It’s a good thing Stellan Skarsgard is returning as Dr. Erik Selvig for Avengers: Age of Ultron right? Otherwise I would be wondering, Where is Selvig to help explain the plot? After all, Skarsgard says as much in an interview with Total Film (via CBM), “I don’t know what I’m allowed to say, but usually they call me in if they need something explained. There’s a lot of explanations to do when it comes to that universe.”
It’s not exactly the biggest news to hear Skarsgard is returning. Considering Marvel has created a world of superheroes it only makes sense they, and all the peripheral characters, would be referenced in each film otherwise we would be left to wonder why they only show up selectively from one film to the next. I also found this next passage from the Total Film interview rather comical after Skarsgard was asked if he’d be seen in the buff once again:
Yeah, I was naked again. They called my agent and said, ‘Do you think Stellan will mind being naked?’ My agent laughed his head off. Yeah, I almost insist! Sometimes with a contract you get a nudity clause, which is fantastic. It’s supposed to protect me from having my genitals exploited, which I doubt anybody would make a dime on.
He also addressed his contract for five films and how Age of Ultron will be his fourth, not to mention the difference working on a Marvel film rather than your typical studio feature:
You sign on for at least five films, I think. Or I did. I’m going to do my fourth. I’m going to be in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, a small appearance. It’s something really nice. Even if it’s owned by Disney now, it’s really run by four or five people, and they know exactly what they’re doing. I like working with them because if I have a problem with the scene, I have Kevin Feige’s number. I can call the head of the studio. You can’t do that when you work on a normal Disney film or with Warner Bros or Paramount.
It’s got to feel good when you’re so big studios can hardly stand in your way. Feige has to absolutely love that and it sounds like the actors also enjoy being able to work on a studio film while not having to worry about too much (if any) studio interference. Considering the more than $6.8 billion the ten films in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe has brought in worldwide I think that only makes sense.
