With “Iron Man 3” hitting theaters soon, Phase Two of Marvel”s plan to dominate world cinemas is well under way, and now things are in motion on “The Avengers 2.”
The highly-anticipated sequel will commence production sometime in early 2014 at England’s famed Pinewood-Shepperton Studios, according to Screen Daily. “Avengers 2” is aiming for a 2015 release.
Pinewood-Shepperton has quickly become Marvel’s favorite place to shoot, as “Thor: The Dark World” recently wrapped production there, and the upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy” is slated to shoot there later this year.
So far, plot details have been few and far between, but “Avengers 2” is believed to tie directly into “Guardians,” and will likely feature Thanos (glimpsed in “The Avengers”) as the main villain.
Writer-director Joss Whedon is reuniting the original’s massive cast, including Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Chris Evans as Captain America and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
“The Avengers” grossed well over $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
Meanwhile, Marvel has released a short Phase Two featurette to coincide with the release of the new “Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One” Blu-ray box set. It mostly just features clips from “Iron Man,” “The Avengers” and the upcoming “Iron Man 3,” which kicks off Phase Two.
Watch it here:
“The Avengers 2” is scheduled to open May 1, 2015. “Iron Man 3” hits theaters May 2.