We reported recently that Elisabeth Olsen was in talks to star in Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron. There was also talk that Aaron Johnson was looking at joining the cast for the Avengers sequel as well. Well, they're both confirmed as starring as both have signed deals today.
Elisabeth Olsen will be playing Wanda Maximoff, otherwise known as Scarlet Witch and Aaron Johnson will be playing Quicksilver. In the comic-books, they're brother and sister so we're guessing Whedon's script will reflect that. But, here's the real kicker. They're also X-Men characters. If you follow the totally messed-up storyline in the comic books, the characters Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are the children of Magneto.
There was talk that the upcoming X-Men film, Days of Future Past, would feature Quicksilver and that their camp was a bit pissed that Whedon was stealing their character. There's no sign of the two storylines - Avengers and X-Men - ever crossing over on film as they're owned by two separate film studios. Not only that, the tone is completely different so trying to meet somewhere in the middle dilutes both storylines.
Casting Liz Olsen and Aaron Johnson is a smart move by Whedon. We know he's got an excellent eye for casting and he knows how to use actor's strengths to their full advantage. Olsen has been doing small, indie dramas up until now and she's been consistently excellent in all of them. If you've never seen Martha Marcy May Marlene, seek it out as it's worth a watch. Johnson, on the other hand, is an old hand at blockbusters after starring in the two Kick-Ass films and Joe Wright's Anna Karenina.
