Hugo Weaving explains why he didn't play Red Skull in 'Avengers' sequels

Actor Hugo Weaving says he was ready to reprise his role of Red Skull in "Avengers: Infinity War" and its follow-up "Endgame", but Marvel Studios was not ready to pay him the remuneration he demanded.

Weaving, best known for "The Matrix" and "Lord of the Rings" trilogies, portrayed the character for the first time in "Captain America: The First Avenger" opposite Chris Evans.

The 59-year-old actor was approached for the most recent "Avengers" films but negotiations with the studio led to a stalemate.

"I loved playing that character Red Skull it was a lot of fun. We were all obliged to sign up for three pictures: I was thinking (Red Skull) probably wouldn't come back in 'Captain America' but he may well come back as a villain in 'The Avengers'.

"By then, they'd pushed back on the contracts that we agreed on and so the money they offered me for 'The Avengers' was much less than I got for the very first one, and this was for two films. And the promise when we first signed the contracts was that the money would grow each time," Weaving told Time Out magazine.

The actor said he found negotiations with the studio to be "impossible".

"They said: 'It's just a voice job, it's not a big deal'. I actually found negotiating with them through my agent impossible. And I didn't really wanna do it that much. But I would have done it," Weaving added.

The character was ultimately portrayed by actor Ross Marquand of the "The Walking Dead" fame.

In "The Matrix" films, Weaving played Agent Smith, the antagonist opposite Keanu Reeves' Neo, and essayed the role of an Elven leader, Elrond in the "LOTR" series.