Principal photography just recently wrapped on one of next year’s (many) heavy hitters, the Marvel sequel Avengers: Age of Ultron, but an interesting bit of casting for the film has now surfaced.  Stellan Skarsgard, who was last seen running around sans clothes in last year's Thor: The Dark World, says he will be reprising his role as Dr. Erik Selvig in the Avengers sequel, adding another piece of Marvel Cinematic Universe connective tissue to the highly anticipated follow-up.  More after the jump.

In recounting how he initially became involved with the Marvel universe in Thor during an interview with Total Film magazine (via CBM), Skarsgard revealed that he has a small appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron:

“I didn’t have much clue about the Marvel universe at that time. What I said to Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel, was, ‘All those superheroes? Still in those comic books? Can you make money out of that?’ The whole table just froze and looked at me as if I was an idiot. But you sign on for at least five films, I think. Or I did. I’m going to do my fourth. I’m going to be in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, a small appearance. It’s something really nice. Even if it’s owned by Disney now, it’s really run by four or five people, and they know exactly what they’re doing. I like working with them because if I have a problem with the scene, I have Kevin Feige’s number. I can call the head of the studio. You can’t do that when you work on a normal Disney film or with Warner Bros or Paramount.”

Though Skarsgard was understandably tight-lipped about his role in Age of Ultron, he did provide a hint as to Selvig’s purpose in the film:

"First of all, I don’t know what I’m allowed to say. But usually they call me in if they need something explained. There’s a lot of explanations to do when it comes to that universe."

It’s true that Selvig has been used as a sort of expositional character since his larger role in Thor, especially with his appearance in The Avengers, and one imagines he’ll provide a key piece of plot info during a scene in Age of Ultron.  Here’s hoping Joss Whedon gives him a bit more of a memorable turn this time around for what just might be Selvig’s second-to-last Marvel appearance.

Avengers: Age of Ultron opens in theaters on May 1, 2015.