Joss Whedon’s Avengers sequel is turning into an international affair. Producers are scouting a massive Italian castle (which I speculate could be the evil lair of Baron Von Strucker and the forces of HYDRA). Now a new country claims that Age of Ultron will set up shop, at least for a little while.
According to Twitch, officials in Seoul, South Korea say that filming is expected to take place in the Gangnam neighborhood. Reports of a Korean shoot were poo-pooed earlier by Avengers co-star Mark Ruffalo. But the recent casting of Korean actress Kim Soo-hyun, as well as confirmation by Korean representatives, have Twitch going on record to say that South Korea will join Italy and the U.K. as filming locations for Whedon’s massive follow up.
Here’s where things get interesting. Twitch goes on to say that Soo-hyun has been cast "in a villain role," without clarifying who she might play. I’m unfamiliar with the actress, whose credits include three television series in Korea (according to IMDB): Queen of the Game; Brain; and 7th Grade Civil Servant, which sounds like it should be some strange Korean game show.
Meet Ms. Soo-hyun:
Maybe Age of Ultron will be the movie that puts the actress on the map? Likely, however, she’ll have a very small role in the background of a scene, because honestly, Whedon has far too much star power in his ensemble to waste much time with actors who aren’t household names already. What, you’re going to relegate Robert Downey Jr. to the sidelines so that a Korean local can get a line? This movie better be four hours long, or Jeremy Renner’s ending up on the cutting room floor.
Speaking of RDJ, Twitch says that he and Scarlett Johansson are expected to be in Seoul for the filming of the scenes Whedon will do for Age of Ultron. And now we’re just anxious for the start of NEXT summer season. No offense to Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which launches Summer 2014, it’s next year’s crop that really has us salivating over the sheer amount of geek awesomeness Hollywood has planned.
But we’re getting way ahead of ourselves. Buckle in and wait for Avengers news as the production rolls along. Whedon hasn’t even begun filming yet. We still have Captain America: The Winter Soldier in April and Guardians of the Galaxy in August to whet our whistles for all things Marvel. And there’s always this great teaser video the studio brought to Hall H at Comic-Con. Play it on a loop as you wait for May 2015.
