James Spader was announced to be the headlining villain in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” by Marvel, Thursday, Aug. 29. This is the acclaimed and Emmy award winning actor's first role in a superhero movie.
Spader spent most of the 80s as a sex symbol in films such as “Pretty in Pink”, “White Palace” and “Sex, Lies, and Videotape”. In the last twenty years, James wowed audiences with his performances in “Secretary” with Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Practice”, “Boston Legal”, and of course, “The Office”.
Tom Hiddleston, who plays Loki in “Avengers”, tweeted his support of the casting choice. “Go on, James Spader. Go get 'em,” he wrote.
Ultron is described as being a “living automaton” who rebelled against his creator, becoming a dangerous force for the Avengers to fight against.
Joss Whedon told E! News what he envisioned for the character. "I knew right away what I wanted to do with him," he said. "He's always trying to destroy the Avengers ... He's not a happy guy, which means he's an interesting guy. He's got pain. And the way that manifests is not going to be standard robot stuff. So we'll take away some of those powers …”
Spader is currently filming the pilot to the new series, “The Blacklist”, which is rumored to premiere sometime this year.
