There have been rumors, speculation and hope from fans all over the world that Nathan Fillion (Castle, Firefly) would be cast in a superhero movie. First, he lost out on the role of Hal Jordan in the big-screen adaptation of Green Lantern, and then our hopes were squashed when Fillion himself stated that he wouldn’t be starring in the Edgar Wright written and directed Ant-Man, or portraying the hero in The Avengers.
Now, there’s some new fuel to feed the Fillion fire! First, at the Worldwide premiere of The Avengers, Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo said that they were going to shoot one final scene for the film, the day after the world premiere.
Then came this tweet from Ant-Man writer/director Edgar Wright:
Was just back behind the camera for the first time in nearly two years. Can’t say on what, but it was cool…
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) April 5, 2012
Of course, this lead to speculation that Wright was directing the not-so-secret final scene for The Avengers that would feature Dr. Henry “Hank” Pym/Ant-Man, much like director Joss Whedon directed the final scene of Captain America: The First Avenger.
This (of course) was quickly denied by Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige. Then came this Castle/Avengers promo featuring Nathan Fillion and Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr. – Lets watch!
Nathan Fillion & Robert Downey Jr – Castle/Avengers Promo
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvJBNh_1M2Y[/youtube]
Now, by itself the ad proves nothing except that ABC, which owns Marvel Studios and airs Castle is doing some cross promotion… but, as CBM pointed out, there’s something very Déjà vu about the promo.
Watch this promo for The Avengers Worldwide premiere, featuring Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) below.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD15yFicfco[/youtube]
Notice a very similar backdrop and lighting? This means, if nothing else that Fillion was present alongside stars of The Avengers in the same studio shooting promos. But why? Well, it could simply be a case of corporate synergy and coincidence, or it could be that Joss Whedon, best buddy of Fillion and director of The Avengers managed to squeeze Capt. Mal into the final scene of The Avengers as Pym/Ant-Man, which was written and directed by Edgar Wright, setting up the character’s future solo movie.
Then we have Whedon’s friend, the lovely Felicia Day, who co-starred with Fillion in Whedon’s awesome Doctor Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog), and was long ago rumored to play S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Abigail Brand in the film, offering up this teasing answer to a fan asking her about The Avengers on her recent Geek & Sundry Google+ Hangout:
“I know a couple of people in it, but some of them might be spoilers so I can’t really say.” – Felicia, re: Avengers”
And then, we have one of the awesome folks over at Whedonesque who spotted one of the stars of Whedon’s TV series, Dollhouse (which Felicia Day also appeared on) on the set of The Avengers in costume. Check out the image below!
Yes, that’s actor Enver Gjokaj aka Victor, one of the “Actives” from Whedon’s Dollhouse in a police uniform, chatting with Whedon on the Cleveland set of The Avengers.
When asked about his appearance in the film by a fan via Twitter, Gjokaj said –
Of course, none of this is confirmed and is purely speculation but, what say you? Do you think Fillion’s Ant-Man is going to appear in the final scene of The Avengers? Do you take Gjokaj’s virtual “no comment” as confirmation, or could that just be someone that looks similar on the set? Do you think Felicia Day could appear as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, or even in just a cameo?
Or… do you think they’ll throw caution to the wind and have the entire crew of a certain “Firefly-class” spaceship, along with a Vampire hunter from Sunnydale High show up to assist Earth’s Mightiest Heroes?
Seriously though, I would love to see Fillion as Pym/Ant-Man and Morena Baccarin as Janet van Dyne/The Wasp appear at the end of The Avengers.
[Update]
Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige confirmed that additional shooting took place, although he downplayed its importance:
“I will tell you this: It was not a scene. It was not a scene. There’s little things. It’s been blown out of proportion. Which is fun, I like that things are blown out of proportion. Sometimes they’re true sometimes they’re not. There is the potential that there will be one little change. People might not even notice it. It’s not a big thing.”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uxy3V8ozpI[/youtube]
Synopsis:
Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”–the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012. In “Marvel’s The Avengers,” superheroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.
The Avengers directed by Joss Whedon and starring Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Clark Gregg and Tom Hiddleston is slated to hit U.K. theaters on April 26th and U.S. theaters on May 4th, 2012.
