Director Joss Whedon says that James Spader wasn’t just his first choice to voice Ultron — he was his only choice…
Filming for The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron will pick up in early 2014, but the biggest casting news for the upcoming blockbuster was released days ago when it was announced that veteran actor James Spader would be voicing the evil robot villain for the sequel.
Spader has played roles in several major films including The Secretary, 2 Days in the Valley and Stargate as well as being featured prominently on television in shows such as Boston Legal. He also stars in the highly anticipated new drama coming this fall called The Blacklist.
The addition of Spader closes the book on one of the biggest roles for Joss Whedon led Avengers 2 project, and the director says now that there was never a second choice.
Whedon tells Marvel.com that from the moment he envisioned Ultron coming to life on the big screen, it was Spader’s voice he heard.
“Spader was my first and only choice,” Whedon said. “He’s got that hypnotic voice that can be eerily calm and compelling, but he’s also very human and humorous. Ultron is not HAL, Spader can play all of the levels. He’s the guy to break The Avengers into pieces.”
While Ultron will be a special effects and CGI created monster, the voice of the robot is key for its interactions with The Avengers over the course of the film.
Spader knows how to play a wickedly evil character and for anyone who doubts that check out the video below of the actor playing a part in the underappreciated criminal noir classic 2 Days in the Valley. On voice alone, Spader will be aces in The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron
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