Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron to shoot in Johannesburg

The film, directed by Joss Whedon, will shoot action photography sequences throughout the city but not include principal cast members. The production is scheduled to begin in mid February and last for two weeks.

This film project follows on the heels of studio's 2012 record-breaking blockbuster 'The Avengers', which was the fastest film ever to gross $1 billion at the box office worldwide in becoming the third highest grossing film of all time.

The Gauteng Film Commission showcased the city to Marvel Studios in the fall of 2013, sharing information about Johannesburg's physical assets and the benefits of filming in the region.

Job creation

This included the possibility of qualifying for the recently revised government film incentive that is intended to encourage and attract large-budget films and television productions to contribute towards employment creation, enhance South Africa's international profile and increase the country's creative and technical skills base.

"We're thrilled that the studio is bringing a major motion picture project to Johannesburg and we're committed to showing them the very best our region has to offer," said Gauteng Film Commission CEO Phindile Mbanujwa.

The film will also generate jobs for South African crewmembers that will be employed by the production. Additional jobs will include over 1000 extra man-days throughout the two-week shooting schedule. The production will work closely with the Johannesburg Joint Operations Committee, the Johannesburg Metro Police, the South African National Police, local business owners and the citizens of Johannesburg and Gauteng Province throughout the production schedule.