“Avengers: Age of Ultron” writer/director Joss Whedon admitted his comments about the movie and studio Marvel a year ago were sour, but explained that the end of the production left him feeling “so beaten down” and “like a miserable failure.”
“‘Ultron,’ I’m very proud of,” Whedon told the audience at Tribeca Film Festival, according to Entertainment Weekly. “There are things that did not meet my expectations of myself, and I was so beaten down by the process. Some of that was conflict with Marvel, which is inevitable, but a lot of that was about my own work. And I was also exhausted, and we went right away and did publicity, and I sort of created the narrative, wherein I’m not quite accomplished at it, and people just ran with that: ‘Well, it’s okay, it could be better, but it’s not Joss’s fault.’ And I think that did a disservice to the movie and to the studio and to myself, ultimately. It was not the right way to be, because I am very proud of it.”
And although Whedon is “proud” of the film that has grossed $1.4 billion worldwide, he still admitted that “the things that are wrong frustrate me enormously, and I probably had more of those than I had on other movies I made.”
“But I also got to make, for the second time, an absurdly personal movie where I got to talk about how I felt about humanity and what it means in very esoteric and bizarre ways for hundreds of millions of dollars,” he added. “The fact that Marvel gave me that opportunity twice is so bonkers and so beautiful, and the fact that I come off of it feeling like a miserable failure is also bonkers, but not in a cute way. It becomes problematic.”
Mark Ruffalo, who sat down with Whedon at Tribeca and who plays Hulk in the “Avengers” movies, asked Whedon to take on the next two films in the franchise, but Whedon declined, citing burnout. He took a vacation for the first time in 25 years after “Ultron” hit theaters, and restated his vow to never make another Marvel movie.
Almost a year ago, Whedon told the Empire Film Podcast about a clash with Marvel over certain scenes in the film, “unpleasant” bargaining with the studio over final cuts as well as his disappointment with the movie’s outcome.
Whedon stayed pretty mum on his next project, but did admit that he cried — a lot — while writing it.
Michael Keaton Is Batman and the Vulture: 27 More Stars in Both Marvel and DC Movies (Photos)
The animosity between Marvel and DC goes back decades in the comics world, but it's still burgeoning in Hollywood. It turns out a bunch of actors have switched sides in that corporate war over the years -- and some are making that move even now.
Ben Affleck Marvel: "Daredevil" (2003)
DC: "Batman v Superman," future DC Extended Universe movies
Ryan Reynolds Marvel: "X-Men: The Last Stand," "Deadpool," "Blade: Trinity"
DC: "Green Lantern"
Chris Evans Marvel: Human Torch in "Fantastic Four" (2004) and its sequel, "Rise of the Silver Surfer"; Captain America in Marvel Cinematic Universe
DC: "The Losers"
Willem Defoe Marvel: "Spider-Man"
DC: Just signed on for upcoming "Justice League" film
Tommy Lee Jones Marvel: "Captain America: The First Avenger"
DC: "Batman Forever"
Idris Elba Marvel: "Thor," "Thor: The Dark World" "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance"
DC: "The Losers"
JK Simmons Marvel: "Spider-Man" (2002-2007)
DC: "Justice League" (future)
Tao Okamoto Marvel: "The Wolverine"
DC: "Batman v Superman"
Djimon Hounsou Marvel: "Guardians of the Galaxy"
DC: "Constantine"
Laurence Fishburne Marvel: "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer"
DC: "Man of Steel," "Batman v Superman"
James Marsden Marvel: "X-Men" films
DC: "Superman Returns"
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Marvel: "Thor: The Dark World"
DC: "Suicide Squad"
Natalie Portman Marvel: "Thor," Thor: The Dark World"
DC: "V for Vendetta"
Hugo Weaving
Marvel: "Captain America: The First Avenger"
DC: "V for Vendetta"
Josh Brolin Marvel: Various Marvel Cinematic Universe films
DC: "Jonah Hex"
Michael Fassbender Marvel: "X-Men" prequels
DC: "Jonah Hex"
Michael Clarke Duncan Marvel: "Daredevil"
DC: "Green Lantern"
Halle Berry Marvel: "X-Men" trilogy
DC: "Catwoman"
Tim Robbins Marvel: "Howard the Duck"
DC: "Green Lantern"
Zoe Saldana Marvel: "Guardians of the Galaxy," "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"
DC: "The Losers"
Chin Han Marvel: "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
DC: "The Dark Knight"
Callan Mulvey Marvel: "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
DC: "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice"
David Dustmalchian Marvel: "Ant-Man"
DC: "The Dark Knight Rises"
Parker Posey Marvel: "Blade: Trinity"
DC: "Superman Returns"
Terence Stamp Marvel: "Elektra"
DC: "Superman" (1978), "Superman II" (1980)
Angela Bassett Marvel: "Black Panther"
DC: "Green Lantern"
Jon Favreau Marvel: "Spider-Man: Homecoming," "Iron Man," "Iron Man 2," "Iron Man 3"
DC: "Batman Forever"
Michael Keaton Marvel: "Spider-Man: Homecoming"
DC: "Batman" (1989)
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Despite the seemingly eternal rivalry between the two largest comic book brands, some big actors have been in films from both sides
The animosity between Marvel and DC goes back decades in the comics world, but it's still burgeoning in Hollywood. It turns out a bunch of actors have switched sides in that corporate war over the years -- and some are making that move even now.