering the success of 2012’s The Avengers and indeed the fever-pitch anticipation surrounding Age of Ultron. However, the Russo brothers have more than proved their own credentials when handling the studio’s prized, superpowered assets.
Circling back to Avengers: Age of Ultron and a report that surfaced over the weekend has shed some more light on Andy Serkis’ potential role in the sequel. Fans have long aligned the motion capture maestro with the character of Ulysses Klaw, though Schmoes Know has suggested that Serkis’ part will be a combination of Klaw and his father Fritz Klaue. Such a connection will bestow the actor’s on screen persona with all of Klaue’s attribtues, along with his innate connection to Baron von Strucker, teeing up his involvement in Black Panther.
Alas, this remains unconfirmed at this stage, though we’ll no doubt learn much more about Serkis’ involvement — or lack thereof — in the MCU moving forward.
Avengers: Age of Ultron will premiere on May 1, 2015.
