Joss Whedon knows what a pain in the ass it can be to film a massive, superhero blockbuster in the middle of a normally subdued, seemingly innocent community. Forget the normal crew that has to be on site… a number that can stretch into the thousands. There’s also the curious onlookers, the TMZ camera hawkers, the "hangers-on" who all want to be part of the experience. Which is why he recorded this very sweet message to the people of Seoul, South Korea, apologizing for the insanity he’s about to bring to their backyard.
After globe-trotting to South Africa and Italy – where the production caused all sorts of PR nightmares – Whedon’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron reportedly will shift to South Korea, where all-star cast members like Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and maybe even the king himself, Robert Downey Jr., will shoot scenes for the ridiculously anticipated Marvel sequel. We’ve known this for some time now, as Korean actress Kim Soo-hyun confirmed that she’d landed a relatively significant role, which would be filmed when Age of Ultron rolled into town.
What we didn’t know is that Whedon is SUCH a sweetheart, he’s going ahead and recording apology videos to the Korean communities he’s going to have to inconvenience on behalf of his behemoth production. Who is Whedon recording this for? I mean, we found it on MediaVOP’s YouTube page (via CBM). Will it be broadcast to every television set in the country, the same way Zod took over people’s sets in Man of Steel? This is how I’m going to picture it from here on out:
What will Whedon be filming in Seoul? CBM reports from a source that the main sequence set in South Korea will feature Ultron (voiced by James Spader, of all people) laying waste to the city. Whedon also is expected to film at a Korean IT institute, where Ultron "tries to acquire state of the art technology." Makes sense.
What I’m most surprised about is the fact that Whedon is brazenly choosing to film chunks of Ultron out in the open. The Avengers holed up in a New Mexico warehouse for most of its run, leading to behind-the-scenes green-screen pics like this one:
Age of Ultron is taking it to the streets, meaning that – if you wanted to – you already have seen characters like Black Widow, Quicksilver, Hawkeye and the Hulk in action. Seriously. Will there be anything in Age of Ultron that we haven’t seen by the time it opens May 2015? Stay tuned.
