'The Avengers' Update 03.05.11

Ruffalo talks Hulk, the film to shoot in Cleveland, and a look at the possible villains of Joss Whedon's The Avengers...




There isn't really a day that goes by without some sort of news about Marvel Studios slate of upcoming movie franchises, The Avengers being one of the most anticipated. So if you haven't noticed yet, I'm going to be collecting this news into a series of convenient updates, so let's get started.


Over at Splashpage, Mark Ruffalo gives a little insight onto the making of the Hulk:

The Telegraph caught up with the actor on the cusp of his nomination, and noted that he was “slim, shortish and seemingly untroubled by anger issues.”

So how will he bulk up to become the Hulk for Marvel's epic tentpole "The Avengers"?

We’ve already heard a little from Ruffalo about the character’s design — Hulk will resemble the actor, rather than any of the green goliath’s previous embodiments — but as to what will compose the giant discrepancy between their vastly different body masses, he offered a more technical explanation.

“Here’s this algorithm that digitally puts 2,000lbs of muscle onto my body. It’s weird. I wear this skinny little suit with reflective balls all over it,” he said. “When we shot the stuff, I was actually standing in a warehouse with a couple of cardboard boxes and some foam mats. But when I looked at the monitor there I was as the Hulk in this landscape with cars and boulders and hills”

We've seen a lot of CG Hulks over the years, so I would have to say that's not really what I'm looking for, but I'm optimistic. We'll definitely see more over the course of filming, which is now being reported till take place in Cleveland. Splashpage reports:

Production on the super-team adaptation will be starting soon enough, as a new report reveals that certain scenes will be shot this fall in Cleveland, Ohio.

The news comes from the state's governor, John Kasich, who made the announcement to a group of reporters gathered for Mayor Frank Jackson's State of the City speech this week, according to The Plain Dealer (via SuperHeroHype). The original plan was for the scenes to be shot in Detroit, but the production was moved to the Ohio city after reports surfaced that Michigan would be cutting film-oriented tax incentives.

"I'm really pleased that the city is going to get this movie. It's fantastic. It required quick and hard work between the community here and the state of Ohio, something that hasn't always happened," Kasich said.

"We won another one from Michigan. I'm thrilled we are going to have this here. I'm just bucking for a part as Governator 2."

This will reportedly be the biggest film ever made in Ohio. The move away from Michigan happened quickly, too. Ohio Film Office publicist Katie Sabatino said, "We have been in dialogue with Marvel Comics all week and we finally reached an agreement. We're very excited about it."

Also, we hear from Stellan Skarsgård that he will be reprising his Thor character in The Avengers:

With no background in comic continuity, little is known about the character Doctor Selvig in Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming “Thor,” beyond the fact that he will be played by Swedish veteran actor Stellan Skarsgård.

But just because Selvig isn’t backed up by the books doesn’t mean he’ll be a one-film footnote.

Thor’s distant kinsmen, the Swedish, are reporting that Skarsgård will carry on his “Thor” role to “The Avengers.”

Skarsgård confirmed to Swedish newspaper Expresen.se (content translated by Whedonesque) that he will play Doctor Selvig—the same role he plays in the "Thor"—in Joss Whedon’s epic team-up. At the moment, little is known about the character beyond that he “is a scientist in New Mexico.”

And now I'm afraid it's time for a little SPOILER ALERT... Hmmm, that might not be big enough...

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Now there's a rumor that a teaser trailer was shot that may hint at a few of the villains present in The Avengers. Collider reports.

The plot of the film is tightly under wraps, but it appears that Marvel may have shot a secret teaser trailer for the film recently to attached to either Thor or Captain America this summer. Not only that, but the trailer reveals who the villain of the film may be.

AICN is reporting that Marvel recently shot a teaser trailer with Loki, Thor’s brother (played by Tom Hiddleston in Kenneth Branagh’s Thor). Now, you may remember that back in Steve’s video blog for his Thor set visit, he mentioned that the ending of that film hinted at setting Loki up as the villain for The Avengers. It looks like this all may turn out to be true.

In addition to Loki, Latino Review is reporting that Thor’s archenemy will get a hold of the cosmic cube seen in Hugo Weaving’s hand in the Captain America trailer in order to summon the Skrulls to help him take over Earth.

This Skrulls rumor has been around since December. The creatures are an extraterrestrial humanoid race and will presumably be very scary (Green! Reptilian! Pointy ears!).

Not exactly an unexpected story idea, as Loki was the original inspiration for the Avengers to form in the first place. And I think that the inclusion of the Skrulls would be a great direction to take the movie in. A lead up to a possible Kree/ Skrull War maybe? That would be epic.

The Avengers is slated to be released 05.04.2012