As a typical Hollywood blockbuster, The Avengers, featuring a star-studded cast and a gathering of mighty heroes, unprecedentedly brought together well-known superheroes such as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye, the Hulk, and Black Widow. Naturally, its press conference attracted a massive number of media journalists.
From the Los Angeles Times on the West Coast to the New York Times on the East Coast, from North America's Washington Post to Europe's Le Figaro, from Britain's The Times to Japan's Asahi Shimbun, from the professional Hollywood Reporter to the typical tabloid The Sun, they all sent reporters to attend the press conference.
"I have accepted an offer from Marvel Studios and will serve as the director of The Avengers."
Although he was the focal point of the press conference, Duke didn't say much. Besides announcing that he had signed with Marvel Studios, he also confirmed that the film would be shot in 3D. "The Avengers will be produced as a 3D movie. This is something very exciting."
He did not hesitate to say, "I really dislike those long-take films filled with endless dialogue. I prefer the kind of film that makes people feel immersed in it. So, 3D aligns with my aesthetic preferences. Honestly, many films are not suitable for 3D conversion, but the 3D version of The Avengers will definitely not be unpleasant. Moreover, there are many scenes that will make people feel as if they're inside the movie. From that perspective, I'm very fond of the 3D Avengers."
At the press conference, Duke voluntarily stepped aside. At the moment, the actors were the bigger topic of interest, and the six Avengers were naturally the center of media attention. According to the prior arrangements, each of them also spoke to the media about their roles in the film.
The first to speak was Chris Evans. His Captain America would be the soul of the Avengers.
"After traveling through seventy years to the present day, Captain America miraculously awakens and joins the Avengers…"
Chris Evans talked about the challenges of the role. "There's a lot of new things he has to accept and he must quickly adapt to the moral values, ethics, and rapid technological advancements of modern society. He has no relatives, no friends, doesn't understand slang, and has no idea what the internet is; but he possesses rich combat experience and exceptional leadership skills, which gradually turns the Avengers into a cohesive and powerful team."
Robert Downey Jr. then focused on describing the relationship between his character, Iron Man, and Captain America.
"Tony and Steve are like brothers separated for years. Tony's father, Howard Stark, liked Steve the most. Although Tony is a playboy constantly surrounded by women and booze, he doesn't resent his father's favoritism toward his 'brother.' After meeting Captain America, he instead sees him as a close friend, and in key moments, even follows his lead in battle."
Mark Ruffalo admitted to reporters, "To play the Hulk well, I went to the zoo and observed gorillas for a long time. I hoped this would inspire me in portraying the Hulk."
Soon after, reporters almost swarmed Scarlett Johansson. Her Black Widow was the key role that connected the entire Avengers team.
"I'm happy to continue playing Black Widow in The Avengers. I really like this character myself. And I'm glad that fans enjoy my portrayal of Black Widow."
When asked whether her character would have any romantic sparks with other heroes, Scarlett directly replied, "For someone like Natasha Romanoff, romance is child's play. Besides, the Avengers are too busy there's no time for love!"
After the actors' segment, the newly designed hero costumes and some of Duke's concept art that had been revealed also became the focus of media attention.
This press conference lasted the entire morning. After attending a luncheon, Duke, as the producer and director, gathered all the key members of the film at Marvel Studios for an internal meeting.
Marvel Studios, located in Burbank, was not large just a two-story small building. From its appearance alone, it was hard to imagine that this was the company behind several globally popular blockbusters. It looked more like one of those small film studios owned by Hollywood celebrities that could go bankrupt at any time.
Shortly after noon, the place became a gathering point for Marvel heroes. The paparazzi following several stars nearly broke their camera shutters.
Black Widow Scarlett Johansson, Pepper Potts Rachel McAdams, Iron Man Robert Downey Jr., Hulk Mark Ruffalo, Hawkeye Jeremy Renner, Nick Fury Samuel L. Jackson…
Also present were Thor Chris Hemsworth and Loki Tom Hiddleston — who hadn't yet appeared on screen but were already widely known.
Since the press conference had just taken place, everyone now knew that the Earth's mightiest team was about to assemble.
When Duke arrived, many reporters surrounded him. Apparently, the questions from the morning press conference weren't enough. They threw out all kinds of questions.
Casually answering a few, Duke quickly walked into Marvel Studios' office building under the protection of bodyguards. The reporters outside swarmed around Kevin Feige, who had just gotten out of the car. The CEO of Marvel Studios wasn't as lucky as Duke.
Entertainment reporters threw out one sharp question after another, many of which were about the film's style.
Catching bits and pieces of the reporters' questions, Duke, led by the receptionist, headed to the conference room on the second floor.
Although The Avengers was a highly anticipated movie among comic fans and superhero enthusiasts, most industry insiders did not see it as a hot commodity. The reason was simple too many heroes, too many different superpowers, and too difficult to blend together.
Frankly speaking, The Avengers was like a big pot of stew and stew-type movies have never been easy to make.
Entering the conference room, Duke nodded at Robert Downey Jr. and Samuel L. Jackson, who came up to greet him, then walked to the head of the table. Once Kevin Feige arrived, the meeting began.
This was a crew preparation meeting, without anything particularly special. In fact, most matters had already been discussed when the script was handed over to the relevant people. The prep meeting was more like a face-to-face coordination session, allowing the core team to discuss any potential issues directly.
Ensemble scenes are notoriously troublesome. There are many characters in the film, and each is a "hot celebrity." Since the screenwriters can't evenly distribute the scenes, it's inevitable that there will be "favoring one over another," which could easily trigger open and hidden conflicts among the actors.
Fortunately, most of them were male actors. The rivalries between men don't tend to be as entangled as those between women.
To prevent any potential drama from affecting the filming, after the routine script reading, Duke specifically stood up to say a few words.
"Film is an art of regret. No matter the aspect or the time, there will always be regrets. In terms of the storyline, Marvel, Stan Lee, and the screenwriters have already made their best efforts and attempts. They've done everything they can to balance things out."
Sweeping his gaze across everyone in the conference room, Duke said seriously, "But unfortunately, that's not a very realistic idea. So, some superheroes can only serve as supporting roles in this movie."
As soon as Duke finished speaking, Kevin Feige chimed in cooperatively, "However, this won't be disappointing, because the film has plenty of action scenes. Even with so many superheroes together, this is still an action movie at its core. Just focus on those large-scale action scenes because that's the flesh and blood of the film."
In fact, no one could openly say anything about it. After all, Duke wasn't the old Joss Whedon. His weight as a director was enough to make these actors keep any unrealistic ideas just that ideas.
For example, Captain America didn't have much screen time in the script. Though he's the brains of the Avengers, he definitely wasn't the flashiest character, and he even seemed more like a prop.
That's totally normal. When a group of superheroes comes together, it's inevitable that some will stand out while others fade into the background.
According to the script, Iron Man Tony Stark definitely came out on top—witty, sarcastic, and arrogant. He even becomes the "fighter jet" among superheroes for his willingness to sacrifice himself. Besides taking on the most dangerous missions, Iron Man also fully unleashes his comic energy, cracking jokes and acting ridiculous at every turn.
To be exact, the script had clearly defined roles: Iron Man was in charge of goofing around, Captain America was there to look cool, Black Widow was there to flaunt her charm, Nick Fury schemed, and Hawkeye showed off his arms…
As for Thor, he continued the "my brother abuses me a thousand times, I love him like my first crush" saga.
This approach was necessary due to the sheer number of main characters it was simply too difficult for the script to juggle them all evenly.
At one point, Stan Lee even sought Duke's opinion about removing Thor, who was considered an eyesore, but was turned down. After all, what Duke wanted to make was a panoramic film showcasing all these comic book characters.
"The film has a very comic-book-like script. It looks like these Avengers members have just walked out of their respective movies. All these elements mashed together—it's silly and fun to watch."
Facing everyone's gaze, Duke also shared some of his own directorial philosophy. "There are mythological figures here, a WWII American soldier, and a lone-wolf arms dealer like Tony Stark. Putting all these characters together is no easy task."
"Fundamentally, this group doesn't even belong in the same movie, and yet we're trying to weave them together with a single story this story will capture the attention of superhero fans across the globe."
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