'Avengers' stars shoot new scene weeks before film's premiere

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige shares thoughts on 'Spider-Man' and future superhero sequels.

Last night was the Hollywood premiere of Marvel’s The Avengers, and we’ve already posted some of the early Avengers reviews that hit the Internet immediately after the screening. Put simply: the consensus is that writer/director Joss Whedon and his all-star cast have done a pretty good job of crafting Marvel’s blockbuster superhero team-up film.

The good folks over at Marvel Studios are now out doing press rounds to promote The Avengers all the way down the final stretch to its theatrical release. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently discussed the future of the Marvel movie universe with our friend Steve Weintraub over at Collider, and while the folks over at Cinema Blend are reporting that a new secret scene for The Avengers is soon being filmed as a last-minute surprise for the theatrical release.

First, check out a breakdown of the topics that Collider covered with Feige:

• He’s seen an unfinished version of The Amazing Spider-Man and says it is excellent and should quiet concerns over the idea of rebooting the franchise.
• They have an option for Whedon to direct The Avengers 2 when and if the time comes.
• There are currently no plans to do a new Hulk movie with Mark Ruffalo.
• Iron Man 3 starts filming in five weeks in North Carolina.
• When approaching Iron Man 3, their gut instinct was to not make it be a pseudo-Avengers 2.  It’s a full-on Tony Stark movie.
• Iron Man 3 is inspired by the first half of Iron Man 1 in that they’re metaphorically putting Tony back in the cave.  He’s stripped of everything, back against a wall, and has nothing but his intelligence to get him out.
• Filming on Thor 2 begins in three months in London and it picks up where the first film left off in terms of Jane and Odin.
• Thor 2 also addresses what’s been happening in the nine realms with the Asgardians unable to use the Bifrost.
• Loki has a part in Thor 2, but there will be a different, big villain.
• The crux of Thor 2 is continuing the dynamic between Thor and Jane, as well as the relationship between Thor and Odin.
• Feige says there are no plans for Marvel and Pixar to team up on a feature.
• Creative talks have been progressing for years between Marvel and Disney about possibly doing a Marvel property as an animated film.
• Edgar Wright did not film something for Marvel recently, but Feige says to pay attention to Wright’s tweets in the coming months “and that might change.”
• They’re still figuring out how many period flashbacks to include in Captain America 2.
• The primary story of Captain America 2 will be Steve Rogers figuring out his place in the world. For the time-being, he’ll be staying with S.H.I.E.L.D.
• They should announce by Comic-Con or before what’s coming out in May 2014.
• Zak Penn did not write a Doctor Strange movie.
• Feige says, “depending on what Edgar Wright films for us” circumstances could possibly force them to make three films in one year.

For the full discussions on the topics listed above, head on over to Collider.

Avengers Secret Scene?

During the press conference, the reporters in attendance bore witness to a potentially juicy tidbit dropped by Avengers and Iron Man star, Robert Downey Jr. As stated by Cinema Blend :

That’s right– according to Downey Jr., they’re shooting another scene from The Avengers tonight, and “I’m not joking.” He got the final word at the press conference, so there was no time to get clarification or figure out what on earth kind of scene they could be shooting for a movie that opens in three weeks.

UPDATE: The Playlist has further confirmed that this secret scene will shoot, through their conversations with actor Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner / Hulk):

“We’re shooting a scene tonight. I’m not sure exactly where it’s gonna go. All I know is that someone came in with the costume and said, ‘Here’s some wardrobe. We don’t know where you’re going to be or what you’re doing.’ ” Ruffalo said. We asked if it will be in the “The Avengers” when it hits theaters Ruffalo added, “Yeah. So I’m like, ‘All right, when are we doing that?’ Today after we’re done.”

Assuming that this isn’t just RDJ being…well, RDJ, the most likely scenarios would be that A) They are filming a new post-credits “Button Scene” meant to foreshadow the next big arc in the Marvel Movie Universe. B) That there is some kind of scene in the movie itself that they wanted to keep under wraps (possibly a fan-stirring cameo of some sort?). If fans remember correctly, two Marvel lead-in films – The Incredible Hulk and Captain America - had secret “button” scenes featuring some kind of juicy surprise. The problem in both cases was that Internet hounds were onto the surprise way before those respective films (and Thor, and Iron Man 1&2) reached theaters.

Marvel may have learned from past mistakes – trusting us shifty blogger types – and could have kept this secret scene out of the premiere screening, where it would have absolutely been blasted all over the Internet. As things stand, we’ll let you guys discuss and debate what this extra scene could be.

Kofi Outlaw blogs at Screen Rant.