James Spader cast as Ultron in The Avengers: Age of Ultron

Well, it looks like the recent rumour about Paul Bettany's JARVIS evolving into Ultron in the forthcoming Avengers sequel was about as wide of the mark as you can get, with Marvel Studios announcing today that James Spader (Stargate, Boston Legal) has signed on to portray the AI villain in Joss Whedon's The Avengers: Age of Ultron. At this point it's unknown whether Spader will simply lend his voice to the character, or if he's set to perform the role via motion-capture, a la Mark Ruffalo and The Incredible Hulk.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron is set for release on May 1st, 2015, with Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) expected to reunite with returning Avengers stars Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury). Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) is in talks to appear as Scarlet Witch, while her Godzilla co-star Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass 2) looks likely to join the cast as her on-screen brother Quicksilver.