Avengers: Age of Ultron

After 2012’s The Avengers Assemble broke box office records (the movie grossed a total of $1.5bn worldwide) it seemed unthinkable that a sequel wasn’t in the making. However what wasn’t set in stone was whether Joss Whedon, the mastermind behind both the script and the direction of the first film, would be taking the helm once more. Nevertheless in 2013 Whedon’s presence was confirmed meaning Marvel fans, and movie fans in general, can be certain this next instalment will be as compelling as the last.

All the initial cast have been confirmed for the sequel which means a host of action a-listers: Robert Downey Junior as Iron Man, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Chris Evans as Captain America. Other familiar faces include Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson and Jeremy Renner. But Age of Ultron, it has been revealed, will also launch the addition of two new characters: Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Comic book fans will remember them from the original stories and Whedon has spoken of them with excitement assuring his audience that ‘their powers are very visually interesting… Quicksilver’s got super speed [and] Scarlet Witch can weave spells’. The brother / sister act will be played by none other than Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Godzilla, Kick Ass) and Elizabeth Olsen (Godzilla, Martha Marcy May Marlene).

As for the story itself, drama ensues when Tony Stark attempts to make use of a dormant peacekeeping program with a self-aware, artificial intelligence known as Ultron. However, when Ultron decides that it’s the human race that constitutes the greatest threat to peace (and sets out to destroy it) it is left to the Avengers once more to save the day. Released in the summer of next year it is hard to imagine how Avengers: Age Of Ultron won’t be set to smash yet more box office records.