James Spader has been cast as the major villain in the upcoming film The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron….
Avengers 2: Age of Ultron will begin filming in early 2014, and the newest cast member has been added.
Actor James Spader has signed onto the Joss Whedon led project and he will be playing none other than the psychotic, self-aware robot Ultron, who will serve as the major antagonist in the upcoming sequel.
Marvel Studios announced the booking on Thursday.
Spader is currently filming his latest television project titled The Blacklist, which will air on NBC this fall. Given the nature of the character for Ultron, Spader’s role will more than likely be as a voice for the powerful robot hell bent on destroying The Avengers.
Ultron’s backstory will likely change a bit in the upcoming Avengers sequel, but at the heart of it all, the robot will still look and carry many of the same characteristics of the original version in the comic books.
Ultron is created as an artificial intelligent robot who becomes self-aware and self-replicating as it realizes that humanity is a stain on the world, and Earth would be better served with him as it’s ruling master and life form. Over the course of many years in comic book lore, Ultron recreates himself dozens of times with each version being a little stronger than the last.
Now, Ultron as a robot will all but guarantee that CGI effects will incorporate virtually every major scene involving the filming, so Spader’s role as the voice seems like a lock right now.
The project will also reunite Spader with his old friend and co-star Robert Downey Jr., who he started alongside in the 1987 drama Less Than Zero.
Filming for The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron is currently slated to start in February 2014 with a May 1, 2015 release date in theaters.
