The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the biggest thing in the film industry right now. We don’t say it to praise what they have created. This is the simple fact of the industry at the moment. Marvel Studio has created the MCU and MCU is the largest film franchise at this time. They’ve expanded rigorously into other media, including books. A new revelation from the book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe we get a look at the untold aspects of the MCU. It has been revealed that Age of Ultron saved the career of Paul Bettany.
For a long time, fans had speculated that the casting of Paul Bettany as the voice for JARVIS was intentional. We knew that Feige had thought of this while making Iron Man. So when we got to see Age Of Ultron, it was just the plan coming together. Bettany recounts an incident in the book when just before his casting in the Age Of Ultron he was told by a big-time Hollywood producer that he will never act again, “I was thinking, ‘Maybe he’s right? Maybe I’m done. Maybe my career’s over.”
But then the news of the casting came via a phone call from Wheadon. Paul Bettany considers this a life lesson. He said:
“It taught me a really nice life lesson. If you’re good to people and you slip, people will put their hand out and help you back up. If you’re an a-hole to people and you slip, people just look at you floundering on the floor. So it was nice to get the affirmation that having good manners [pays off]. I will always be grateful.”
Age of Ultron Saved The Career of Paul Bettany
Even Wheadon goes into a little detail about the incident in the book but the director has no answer when asked if the casting of JARVIS was intentional, “Look, I don’t know if I can help you with this, but I do know this: If you do it, and you do a sequel, in the sequel, it has to be Ultron. And then he has to take Jarvis and make the Vision. Because Paul Bettany has to play The Vision.” Since the truth seems open to interpretation here we are going to assume that everything was part of the master plan that eventually became the MCU.
After all Paul Bettany males for an exquisite Vision. Everything from his sweet voice to his sophisticated style complements the android’s character. Of course, we are also happy with the fact that the casting conforms to the in-universe continuity. I suppose it is one of those things you only notice when it is not there. How serendipitous are such occasions? But it is revealing of the fact that filmmakers always embed some potential of a sequel in a movie.
Even if the MCU did not come to be, in a future Iron Man project Ultron and Vision could have appeared. We wonder how many such potential threads have we missed in the movies we have seen. There is always something extraordinary about the interconnectedness between movies. We don’t expect them to be as cohesive as TV series because of the time it takes to make a movie but it is always nice to see what can be done. Ergo it is always nice to see Marvel pull out a bunny from their proverbial Magic hat. Much like Iron Man saved Marvel from bankruptcy, Age Of Ultron saved the career of Paul Bettany.
Serendipity Or A Sinister Plot
Whatever the case might be, JARVIS Vision has become one of the most interesting incidents in the MCU. We remember the look on our faces when we found out that Paul Bettany will play The Vision in the movie. Age of Ultron was a wild ride. The movie may not have been as successful as the first Avengers movie but it did change a lot of things in the MCU. Now we also have the confirmation that it saved a talented actor from fading away.
So we think it all worked out for the best. Do you agree with us? What do you think of this news and the analysis thereof? Let us know in the comments below.
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