'Avengers Age Of Ultron' Cast Rumors - Black Panther Joining The Team? South Africa Shoot Fuels Speculation
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" has started principal photography as scheduled for its May 1 2015 release. One interesting location is South Africa. Pundits have swiftly made the connection to the Black Panther.
The first phase of shooting was in London at the famous Pinewood Studios. They seem to have more locations in mind now, not just New York City. From Comic Book Movie, Joss Whedon has previously mentioned that :"..a lot of the sequel has to do with [the team's] place not only in America but in the world."
Last year, Comic Book Movie has reported that Marvel Studios has requested permission to shoot in Cape Town, South Africa. It seems like they were approved. One clue is in their IMDB page where they list J.P. van der Merwe, a casting coordinator based in South Africa, to their staff and crew list.
The introduction to the Black Panther could not come at a more opportune time. While Black Panther is the king of Wakanda, a fictional African nation in the Marvel Universe, Wakanda is also known for the precious metal Vibranium. As opposed to Adamantium, from which Wolverine's claws and skeleton are laced and is known as the most indestructible metal in the Marvel Universe, Vibranium is not as strong, but it has the property to absorb vibrations, specifically sound.
In the comics, Captain America's shield is made of Adamantium, but due to licensing issues (as Fox has already used Adamantium for Wolverine) Marvel studios has focused on Vibranium as the metal of choice.
In the comic books, Ultron had different editions, and made himself more powerful every time. His robot body was made of Adamantium, but they will have to shift to Vibranium, hence the connection with Wakanda and a motive for Ultron to conquer them.
It is still speculative as to which part of the film will be shot in South Africa. There is still no official casting for the Black Panther, so there is a possibility that he will not appear yet.