New Cinderella Coach Popcorn Bucket Coming to Disney Parks

Just in time for the release of Disney’s live-action film Cinderella in March, a new premium popcorn bucket in the shape of Cinderella’s royal coach is coming soon to Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort.

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This specialty souvenir will also be available at the Disneyland Resort later this spring.

Since it looks like Fairy Godmother has turned a popcorn scoop into Cinderella’s carriage, you’ll never have to worry about being late to the ball, because now you can take your royal coach with you.

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!

Added Park Ticket Security Measures Being Tested That Will Require A Guest Photo; Full Roll Out Expected Next Week

Turnstiles at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are currently testing a new theme park ticket security measure. Should a guest’s bio-metric scan at the turnstiles fail multiple times, they will be taken to guest relations where they will be asked a few quick questions about their ticket (Is this your ticket? What is the name on the ticket? How many days is this ticket good for? ETC.). After these questions are answered (and it is validated that this is the guest’s ticket), a picture of the guest will be taken and attached to their ticket. This will ensure that if the bio-metrics should fail again, the cast members at the next turnstiles the guest uses will be able to identify that the ticket is indeed theirs. A similar system is in widespread usage at the Disneyland Resort already.

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With the success of the test, these procedures should roll out to all 4 Walt Disney World theme parks in early March.

The “Star Wars” Saga To Get The “LEGO” Treatment On Disney XD

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This year Disney XD will be premiering a new series of Lego adventures based on the complete “Star Wars” saga called “Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales.” This 6 episode series will have the droids, R2D2 and C3PO, retell all of the stories from the “Star Wars” saga from their own point of view.

Set after the Rebel Alliance victory on Endor seen at the end of “Return of the Jedi,” the droids are regaling the assembly with their adventures that led them to their present situation. An accidental kidnapping leads to a new adventure that progresses to the retelling of the saga in chronological order, from “The Phantom Menace” to “Return of the Jedi.”

“Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales” is expected to air on Disney XD just prior to the release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which will be released in theaters on December 18th, 2015.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Drik Wallen & Brian Carey’s 3/2/15 WDW Photo Report (Polynesian, Magic Kingdom, Disney Springs, ETC.)

Let’s catch up with what’s new and exciting at Walt Disney World with some photos from our reporters taken in the last week or so:

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The Polynesian Resort bungalows look just about ready

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Work is also wrapping up on the villas as we have less than a month until opening

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Rock work has appeared on the remodeled volcano pool

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The kids water-play area looks like a lot of fun

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Moving to the Magic Kingdom, some of the Main Street facades are still behind tarps

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Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid is still closed for a few more days for modifications

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The refurbishment of the Castle continues

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Moving on to Downtown Disney/Disney Springs, new planters and lights seem to be going in all over the place

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Beautifully Disney has closed in the Marketplace Co-Op, to be replaced with Wonderground Gallery

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A new Margarita bar is being built in the Marketplace

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Work continues on the Boathouse, which will open soon in The Landing

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They are enclosing the hangar restaurant

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St. Patrick’s Day and Easter Eachez Vinylmation now for sale at D Street

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Some of the planters by Planet Hollywood have come out from behind walls

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The escalators and stairs that will take guests out of the Orange parking structure are almost finished

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Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC recently opened in The Landing

 

This is the samecompany that operated Babycakes inside the Pollo Campero building

Hang With “Robert Downey Jr.” At The Premiere Of Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron”

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Robert Downey Jr. is offering fans the chance to live out the best night of their life culminating at the World Premiere of Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” all to support a great cause.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D86GOaIVIIY]

 

In the video above, Robert Downey Jr. reveals that anyone can win the opportunity to be flown with a friend to Los Angeles to experience a day in the life of Tony Stark. By going to www.omaze.com/RDJ and donating just $10 to benefit Julia’s House, a children’s hospice center dedicated to helping improve the lives of children diagnosed with terminal illness, you could win a chance to live out your superhero dreams with RDJ in LA. You’ll kick things off with breakfast at the iconic Randy’s Donuts before launching into an action-packed day including a helicopter ride over the Hollywood sign, indoor skydiving, and a custom gown or tux fitting before meeting Robert Downey Jr. himself for an epic motorcade arrival at the World Premiere of Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” And yes…there will be caviar.

And did we mention you’ll be one of the first people on this planet to see the newest release from Marvel’s hit franchise? Yeah, that’s happening. But the opportunity to win this once-in-a-lifetime experience won’t last forever.

ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE

You and a friend will be joining Robert Downey Jr. for the best day of your lives at the premiere of Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” You will experience indoor skydiving, a helicopter ride over the Hollywood sign, a custom tux/gown fitting, a pit stop at Randy’s Donuts and caviar tasting with RDJ before riding in his private motorcade to the premiere. Flights, 4-star hotel, and transportation are all included. Best of all, every entry benefits Julia’s House.

ABOUT JULIA’S HOUSE

Julia’s House is a children’s hospice charity dedicated to helping life-limited children and their families. The nurses and caregivers at Julia’s house provide life-changing support for parents and their children both in the hospice and in their own homes. The majority of those children are unlikely to live beyond the age of 18, but thankfully Julia’s House is there for them year-round, offering emergency respite and overnight care during treatment and offering emotional and practical support at the end of a child’s life.

ABOUT OMAZE

Omaze is an online charity platform that raises money and awareness for nonprofits by offering everyone the chance to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences with their favorite performers, athletes and influencers. That’s everything from walking the red carpet on a date with George Clooney, to playing tennis with Serena Williams, to being in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Founded by two best friends, Matt Pohlson and Ryan Cummins, Omaze connects its community of donors to transformative experiences, remarkable causes and compelling content. For more information, please visit www.omaze.com.

3/6/15 Marvel News Mash-Up (Spider-Man Rumors, Marvel Movie Marathon, Daredevil, ETC.)

Rumor: The New “Spider-Man” Movie Will Be Titled “The Spectacular Spider-Man” And Be Directed By Drew Goddard

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Expect to hear a lot of Spider-Man news this month. Most sites are posting this as officially done but there has still not been any word from Sony or Disney/Marvel and until there is, I am labeling it a rumor.

According to Latino Review, Sony has hired Drew Goddard to direct and write the next “Spider-Man” movie which will be called “The Spectacular Spider-Man.” Drew Goddard is most known for writing and directing the movie “Cabin In The Woods.” He also has contributed to the upcoming Netflix series “Daredevil.”

So here is what we know based on what Latino Review had to say:

  • No origin story. Spider-Man already exists and has been fighting crime for a while in the new movie.
  • Peter Parker/Spider-Man will be played by a new actor. He will specifically be based in high school and they want him to be young so that he can grow into his role.
  • Casting for the new “Spider-Man” is currently underway, but an official announcement and decision may not be reached for months.
  • A major part of the first film will have Spider-Man fighting Iron Man as an audition to join the Avengers.
  • The Sinister Six will be involved somehow, but not affiliated with the Amazing Spider-Man’s previous version of the Sinister Six.
  • This will be a trilogy and they are aiming to just put out trilogies from now on. Sony wants the franchise to be something like “Harry Potter” in which a new “Spider-Man” movie will come out either annually or every other year.
  • The first film will have the Sinister Six coming together with the thought of maybe turning the Sinister Six into a spinoff movie.
  • Marvel would only allow Kevin Feige to produce the new trilogy of Spider-Man movies as long as Sony guaranteed that Avi Arad would not have any control. Avi Arad has been involved with producing all 5 Spider-Man movies and there has always been some bad blood between Marvel and Arad. Arad will still have an Executive Producer credit but he has no control whatsoever.
  • No more “Sinister Six” spinoff movie.
  • No more “All Female Superhero” spin-off movie based on the “Spider-Man” universe.
  • No more “Aunt May” spinoff movie. As crazy as that sounds, that was in development. Basically Sony trying to milk the Spider-Man franchise as much as they possibly could.

Again this has not been confirmed by representatives at Sony or Marvel but various websites like The Wrap are claiming that this is official.

I don’t know how this will effect “Captain America: Civil War.” It still sounds like Spider-Man will join the cast but now with the mention of Iron Man fighting Spider-Man in “The Spectacular Spider-Man” movie, it does kind of through a bit of a monkey wrench into some of the possible scenarios I have heard.

Source: Latino Review

Rumor: Dylan O’Brien Has Been Cast As The New “Spider-Man”

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This rumor actually contradicts the first story above.In Latino Review’s original article, they say it wont be Dylan O’Brien to be cast as the new Spider-Man, since he is contractually obligated to the “Maze Runner” series. I was skeptical when I first heard this story because the source was a poster from Reddit. But this person does have an excellent track record and two months ago informed everyone that the Sony and Marvel “Spider-Man” deal was done and even went into specific details that matched the official announcement.

This is what redditleaker23456 had to say about the matter:

So Dylan O’Brien is pretty much our new Spidey from the look of things. A source tells me he gave Sony the audition of his life, who by the way, absolutely loved what they saw from him. Amy Pascal and team knew they had their Spider-Man.

Sony apparently started leaning towards O’Brien over Lerman when they figured Dylan had a better grasp and feel of the tone they were going for.

Mind you, anything could happen from now until the official announcement, which if not on March 5th, (unlikely) then somewhere in mid-March to early-April.

But nonetheless, there is a tremendously high chance, like a 99.9% percent chance, this will end up becoming official. There’s more info down below in the comments, see if you please.

UPDATE: It is official, Dylan has signed on as the new webhead!

So who is right? I’d be happy if both of these stories are true but we will have to wait for an official announcement from Sony and Disney/Marvel. Until then, expect more rumors.

Source: Reddit.com

Danny Elfman To Score Additional Music For “Avengers: Age Of Ultron”

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OK, this has to be our first clue that Spider-Man will appear in “Avengers: Age Of Ultron.” First off, the official composer of “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” is Brian Tyler, who also scored “Iron Man 3” and “Thor: Dark World.” So why was Danny Elfman, who has scored almost every single Tim Burton movie, hired to score additional music for “Avengers: Age Of Ultron?” Because more than likely they will use some of Elfman’s “Spider-Man” theme as a way to introduce Spider-Man into the world of the Avengers. Elfman originally wrote Sam Rami’s “Spider-Man” theme and score and his score was heard throughout all three of Tobey Maguire’s “Spider-Man” movies. Why would they use music from the “Spider-Man” movies instead of music from “The Amazing Spider-Man” movies? Beats me. But there is definitely something going on.

Will We See “Daredevil’s” Iconic Red Costume In The Netflix Series?

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The short and sweet answer is “yes.” Definitely yes! Someone over at Marvel must have heard me complaining last week because just as that article I wrote went up about me not being happy that we have only seen his black pajamas suit, word came out that we will indeed see his classic red suit.

Showrunner, Steven S. DeKnight, gave the following explanation. “Without giving too much away, this show is Matt learning to be a hero. He starts in that first iteration of the Daredevil outfit which is taken very much from Frank Miller and The Man Without Fear. But I always questioned [the main costume]. I mean, one, he’s blind. Did he stitch it together himself? How did he manage all that? So, actually getting him to that point I thought was really interesting.”

Costume designer Stephanie Maslansky offered more details on Daredevil’s crime-fighting outfit, including a promise that the classic red version will show up later on: “In the end, somebody else [in the story] makes his Daredevil costume. What’s really exciting is the evolution of it, and how he comes to have it made.”

Yeah!

Source: ScreenRant

Theater Chains Announce A “27 Hour Marvel Ultimate Movie Marathon”

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How much do you like Marvel movies? Enough to watch every Marvel movie back to back in a movie theater? Well this news is for you.

AMC and Regal Theaters have announced that they will be hosting a “Marvel Ultimate Movie Marathon” of all 11 Marvel movies ending with the premier of “Avengers: Age Of Ultron.” “The Marvel Ultimate Movie Marathon” will start on April 29th and end on April 30th. The price for admission is $65.

Here is a list of all of the movies and show times:

6:00pm IRON MAN
8:25pm THE INCREDIBLE HULK
10:35pm IRON MAN 2
1:00am THOR
3:10am CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER
5:30am THE AVENGERS
8:48am IRON MAN 3
11:15am THOR: THE DARK WORLD
1:45pm CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
4:20pm GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
7:00pm AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (RealD® 3D)

All “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” Character Posters Revealed

That is, I think this is all of them. We could still see additional character posters for Vision, Hulkbuster and Ultron.

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First Look At “Kingpin” From Marvel’s “Daredevil”

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This is our first look at the “Daredevil” villain “Kingpin” from the upcoming Netflix series. Vincent D’Onofrio (“Full Metal Jacket”) will play Wilson Fisk, better known as “Kingpin.”

In order to physically prepare for the role, D’Onofrio shaved his head and packed an extra 30 pounds onto his 6’3, 250 pound frame. “I wanted him to have an appearance of being super-powerful so that when he throws a punch, it’s a major punch,” the actor told the newspaper. “There’s a lot of weight behind it.” He also studied the source material- comic books- to really get the “whole feeling and mood” of Kingpin.

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I have always admired D’Onofrio’s work and admire him for trying to resemble the character from the comic book but he needs to gain another 200 pounds to even come close to the Kingpin’s weight in the comics. All kidding aside, he looks great and looking forward to his portrayal.

Source: USA Today

Hugh Jackman Wants “Wolverine” To Be In An “Avengers” Movie

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While Hugh Jackman was promoting his upcoming movie “Chappie,” the subject of “Spider-Man” now being a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was brought up. Jackman was asked by UK.Yahoo.com, if he honestly thought that Marvel characters owned by Disney could team up with those owned by Fox, which include Wolverine, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four? Here is what Jackman had to say:

“You know, I think as an optimist I would love it. That’s the best thing about comic books; you can just pitch these characters into each other.”

“I’m surprised by what’s happened with Spider-Man joining. You’re in a very complex world where big, big sums of money are being spent for different franchises and so getting them together is difficult.

“Two years ago I’d have said you’d be a real optimist to think it’d ever happen, but weirdly now I just think it maybe could. I think there is the possibility that it will happen.”

This is not the first time Jackman has said this. He sincerely would like to be in a no holds barred, epic Marvel movie, like “Avengers: Infinity War,” which should include as many Marvel superheroes as they possibly can fit into it. One thing that I love about Hugh Jackman is that he has always been a fan of the character Wolverine and it shows on film just how much he understands the character by his portrayal. I have heard him say that unlike other actors, who will play superheroes for a few years and then drop out because they don’t want to be typecast as that character, he would like to play Wolverine for as long as they will allow him.

A few weeks ago, I felt there was no chance in which Fox and Disney/Marvel would come to an agreement where we would see characters from the X-Men and Fantastic Four come appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But now with Tom Rothman gone from Fox and Sony and Marvel working together I have a little more hope. Just a little though.

That’s it for this week!

Dirk Wallen’s 3/3/15 WDW Photo Report (Hat is Gone, Toy Story Mania Expansion, Haramabe Marketplace, ETC.)

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom this week and has some great newsworthy photos to share with us from his trip, so let’s take a look:

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NO MORE SORCERER’S HAT

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Neverbeast banners up in the Animation Courtyard

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Also, an ad for Big Hero 6 on Blu-ray

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A Tomorrowland billboard has gone up by PIXAR Place

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An Inside Out billboard at the other end of the street

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Still no signs of life at the Backlot Tour

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A Cinderella billboard behind the Great Movie Ride

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After years of waiting, walls are up outside of Stage 1, possibly the home of a third Toy Story Mania track

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Moving over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, walls have engulfed what was the Island Merchantile pin cart

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Work continues on Rivers of Light

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From Everest, you can see the vertical construction of AVATAR

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Also, the prep work for Rivers of Light

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We assume the need to run pipes through the viewing area is for some water effects that will take place in the audience, similar to World of Color

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Work continues on revamping the entrance to Kali River Rapids

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Work continues on the new Africa Marketplace area, including the Harambe Marketplace restaurant

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Some of the buildings in the marketplace are nearing completion

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A look at the AVATAR construction walls… still nothing to see here

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And one last look at Rivers of Light construction

PHOTOS: Star Wars Weekends Merchandise Event Announced, First Items Previewed

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Similar to last year’s Rebel Rendezvous event, Disney will be holiding a special merchandise event on the day before Star Wars Weekends 2015 kicks off at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The “Galactic Gathering” is happening on May 14th, 2015 from 10AM until 3PM, costs $250 for registration, and includes:

  • ‘Rebel’ or ‘Empire’ retail MagicBand (Guests can choose their side when registering online)*
  • Commemorative trading pin*
  • Darth’s Mall Light Speed Pass which gives expedited entry into Darth’s Mall for all five weekends.*
  • First opportunity to pre-purchase select merchandise including personalized Aurebesh nametags, D-Tech phone cases, Dooney & Bourke handbags, Galactic Gathering Disney Gift card, retail MagicBands, limited edition pins and Vinylmation.
  • First opportunity to purchase the new designs of Star Wars-themed Disney Gift Cards.
  • Han Solo-inspired popcorn bucket with popcorn.

Registration will begin on March 4 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern on http://www.DisneyParksMerchandise.com.

The only item exclusive to attendees (provided items do not sell out at this event before general public gets toshop the next day) is a pin with the event logo. Everything, including the Han solo popcorn bucket, will be available starting on the 15th at Darth’s Mall.

Here’s a look at the 2015 merchandise previewed today:

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2015 Event Pins

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Event pin mystery set

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Vinylmation, toys, and Galactic Gathering event exclusive pin

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New Star Wars Disney character medium figs

Disney also confirmed that there will be new D-Tech Me offerings including a Jedi Knight and a TIE Fighter Pilot.

Marvel Entertainment Releases The Third Trailer For “Avengers: Age Of Ultron”

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Today Marvel Entertainment released the third trailer for the upcoming movie, “Avengers: Age Of Ultron.” There is lots of never before seen footage in this trailer including our very first look at the Vision (last two images below). Let’s take a look:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAUoeqvedMo]

 

Here are some images I was able to capture:

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Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk.  Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision. Written and directed by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige, Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963. Get set for an action-packed thrill ride when The Avengers return in Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” on May 1, 2015.