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On screen， they’re Earth’s mightiest heroes. But in Hollywood， they were has-beens and never-weres. That is， until Marvel got a hold of them.
Avengers： Age of Ultron kicks off the summer movie season with a whirlwind of superheroes joining forces to once again save the world and shatter boxoffice records. The director and several key stars in the ensemble cast either kick-started their film careers with Marvel Studios （Chris Hemsworth as Thor， Chris Evans as Captain America， director Joss Whedon） or staged a dramatic comeback （Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man）.
The next few months could mark the most lucrative summer in Hollywood history， thanks to a wave of followups to major franchises. After Avengers， some of the most anticipated entries include Mad Max： Fury Road， Jurassic World， Terminator： Genisys， Mission Impossible： Rogue Nation and the Despicable Me spinoff Minions.
Those moviegoers who prefer original stories over digitally created dinosaurs also have a surprising surfeit of choices， as Hollywood has learned that summer can be a smart time for sophisticated counterprogramming. Two of the most celebrated movies from January’s Sundance Film Festival， the dark comedy Me， Earl and the Dying Girl and hip-hop comedy Dope， both released in June.
But in a summer with 18 sequels， reboots， spinoffs and comic-book adaptations， it’s the second Avengers that will set the tone. The film also demonstrates a new casting calculus in Hollywood， in which it’s not the actors who make the character， but the character who makes the actor.
Disney-owned Marvel has mastered that approach and made A-listers out of previous unknowns. Chris Pratt， for example， was best known for his supporting role on the sitcom Parks and Recreation. Then he landed the starring role in last summer’s Guardians of the Galaxy， by far the season’s biggest box-office winner， bringing in $774 million. He’s now one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men and starred in Jurassic World this June.
Marvel takes the same approach with directors—in contrast to competitors like Warner Bros.， which has entrusted its superheroes to highend auteur Christopher Nolan and experienced action director Zack Snyder. Kenneth Branagh’s career directing big-screen Shakespeare adaptations petered out several years before Marvel picked him to direct Thor. After that film hit it big， Mr. Branagh continued a second career in big-budget movies such as last year’s Jack Ryan： Shadow Recruit and March’s live-action Cinderella.
Avengers： Age of Ultron kicks off the summer movie season with a whirlwind of superheroes joining forces to once again save the world and shatter boxoffice records. The director and several key stars in the ensemble cast either kick-started their film careers with Marvel Studios （Chris Hemsworth as Thor， Chris Evans as Captain America， director Joss Whedon） or staged a dramatic comeback （Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man）.
The next few months could mark the most lucrative summer in Hollywood history， thanks to a wave of followups to major franchises. After Avengers， some of the most anticipated entries include Mad Max： Fury Road， Jurassic World， Terminator： Genisys， Mission Impossible： Rogue Nation and the Despicable Me spinoff Minions.
Those moviegoers who prefer original stories over digitally created dinosaurs also have a surprising surfeit of choices， as Hollywood has learned that summer can be a smart time for sophisticated counterprogramming. Two of the most celebrated movies from January’s Sundance Film Festival， the dark comedy Me， Earl and the Dying Girl and hip-hop comedy Dope， both released in June.
But in a summer with 18 sequels， reboots， spinoffs and comic-book adaptations， it’s the second Avengers that will set the tone. The film also demonstrates a new casting calculus in Hollywood， in which it’s not the actors who make the character， but the character who makes the actor.
Disney-owned Marvel has mastered that approach and made A-listers out of previous unknowns. Chris Pratt， for example， was best known for his supporting role on the sitcom Parks and Recreation. Then he landed the starring role in last summer’s Guardians of the Galaxy， by far the season’s biggest box-office winner， bringing in $774 million. He’s now one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men and starred in Jurassic World this June.
Marvel takes the same approach with directors—in contrast to competitors like Warner Bros.， which has entrusted its superheroes to highend auteur Christopher Nolan and experienced action director Zack Snyder. Kenneth Branagh’s career directing big-screen Shakespeare adaptations petered out several years before Marvel picked him to direct Thor. After that film hit it big， Mr. Branagh continued a second career in big-budget movies such as last year’s Jack Ryan： Shadow Recruit and March’s live-action Cinderella.