BSP 2014 Advent Calendar: Day 25

Merry Christmas!

Today is the final day for Bam Smack Pow’s 2014 Advent Calendar! Since all of you made it this far, we want to do something special to say thanks. Instead of having trivia from one superhero film that has already been released, we’re going to give you trivia from two highly anticipated superhero films that have yet to be released! We at Bam Smack Pow truly believe that giving is always better than receiving, so without further ado, we give you …

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Avengers: Age of Ultron is one of the most, if not the most, anticipated films of 2015. The Avengers are back together again, and this time, they’re facing off with the genocidal Ultron. However, producer Kevin Feige has told fans that after this battle, the Marvel Cinematic Universe may never be the same. With an anticipated roster change for the Avengers team, and segues into Captain America: Civil War and Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Age of Ultron will be the most ambitious project Marvel Studios has ever undertaken … well, until Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and Avengers: Infinity War Part 2, but discussions for those behemoths will be for another time. Avengers: Age of Ultron is yet to be released, but predictions for total box-office earnings are that it will easily break $1 billion.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is being directed and written by Joss Whedon, and starring Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner / The Hulk, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye, Don Cheadle as Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Pietro Maximoff / Quicksilver, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch, Paul Bettany as J.A.R.V.I.S. and Vision, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Stellan Skarsgård as Erik Selvig, James Spader as Ultron, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Idris Elba as Heimdall, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Thomas Kretschmann as Baron Wofgang von Strucker, and Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaw (unconfirmed).

Avengers: Age of Ultron will be released on May 1, 2015, but until then, we hope we can quell some of that unbearable excitement with some …

Trivia

This was to be Robert Downey, Jr.’s last appearance as Tony Stark, but Downey signed on for Captain America: Civil War (2016).
This will be the fifth time Tony Stark, portrayed by Robert Downey, Jr., will be grabbed by the throat by another character — namely, Thor. Previously, he was grabbed by the throat in Iron Man (2008) by Obidiah Stane; in Iron Man 2 (2010) by Black Widow, when she’s examining him; in The Avengers (2012) by Loki; and in Iron Man 3 (2013) by Aldrich Killian.
Sans cameos, this will be the first Marvel Cinematic Universe appearance of Tony Stark without Pepper Potts.
Hugh Jackman, who portrays Wolverine in Fox’s universe of Marvel films, expressed interest in appearing in the film because we wanted to see how his character stacked up against Tony Stark.
Emily Blunt and Ruth Wilson were considered for the role of Carol Danvers / Ms. Marvel, and were slated to appear in Avengers: Age of Ultron. However, it was recently announced that Ms. Marvel will have a solo film, which scraps the original plans.
James Spader’s first day performance of Ultron was so impressive that it earned him cheers and applause from the cast and crew.
James Spader had no other competition for the role of Ultron. He was director Joss Whedon’s first and only choice. Whedon was mesmerized with Spader’s voice because it was a “hypnotic voice that can be eerily calm and compelling while also being very human and humorous.”
The voice of Ultron is actually James Spader’s natural speaking voice.
Because Ultron is being portrayed as an eight to nine-foot tall character, James Spader had to wear a pair of thick antennae-like wires that ran up his back and three feet above his head. At the top ends of the wires, two red balls were attached. This was done to give the actors Spader was interacting with a reference point as to how tall Ultron actually is. Also, when doing a scene which required them looking into Ultron’s eyes, the red balls would act as markers. Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Scarlet Witch in the film, said that she would sometimes forget to look at the red balls when doing a scene with Spader and end up looking at Spader’s actual eyes instead. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who plays Quicksilver in the film, would humorously remind Olsen whenever she looked at the wrong set of “eyes” and say, “Red balls! Look at his balls, Lizzie!”
In the comics, Ultron was the creation of Hank Pym / Ant-Man. In the film, Ultron is the creation of Tony Stark / Iron Man.
Hawkeye’s new outfit is based on his original Marvel Comics outfit, his Ultimate Marvel outfit, and his Ronin outfit.
Due to Scarlet Johansson’s pregnancy, three stunt doubles had to be used. They were almost doppelgangers of Johansson. So much so, that the cast frequently got confused. Chris Evans, who portrays Steve Rogers / Captain America, said that he would sometimes start a conversation with one of the doubles thinking that it was actually Johansson. After getting through half of his conversation, he would realize that it wasn’t Johansson.
In the teaser trailer, a creepy rendition of I’ve Got No Strings is heard. Originally from Disney’s Pinnochio, the song refers to Ultron being free from his master — Tony Stark. The song was also used because Marvel Studios’ parent company is Disney. This means Marvel didn’t have to pay royalties for using the song.
Saoirse Ronan was considered for the role of Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch.
Lindsay Lohan wanted the role of Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch. She was obviously turned down.
It took over a year for Joss Whedon to convince Aaron Taylor-Johnson to sign on as Quicksilver. Johnson was worried about the demands of signing a Marvel Cinematic Universe contract. After signing, he was still nervous, but those worries went away when he found out Elizabeth Olsen also signed on to play Scarlet Witch. He had a pleasant experience working with Olsen on Godzilla (2014) when the two played husband and wife.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson had to lose weight for the role of Quicksilver. The filmmakers thought his original physique looked too strong, which took away the believability of him being a speedster.
When Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who portrays Pietro Maximoff / Quicksilver, and Wanda Maximoff / Elizabeth Olsen, who portrays Scarlet Witch, found out that their characters would be based on the versions seen in Ultimate Marvel, the two studied their roles by reading every single issue. The Ultimate Marvel version of the characters is the one where Quicksilver is overprotective of Scarlet Witch and the two engage in incest. Since Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen had previously starred in Godzilla (2014) as husband and wife, this makes it a strange coincidence.
Original The Incredible Hulk television series star Lou Ferrigno will perform the voice of the Hulk. Ferrigno had previously performed the voice of the Hulk via compositing with other sounds in the film The Incredible Hulk (2008) and The Avengers (2012).
When making this film, director Joss Whedon was inspired by the structure and storytelling of The Godfather: Part II (1974).
Director Joss Whedon wanted Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch for the film because of their unique powers. With Quicksilver being a speedster and Scarlet Witch using magic and telekinesis, Whedon thought they’d be a good contrast to the more physical brute-force aspects of the rest of the Avengers. He also thought their powers would look cool on the big screen.
Thanos was suppose to be the next villain the Avengers faced off with (the post-credits scene in The Avengers (2012) hinted at that), but Joss Whedon wanted a more grounded villain — someone or something that can show parallels to our own real world.
The character of Quicksilver originally presented a legal quandry for both Marvel Studios and rival Fox. Quicksilver made his first live-action appearance in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). The character was portrayed by Evan Peters. Because Magneto is Quicksilver’s father, Fox automatically had rights to the character, but Quicksilver has also been an intricate part of the Avengers. The agreement between the two studios is that Marvel Studios cannot call Quicksilver a mutant, and Fox cannot mention the Avengers in their properties.
Visual effects powerhouse Industrial Light & Magic had to invent a new technology called Muse to capture the facial and body movements used for Ultron and the Hulk. Motion-capture actor extraordinaire Andy Serkis, who will be portraying the motion-capture aspects of the Hulk and Ultron, was brought in to consult on Muse’s design.
Avengers: Age of Ultron beat out Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) for the most visual effects shots. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) had 2,750 while Avengers: Age of Ultron has over 3000.
Bryan Tyler, composer for the film, has said that the musical score will be an homage to the works of master composer John Williams. In particular, the musical queues will draw from Superman (1978), Star Wars (1977), and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).

And for the finale, we give you …

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (or just Dawn of Justice) will be the first time in history that Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman will be seen together on the big screen in live-action. If that isn’t history in the making, I don’t know what is. Okay, humans planning a trip to Mars and discovering new medicines for diseases is also history in the making, but I’m speaking as a comic book fanatic. The Man of Steel, the Dark Knight, and the Goddess of Truth are the holy trinity of the DC universe and the senior founders of the Justice League … how can you not be psyched!? If you’re not, then how about the fact that Aquaman and Cyborg are also confirmed to make appearances. Still not? You need to check if you have a hankering for brains because the only explanation is that you’re already dead. With Man of Steel (2013) as the original launching point, Dawn of Justice is the giant booster rocket that takes Warner Brothers’ DC films into cinematic crossover territory — up until now, something that was triumphantly owned by Marvel Studios. It’s still too early to speculate on box-office earnings, but there’s no question that it’s going to be huge.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is being directed by Zack Snyder, being written by Chris Terrio from a story by David S. Goyer and Zack Snyder, and starring Henry Cavill as Clark Kent / Superman, Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Tao Okamoto as Mercy Graves, Ray Fisher as Victor Stone / Cyborg, Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman, and Holly Hunter, Jena Malone, Scoot McNairy, and Callan Mulvey in unspecified roles.

To be released on March 25, 2016, fans are already hungrily scouring the Internet for anything they can find about the film, and that’s why we’re going to satisfy some of those appetites by giving you guys and gals some … brains! Just kidding. If you’re that excited, then you’re alive and kicking and deserve some well-earned …

Trivia

This film will mark the first time Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman will all be seen together in live-action.
This marks the first live-action theatrical appearance of Diana Prince / Wonder Woman. Previous appearances were only in the realms of animation and television.
This marks the first live-action theatrical appearance of Arthur Curry/ Orin / Aquaman. Previous appearances were only in the realms of animation and television.
This marks the first live-action theatrical appearance of Victor Stone / Cyborg. Previous appearances were only in the realms of animation and television.
Michael B. Jordan, who did the voice for Victor Stone / Cyborg in the animated film Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013), was considered for the role of Victor Stone / Cyborg in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Jordan would later be cast as Johnny Storm / The Human Torch in The Fantastic Four (2015).
The day after being cast as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Ben Affleck immediately started working out two hours a day as preparation for the role.
Ben Affleck asked the filmmakers if he could keep the batsuit after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is completed. The filmmakers agreed, but only if he could pony up $100 thousand. Affleck quickly changed his mind and just asked if he could take a picture with it.
Ben Affleck will be the third Academy Award winner to play Bruce Wayne / Batman. Previous Academy Award winners to play the role were George Clooney in Batman & Robin (1997), and Christian Bale in the The Dark Knight Trilogy. If Michael Keaton wins an Academy Award for his performance in Birdman (2014), Affleck’s status will become the fourth Academy Award winner to play Bruce Wayne / Batman. Michael Keaton played Bruce Wayne / Batman in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989).
Before Ben Affleck was cast in the role of Bruce Wayne / Batman, Jensen Ackles, Richard Armitage, Josh Brolin, Matthew Goode, Ryan Gosling, Armie Hammer, Joe Manganiello, Max Martini, and Orlando Bloom were all heavily speculated to be considered for the role.
This is the second time Ben Affleck will be portraying a superhero. Affleck’s first superhero film was Daredevil (2003), where he portrayed Matt Murdock / Daredevil.
When Ben Affleck was cast as Bruce Wayne / Batman, he broke the trend of each succeeding actor portraying the Dark Knight to be younger than the previous one. Adam West first played the character in Batman (1966). Michael Keaton, who’s 23 years younger than Adam West, played the character in Batman (1989). Val Kilmer, who’s 8 years younger than Michael Keaton, played the character in Batman Forever (1995). George Clooney, who’s 18 months younger than Val Kilmer, played the character in Batman & Robin (1997). Christian Bale, who’s 13 years younger than Clooney, played the character in The Dark Knight Trilogy. Ben Affleck is 18 months older than Christian Bale.
Before Gal Gadot was cast in the role of Diana Prince / Wonder Woman, actresses Jaime Alexander, Olga Kurylenko, Lucie Griffiths, Michelle Ryan, and Elodie Yung all auditioned for the role of the famed goddess. Griffiths went on to play Liv Aberdine in the pilot episode of Constantine — an NBC television series based on the DC universe character John Constantine. Consequently, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice writer David S. Goyer is also an executive producer on Constantine.
Gal Gadot will be the first non-American actress to portray Diana Prince / Wonder Woman, and the first one whose first language is not English. All previous actresses, including voice-actresses, were American.
Jeremy Irons is the second Academy Award winner to play the role of Alfred Pennyworth. Academy Award winner Michael Caine previously played the famed butler in The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Timothy Dalton was considered for the role of Alfred Pennyworth.
Idris Elba, Bryan Cranston, Adam Driver, Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Strong, and Denzel Washington were all considered for the role of Lex Luthor. Driver and Phoenix were both offered the role, but they turned it down. Eventually, Jesse Eisenberg was cast as Lex Luthor.
Lex Luthor’s portrayal in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be based on his characterization in writer Grant Morrison’s twelve-issue miniseries run of All-Star Superman (January 2006 – October 2008)
A Batman versus Superman story was pitched back in 2001 by Andrew Kevin Walker. Wolfgang Petersen was slated to direct, with Akiva Goldsman penning the screenplay. The story was going to have Bruce Wayne’s fiancée murdered by the Joker, and Batman going on a revenge spree — this is what brings him into conflict with Superman. As the project was shelved, Goldsman went on to pen I Am Legend (2007).
Ben Affleck, who is portraying Bruce Wayne / Batman, was offered the directing job for Man of Steel (2013), the predecessor of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Affleck turned down the job because he didn’t feel he was experienced enough in VFX shots.
In a scene in I Am Legend (2007), a movie poster of a Superman “S” shield inside Batman’s bat emblem can be seen. This is a tribute to a Batman versus Superman movie that Akiva Goldsman, the writer of I Am Legend (2007), was going to pen, but never came to fruition.
According to director Zack Snyder and writers David S. Goyer and Chris Terrio, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is heavily influenced by the graphic novels Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986), Kingdom Come (1996), and Batman: Noël (2011).
DC Cinematic Universe stars, Ben Affleck, who plays Bruce Wayne / Batman, and Diane Lane, who plays Martha Kent, were both in Hollywoodland (2006), where Affleck portrayed George Reeves (the first actor to portray a live-action Clark Kent / Superman on television), and Diane Lane portrayed Toni Mannix.

We hope that your comic book wishes and superhero dreams came true this holiday season, and we hope that the new year opens up new possibilities to see your favorite characters come to life on film and on television. Thanks again for reading!

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A special thanks to Eric Dufresne for his amazing geometric superhero art that’s being used as the background for the advent calendar.

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