Director Joss Whedon takes inspiration from Godfather Part II, which he considers "the greatest movie ever made" in creating his new Avengers: Age of Ultron film.
In an interview with Empire, Whedon admitted that he cannot help but reference Godfather Part II in his new superhero action film.
"It is a huge touchstone for me because you get everything you got from the first Godfather movie in a very different movie, in a movie that structurally couldn't be more different, and thematically and in intent and in mood, and yet nobody ever goes, 'It wasn't Godfathery enough,'" he tried to explain.
Whedon said that he needed to give people an "exciting ride about heroic people," and that is the main reason why he signed on to direct Avengers: Age of Ultron in the first place.
There will even be flashbacks in Whedon's new film that imitate Godfather Part II, and the director promised that it will be "very poignant, really."
"We see the early days, young Nick Fury in Sicily. I don't know what the hell he's doing in Sicily," he shared.
Whedon then talked about the new villain Ultron, and he said that he was happy to find "the smoothest talker in Hollywood to play him." He lauded the actor James Spader for being able to balance well the darkness and comedic side of his character.
According to Whedon, Ultron is actually a very fun character to write, since he combines a lot of iconic things and he has powers that are slightly different.
"When Ultron speaks, he has a point. He is really not on top of the fact that the point he's making has nothing to do with the fact that he's banoonoos (bananas). And that he hates the Avengers for bringing him into this world, and he can't really articulate that or even understand how much he hates humanity," said Whedon.
Another actor Whedon admires for his comedic timing is Tom Hiddleston, who plays Thor's half-brother Loki.
"Tom Hiddleston is hilarious. Hiddleston can turn on a dime, which is my favourite thing. He can be absolutely apocalyptic and then, 'Um, point of order?'" he gushed, adding that Ultron is very similar to Loki in that sense. The director truly believes that Ultron will soon become an iconic figure because of his round personality.
