Joss Whedon to direct The Avengers says Deadline New York - The Avengers

Oh, Awesome.

I added the Deadline New York bit. I'll save the ~~champagne~~ creation of a new category till it's official.

*waits for the purple one*

New category soon, chums?

I'd love this.

There be no purple I suspect unless its signed off, as deals and all that.

It makes sense for this (Avengers) to happen.

[ edited by gossi on 2010-04-13 21:48 ]

gossi | April 13, 21:45 CET

BAH! But I have my purple socks on and everything, the very least he could do is be crypric! (Not really, he can do what he wants, lol).

bubblecat | April 13, 21:47 CET

This could be the hugest thing ever, for Joss' movie career...

*Waits for more news*

GVH | April 13, 21:49 CET

Dude! I really really hope this is true. Because it would be awesome, and because if he directs this, and it's a success, he can probably do anything he wants to after that.

It might even get Goners out of development hell. Which would be awesome.

erendis | April 13, 21:51 CET

This is the most exciting thing imaginable. Which possibly shows how not-dynamic my imagination is, but still. I am super-psyched for this. Oh gosh, I hope this works out.

sumogrip | April 13, 21:53 CET

Yeah. The next time somebody tells me Joss does failure, I'll be - like - 15 US TV seasons sold worldwide, a much hyped web series, best selling DVDs and probably the highest budget comic book movie ever. Then I'll stick my tongue out at them.

gossi | April 13, 21:53 CET

I had a feeling that His Purpliness was either going to direct Runaways or this, and ever since Pete Sollett got the nod to direct the former... I've been pretty optimistic.

Still, and even acknowledging that this is a completely separate situation (what with the already established franchise characters, etc), wasn't Wonder Woman supposed to be a sure thing, too?

adg1034 | April 13, 21:53 CET

Robert Downey Jr now part of the Whedonverse! I hope.

Simon | April 13, 21:53 CET

Very exciting possibility! I'm with Simon with the hoping about RDJ being part of the Whedonverse. That would be wonderful.

IrrationaliTV | April 13, 21:56 CET

I think signing on to direct is a much more sure thing than signing up to write the script. There's a certain amount of ball-rolling that's already happened to get them to this point, I believe. Whereas with WW, Joss was the one trying to start the rolling. Anyone correct me if that's off or untrue.

sumogrip | April 13, 21:57 CET

I'll believe it when it's official. Fingers crossed.

dispatch | April 13, 22:05 CET

The funniest thing is just sit down for a minute and seeing this twitteresque thing on the side rolling with twitter comments.

Numfar PTB | April 13, 22:08 CET

So is this Emma Peel era or Purdy era?

What?

zz9 | April 13, 22:12 CET

Won't get TOO excited, until it's official. I'm very much wishing for this though!

Fred_Sonja | April 13, 22:13 CET

*squeals like a little girl*

It sounds almost too good to be true. I wish Joss all the best once all the 'i's are dotted and the 't's are crossed.

I don't believe all the naysayers saying he's a terrible person for the job. He knows how to keep to a budget (which Marvel will keep a tight grip on) and he has experience with CGI/green-screen elements. He's perfect.

Mcjw_serenity | April 13, 22:17 CET

Whedon + Downey = OMG.

barest_smidgen | April 13, 22:24 CET

Whedon + Samuel L. Jackson + Downey = not appropriate commentary for Whedonesque.

gossi | April 13, 22:25 CET

wasn't Wonder Woman supposed to be a sure thing, too?

That was when Joel Silver had his grubby hands on the WW franchise, and now the WB is personally managing all their DC properties.

Not to mention Marvel Studios is a completely different beast than Joel Silver. When they hired the directors to do their movies (Favreau, Johnston, Letterier), they pretty much stuck to course and didn't leave the projects in pre-production.

Mcjw_serenity | April 13, 22:27 CET

Hopefully, he will add some of his "now unemployed" friend/family actors to the cast.

But yeah, I won't believe it until the ink dries.

Little Green Kid | April 13, 22:28 CET

Yeah - but where's Morgan Freeman in all of this I ask you!

bubblecat | April 13, 22:29 CET

Dear Boss Whedon (not to be confused with Boss Tweed), it's about freakin' time. By that I mean, you hold in your hands the reins of the path to more greatness. It is an awesome responsibility, but one we all know you can handle.

WHAT!? Yes, yes, I KNOW the ink isn't dry yet, Whedon monkeys (as James Gunn once called us). It's called a Preemptive Vote of Confidence. Geesh. :=) [I should never post from work: edit edit edit tweak teak tweak]

[ edited by Tonya J on 2010-04-13 22:31 ]

[ edited by Tonya J on 2010-04-13 22:50 ]

Tonya J | April 13, 22:30 CET

Well this is pretty big.Also will be interested to see if this delays Buffy Season 9 or if Joss really will be writing less of it.

Buffyfantic | April 13, 22:31 CET

And considering that none of the upcoming movies production news came without mentioning the follow up team-up movie that is The Avengers (and we have to include Iron Man 2 which is opening in less than 20 days in this news-bag-thing), it is definitely something that's been and will be buzzed about a lot.

Numfar PTB | April 13, 22:31 CET

Yeah - but where's Morgan Freeman in all of this I ask you!

Isn't Morgan Freeman made of chocolate?

Numfar PTB | April 13, 22:33 CET

Yeah. If this is real and gets announced between now and Iron Man 2 coming out, it will be everywhere. If I was at MGM, I would be weeing my pants in excitement right now as you just got your Publicity plan for CABIN.

gossi | April 13, 22:34 CET

I hope to everything that's holy that this happens. It's just too HUGE! I'll be counting the days until this movie comes out even more impatiently.

[ edited by Brink Of Insanity on 2010-04-13 22:35 ]

Brink Of Insanity | April 13, 22:34 CET

Re: Numfar PTB

I think I've had dreams about that. If only.

adg1034 | April 13, 22:35 CET

gossi, how will a publicity plan work for "Cabin" when it comes out a full year before "Avengers" does?

Mcjw_serenity | April 13, 22:36 CET

Robert Downey Jr now part of the Whedonverse! I hope.

Are Marvel characters he didn't create part of the Whedonverse? This is going to confuse all my make-believe boxes. There may have to be Venn diagrams.

Sunfire | April 13, 22:36 CET

Time to fire Zak Penn. No disrespect, sure he's a nice guy but his work is...patchy. Hiring Joss Whedon and not getting him to scribble is like hiring Michael Jackson and getting someone else to do the dancing

Andy Dufresne | April 13, 22:37 CET

You send out to press for CABIN, saying "Here's the director of the upcoming AVENGERS flick". Really easy to get Joss everywhere. MGM need some good luck right now.

gossi | April 13, 22:37 CET

Did we break twitteresque?

IrrationaliTV | April 13, 22:43 CET

sunfireI vote they aren't. I mean, it's not like Tom Hanks and Tim Allen get a cast & crew tag.

rocknjosie | April 13, 22:46 CET

The Variety article reporting the news says that Whedon will also rewrite the script.

Mcjw_serenity | April 13, 22:48 CET

Yeah. The next time somebody tells me Joss does failure, I'll be - like - 15 US TV seasons sold worldwide, a much hyped web series, best selling DVDs and probably the highest budget comic book movie ever. Then I'll stick my tongue out at them.
gossi

This times a million! And I'll add a "nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah!" and a "told ya so!"
I can't help feeling a child-like glee at the thought of this! Although I can't help feeling a child-like glee at the thought of anything with the Whedon name attatched to it!

bloodyrockerswitch | April 13, 22:49 CET

Not going to celebrate until it's official, but this is really exciting.

Giles_314 | April 13, 22:51 CET

Variety confirms: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118017689.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2562&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+variety%2Fheadlines+%28Variety+-+Latest+News%29

rocknjosie | April 13, 22:52 CET

Variety says it's a goer. Somebody told me he's writing or rewriting or helping writing or something.

gossi | April 13, 22:54 CET

I am super epic excited about this!!! Damn!!!

chancekear | April 13, 22:54 CET

Anyone else running around their living room going 'OMG, OMG, OMG'? I know it's not just me.

Awesome news, involved with the script? Directing? RDJ? Yay!

Now... is there a part for Enver?

Leaf | April 13, 22:56 CET

Wow...this is unbelievably awesome!!!!!!

hmvb15 | April 13, 22:57 CET

Note: what follows is the obligatory all-caps cancellation joke. I get it in now, for the same reason as some people write "FIRST" in the second comment of a blog entry.

I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY'RE GOING TO CANCEL THE AVENGERS FILM.

You may now resume your general excitement.

Sparticus | April 13, 22:57 CET

This is just awesome.

GeekORage | April 13, 22:57 CET

Interesting that the Variety piece notes that Chris Hemswort is already Whedon alum via Cabin in the Woods.

Also: I bet the news is serving like Red Bull to reenergize all those Serenity sequel campaigns.

[ edited by Numfar PTB on 2010-04-13 23:02 ]

Numfar PTB | April 13, 22:59 CET

Okay... trying not to get too excited, but Variety confirming is VERY encouraging.

Think I might start squeeing now.

Giles_314 | April 13, 23:00 CET

Can someone post the relevant text from Variety? It's behind a pay wall that I can't see now. :(

IrrationaliTV | April 13, 23:04 CET

I'm going OMG OMG OMG in my head but it's not the same as being able to do it at home (damn you workplace [shakes fist!].

Tonya J | April 13, 23:05 CET

From Variety:

Marvel Studios is wrapping up a deal for Whedon to helm "The Avengers," which assembles the superheroes in one pic on May 4, 2012, that Paramount will distrib. Whedon will also rework Zak Penn's script.

Sunfire | April 13, 23:06 CET

Umm... yay! The awesomeness of this news has rendered me near speechless. At this point all I can do is the dance of joy.

WindTheFrog | April 13, 23:07 CET

Definitely an exciting rumor! I'd love to see what Joss does with a worthy budget and marketing. And Shawna getting to play on the big screen again would be fantastic.

But I'll believe it when Joss posts here. Too many rumors are just that.

RayHill | April 13, 23:07 CET

This is great news for Joss and the fandom. Of course, that means that most of those clipboards might as well get packed away in mothballs until fall of 2012.

cabri | April 13, 23:08 CET

Do... do we start the websites now? gossi, b!x anyone? Or is this to big for the mere internets? Still wont believe it til I see the credits roll with His Purpleness' name there.

Kaan | April 13, 23:09 CET

Am I the only nitwit here who didn't read the linked article the first time this showed on Whedonesque and thought that everyone was talking about Joss directing a remake of the 1960s TV show with Diana Rigg? I was hoping that he was going to cast oh-so-cool Olivia Williams as Emma Peel.

BrewBunny | April 13, 23:10 CET

The budget for 'Iron Man' was $140m before publicity, so this one (being a culmination of the franchise) should be $200m or so. It will be the biggest release of 2012 by a very wide margin. Huge congratulations to joss for landing it. Now; panic.

gossi | April 13, 23:12 CET

You know what the best part of this is? AFTER the Avengers. Assuming it is any semblance of a hit we will live in a world wherein Joss Whedon will be able to get his own stuff made with a great deal more ease than right now. A list actors will want meetings, studios will want to be able to boast 'from the director of The Avengers'

Andy Dufresne | April 13, 23:12 CET

Not confirmation, but "Joss Wedon to direct 'The Avengers'?: Existence of God no longer in doubt" tweeted by Maurissa. SO: at least another step more interesting.

(BewBunny - several of us before we read the first rumor-article though it was all Emma Peelish, too.)

QuoterGal | April 13, 23:14 CET

I just ran into every room in my house telling everyone the news, whether they were sleeping or not (or even cared). Anyway, if this does turn out to be true, my interest in the movie will go way up.

Public Asylum | April 13, 23:14 CET

I have this vision of Joss doing THE AVENGERS, then DR HORRIBLE 2. I think his agent would kill him, but it would tickle me.

gossi | April 13, 23:14 CET

I think Variety's "Whedon will also rework Zak Penn's script" is what's getting me on the bandwagon. If it's a hit, it'll be all Joss's doing and we'll see Joss projects greenlit that would never otherwise have seen the light of day, as others have said. It's his projects I'm most interested in, not the Avengers.

The May 2012 date is the scary part of this. That's not much time for a major movie. I doubt he'll even have time for Dr Horrible, much less any other projects, like The Serving Girl.

shambleau | April 13, 23:16 CET

I was about to say this is great, but I hope that he's involved with the script, as really I'm a fan of Whedon as a writer rather than as a director (although him directing means no one messes up his script).

However, now that he's actually involved with re-writing the script according to some this is just incredible news!!

Also those who worry that Marvel won't make this movie, Marvel seems to be placing all bets on this movie, as it would tie in all their other super-heroes and could be a big springboard to a lot more. Avengers is just too important to Marvel for the movie not to get made and so far as a movie studio they have been pretty good in giving creative control to their directors.

Matt_Fabb | April 13, 23:17 CET

Joss is doing the script. And really - I love Summer like the next geek, but major summer movie vs The Serving Girl? Yeah.

gossi | April 13, 23:18 CET

Congrats, Boss! Even if it's just for making it this far in the rumor mill.

But, Variety. Yay!

WhoIsOmega? | April 13, 23:21 CET

Oh dear God I am excited. I'm going to sleep so well tonight!

Jaymii | April 13, 23:23 CET

Thanks, Sunfire!

I think this is all pretty much a done deal if Maurissa and Zack are tweeting about it. I can't find the proper exclamations to express my glee.

[ edited by TamaraC on 2010-04-13 23:29 ]

IrrationaliTV | April 13, 23:24 CET

If this becomes official the ground will shake with collective nerd-gasms throughout the universe.

Any word on Edward Norton being involved with this project? I believe The Hulk had some involvement with The Avengers.

If both Ed Norton and Downey Jr. join the verse it will be epic.

alcabongTV | April 13, 23:26 CET

Congrats to Joss - this is definately the biggest thing of his career thus far. Hope we here more definate news soon.

I was there anyway - but this will add a nice touch:)

angeliclestat | April 13, 23:27 CET

Ed Norton is up in the air right now.He seems open to it but he's not signed on unlike Downey Jr,Hemsworth,Evans etc.

Buffyfantic | April 13, 23:28 CET

OK, so I'm one of the few here who isn't familiar with Marvel's Avengers, aside from knowing the names of the characters. But I'm so excited for Joss. Kudos! And now something else to look forward to!

palehorse | April 13, 23:32 CET

Oh my goddess! I'm freaking out right now. I'm having a total geekgasm.

Please let it happen! Please, please let it happen!

jesse | April 13, 23:33 CET

Wow, "Joss Whedon" is trending right now on twitter ...

I'm with palehorse on not being familiar with the Avengers, but it sure seems big, and the names mentioned are huge, so count me in as excited, too!!!

Ariane | April 13, 23:34 CET

Cautiously optimistic. Captain America and Iron Man are near and dear to my heart, so I hope this creative merging works.

BAFfler | April 13, 23:35 CET

While it's fantastic for Joss to get a big directing gig like this and I'm sure he'll do great, I wish he'd write/direct a rebooted X-Men movie franchise, rather than the Avengers. Everything Whedonesque is so much more X-ish than Avengers-ish.

FaithFan | April 13, 23:36 CET

I really hope this happens. And if it's true that he'll re-write the script... even more awesome!

maxsummers | April 13, 23:37 CET

Just realised, how can Joss not direct this movie. Let's look at the major players in it:

Captain America: Has been killed off. (now resurrected)
Hawkeye: Has been killed off. (now resurrected)
Iron Man: Has been practically killed off. (made brain dead, now resurrected)
Thor: Exiled into another dimension. (now back)
Hulk: Exiled into space via rocket ship. (now back, but now made un-hulk)
Ant-Man: Has been killed off. (though in fairness, it was when he was being impersonated by a Skrull, the real ant-man was actually captive on a spaceship).
The Wasp: Has been killed off. (and shockingly, currently still is).

Odds probably favour Joss killing off Hawkeye first.

Sparticus | April 13, 23:39 CET

Awesomesauce.

However, Re the Variety article:

Whedon, a favorite among fanboys.

Stabby. That is all.

ShanshuBugaboo | April 13, 23:40 CET

This would be awsome if it happens, which is looking more and more likely now Mo & Zack have tweeted it!

Gota luv that Buffy | April 13, 23:45 CET

Seriously, ShanshuBugaboo, I don't know what they're talking about. Joss is a favorite among the world.

Please, oh purple one, confirm! It's only 3:45 on the west coast, you still have time! Make it so!

Oh, and as to whether characters Joss didn't create end up part of the Whedonverse - in this case, it's slightly unfair because most of these characters were created before Joss could even write (most of the Avengers characters came about in 1962-1964, when Joss was born. Captain America debuted in 1941).

I think it's possible some concessions can be made based on the fact that there's no way the standard could even apply, given that Joss didn't even have the opportunity to create these characters. It would be ridiculous to post every single Robert Downey Jr. article here (the man gets around), but if it were a piece related exclusively to his role in the (hopefully) Whedonverse, perhaps the gracious heads here could allow it because it has to do with Joss' work.

[ edited by The Ninja Report on 2010-04-13 23:52 ]

the ninja report | April 13, 23:46 CET

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/84/Avengers-1.jpg
Avenger's issue #1 cover^^ (Big golden guy is original Iron Man)

Here's hoping that Ant-Man is somehow worked into the script. Henry Pym is one of the most intriguing yet recently little used member of the Marvel Universe. Why not include Wasp as well?

alcabongTV | April 13, 23:47 CET

At least acknowledge the existence of fangirls, is what I'm sayin';)

Countdown to massive blog posts regarding possible casting decisions! Hehe.

ShanshuBugaboo | April 13, 23:49 CET

I agree, ShanshuBugaboo - fangirls love Whedon works too.

I don't think there are really too many casting decisions to be made, actually. I think any Whedonverse people will have to be in relatively minor roles or cameos, considering nearly all of the Avengers have been cast and are currently or will be working on production of the individual movies. I'm surprised there hasn't been more Chris Hemsworth news, but given that the next Star Trek is on hold until after Thor, and the fact that production just started, and is very hush hush, I guess I can't be surprised any longer.

the ninja report | April 13, 23:54 CET

Fanboys is part of the Variety vocab? That said, I guess they're lumping all them sci-fi/comic book/etc fans into the same group so they probably meant that as a backhanded complement.

orangewaxlion | April 13, 23:54 CET

BIG HONKING YES!

buffywrestling | April 13, 23:57 CET

Cant. Focus. In. Lecture. Strong internet rumors dominating my concentration...

Kaan | April 14, 00:00 CET

I wonder what "final talks" means. I assume that nothing's set in stone until signatures are put on paper, so, how soon would that be, assuming all the "talking" is finished? A day? A week? Tonight? Inquiring minds want to get drunk and celebrate!

dispatch | April 14, 00:01 CET

I'm not totally at one with the comics, myself, but if anything can make this FanGrrrrrl embrace the Avengers, I suspect it would be the Jossian sensibility.

Congratulations, Jossir - and what a nice chunky big gig for you.

(And to echo some of you - score! We gots Morton Downy, Jr. for our team.)

QuoterGal | April 14, 00:01 CET

Just some random thoughts:
Contractually we know which male heroes are confirmed: Iron Man, Nick Fury, Captain America and Thor are for all purposes confirmed.
Ed Norton has been very ambiguous about Hulk's inclusion in several reports.
They're introducing Black Widow in Iron Man 2, but it's unclear how big is the role, but does open up possibility of being included in line-up.
I don't see them going more than 6 (7 max) members for the movie to be manageable. A lot of background characters, like the X-Men Franchise seems likely. That doesn't leave too many free slots for fan-faves, like Hawkeye.
There are a few staple female members that are like Avengers staple, but I'm trying to picture how they would be translated to live action.
Wasp is a founder in comics (but wouldn't she look silly, just like Tinkerbell hovering around), while Scarlet Witch is almost as important. I haven't followed the last 7 or 8 years of stories, but I believe Carol Danvers has been upgraded to close level of importance.
If complains of a too white cast, Monica Rambeau, might solve this issue without much effort on backstory and add another female to line-up.

Numfar PTB | April 14, 00:04 CET

While I'm predisposed to get excited about anything Joss does, I have to admit to being underwhelmed at the thought of him helming the Avengers, at least from a fanboy standpoint.

I think it could be great for his career, etc... And I'm all for that. But personally, I prefer Joss working on his own properties. Granted, I'm still mourning the loss of Marvel to the beast that is Mickey-colored. So that dampens my excitement as well, since at one time (pre-sell out), I'd probably be doing the happy dance at this news.

jdn74 | April 14, 00:05 CET

Im hopeful but I wont get completely excited until JW himself makes a statement.

Also this whole idea that Joss only hires Verse alumni is irking me. Yes he is loyal to his favorite actors but he is by no means bound by casting.

Whedon is the Ric Flair of fictional entertainment. He could make a broomstick look good and come off compelling.

alcabongTV | April 14, 00:07 CET

Can I put a deposit on 2011 SDCC right the hell now? I mean, can I camp out in the largest ballroom for that panel now? It will be insane! Larger than the Dr. Horrible one?

crazygolfa | April 14, 00:10 CET

If the movie does well, it will give him - I won't say cart blanche but pretty darn close - a bigger chance to do whatever he wants. This is a HUGE deal.

buffywrestling | April 14, 00:10 CET

Well Chris Hemsworth... Is it like they could find a place for him in the Star Trek sequel at all given who he played?

As for the casting though, there are so many female heroines out there (albeit the high profile ones are the verboten/Fox X-Men) but at most I think the only one with an actual actress locked down is Scarlet Johannson as the Black Widow. I sort of find it highly unlikely that he would have an all-male team and I also slightly suspect he wouldn't just have a token single female so I have hopes he'd have some hand in bringing on strong women (regardless if they're super-powered or not).

I'm more or less assuming that they'd have the Wasp-- who I also hope/assume ends up being the Asian/Ultimate version-- but it's not like he's going to be at a loss for characters some of his favorite actresses could pull off. Plus even then there's the opportunity of using the Avengers as a platform for launching solo pictures of some of the other characters. Felicia Day as Patsy Walker: Hellcat, Amy Acker as anyone ever, Gina Torres as Monica for a spin off into NEXTWAVE, Olivia Williams as Morgan Freeman as Sam Jackson as Nick Fury...

orangewaxlion | April 14, 00:11 CET

Yay! This is very good news! I have to agree with whomever said that what excites me the most is after The Avengers. If this goes well, and really, how could it not? (don't answer that.) Joss will have enormous amount of capital to spend getting his next project done. I think everyone here would love for that to be something original, or at least a sequel to something original!

Prosperina | April 14, 00:13 CET

I'm signing off for the night as I need my sleepies, but: yeah, this is a huge deal. I can't think of a bigger movie to get.

All credit to Joss and his team for landing it. All credit to Marvel for going all in and giving him the script and the movie.

I'm not so much about Joss' project after this. I'm about this.

gossi | April 14, 00:14 CET

Re: all-male cast: doesn't he have to have a sweet, innocent, female love interest to kill off?

baxter | April 14, 00:15 CET

My oh my. I was terribly sceptical when this first came up, but it's looking a lot firmer now.

A while back there was a rumour casting Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. Wouldn't that be cool, seeing Joss and "Penn" reunited?

Niels van Eekelen | April 14, 00:15 CET

I have ignored the Marvel universe as much as possible, but I would like to watch another JW movie that isn't a horror film, and I liked Downey in Sherlock, so I'm on board. I'd rather be looking forward to seeing Olivia Williams as Emma Peel, but I'm not the typical moviegoer.

A lot riding on this, but mostly elements that Mr. Whedon has handled well before, except for the size of the production budget. Ensemble cast? Check. CGI? Check. Humor? Action? Fantasy? Setup for sequels? Check, check, check. Having a built in mass market audience and a decent promotional budget won't hurt. No sure things in the movie business, but this looks like a good investment.

janef | April 14, 00:18 CET

Joss knows how to handle large ensemble casts, which makes him perfect for directing a film like the Avengers (or and X-Men reboot :) )

Carol Danvers is the most likely as the female lead. She's had a huge role in Avengers the last few years, and as Joss is a Bendis fan, I'm guessing he'd be following a lot of what's been going on recently in Avengers.

As for Scarlet Witch, there's been questions about whether or not she would be in an Avengers movie or if she is part of the X-Men characters whose rights are owned by Fox, since there's been talk she would be a part of the Magneto movie. I'm guess she and Quicksilver may stay X-characters, even though they're more associated with the Avengers.

FaithFan | April 14, 00:18 CET

I think Joss being allowed to re-write the Avengers script is the key for why he would decide to do The Avengers.Man the cast Joss will be working with.

Robert Downey Jr is known for doing a lot of improv on the fly.I wonder if that will clash with Joss who is tight on his actors sticking to the script.And if Norton does do the film,will he want to re-write Joss?

Buffyfantic | April 14, 00:20 CET

My god, this is soooo exciting!
Yes! Yes! I'm so happy for him!

Angel TheVampire | April 14, 00:25 CET

Joss just directed Glee. When you've had 10 main characters in a scene, you're ready for anything.

gossi | April 14, 00:28 CET

This is very, very, very wonderful.
I hope it is true.

Tyler823 | April 14, 00:30 CET

I think this is the most likely roster:
Nick Fury
Iron Man
Captain America
Thor
Black Widow
Ant-man/Giant-man
The Wasp
Hawkeye

The Hulk will likely appear in some capacity, I just don't know if he'll be part of the team or if he'll be the villain. I think War Machine is also a possibility. And keep in mind Iron Man, Hulk, Cap, Thor and Ant-man will have all had their own movies come out before the Avengers (and Black Widow will have already appeared in Iron Man 2), so there won't be much need to focus on the origins of the characters. It's going to be all about these characters interacting for the first time.

WindTheFrog | April 14, 00:33 CET

If you were to have:

- Iron Man
- Thor
- Captain America
- Black Widow
- Wasp
- Ant Man (Don't forget, Edgar Wright is supposed to be making an Ant-man film somewhere after Scott Pilgrim and around the next Shaun of the Dead / Hot Fuzz / film)
- Hulk (?)
- Hawkeye
And
- Nick Fury

You have essentially the first Ultimates (the Ultimate marvel universe line-up of the avengers) line-up. It makes much more sense to run based on this universe because of it's much more modern and tighter continuity. Also, you could see a rebooted spiderman based on the Ultimate universe a lot easier than the original one, if only because it'd make the difference between the two different spiderman series so much clearer.

Sparticus | April 14, 00:34 CET

Yes, yes and yes. Congrats, Joss. (pending a done deal...)

jam2 | April 14, 00:35 CET

Amazing news. Forty-seconding the motion that Joss have a hand in the script, too. Hopefully this isn't a belated April fool's, or a case of rumors running amok. As a Marvel fan, and talented guy, he is surely a great candidate.
Side-ish note: I always thought some of the Joss-verse talent needed to get a big screen summer blockbuster gig to get the recognition they deserve. Hopefully he can get one of his talents in there somewhere. Start your dream cast (for those not already cast) now! Since we don't know who will fill out the team, let's go with many: Ms. Marvel, Spider-woman, the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Ant Man...
edited to add, of course, Hawkeye (duh).

[ edited by CaptainB on 2010-04-14 00:38 ]

CaptainB | April 14, 00:37 CET

Actually Baxter I think he's been nearly equal opportunity in terms of killing off love interests? Granted they do keep coming back in the case of most of his men.

Plus I do wonder how that'd play out since there's the most gravitas in killing off a supporting character within the terms they were set up in without sufficient time to establish them as part of that world. (Like we got used to the fate of Cordy on Angel since she was established as part of it, but it'd be pretty random if the first time Xander ever made it to LA that he gets killed off.)

I'm pretty sure Spider-Man as a New Avenger is still off limits unless Sony were to decide to play nice and co-finance or allow crossovers like they used to do in the old 40s monster movies. (I don't see that remotely happening).

And re: Ant Man & Edgar Wright-- I so want that movie to happen but they haven't totally agreed yet. Also I had no idea there was going to be a sequel to Shaun or "Hot Fuzzier" (Hotter Fuzz?)! Or did you mean just a movie where he reunites with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost?

orangewaxlion | April 14, 00:39 CET

Whoops. I have no idea what I was talking about - why on earth I thought Chris Hemsworth would be in the next Star Trek, I have no idea. Apologies!

OrangeWaxlion, I believe the Pegg/Frost/Wright partnership was going to be a trilogy, with the third one being "Paul" - so I'm not sure about a sequel to Shaun or Hot Fuzz. If there were a sequel, I would imagine it would have to be Hot Fuzz unless we want two hours of Nick Frost as a zombie.

[ edited by The Ninja Report on 2010-04-14 00:44 ]

the ninja report | April 14, 00:42 CET

Just saw the Variety article ... he's reworking the script too? O frabjous day!

erendis | April 14, 00:42 CET

Re: The Edgar Wright thing. There is to be a third film directed by Edgar Wright and starring Pegg and Frost, it's part of what they were (for a while, a least once, possibly while drunk) calling the Cornetto and Carnage trilogy. As with the other two, it has nothing to do with any thing previous, and we know nothing about it other than it might be called 'The World's End" (imdb link). Paul is unrelated, it just has a bunch of similar people working on it. Imdb also has Wright down for Ant-Man, but how up to date that is I don't know.

Sparticus | April 14, 00:52 CET

Most AICN talkbackers really do hate Joss.
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/44644

"beaks" says Joss' TV (and Serenity, tBDM) failed to ever deliver anything that has "impressive physical scale." For 2003 television on UPN, I thought "Chosen" was pretty impressive...

CaptainB | April 14, 00:56 CET

First off, congratulations to Joss.

It's a great thing that he's being entrusted with such a high-profile and expensive project. Obviously this will be a great opportunity for him to prove what we all know that he can do and hopefully it will result in increased attention to his past works, and more money and creative control in his future endeavors.

Risch22 | April 14, 00:57 CET

Avengers is the first comic I ever bought regularly, the first serialised story where I fell in love with the characters in ways that Joss made me love his. So, that being said.....WOOOOOO!

And that cast......can you imagine a Robert Downey Jnr/Sam JAckson/Chris Evans exchange written by Joss?

Alex_Jamieson | April 14, 01:03 CET

Robert Downey Jr is known for doing a lot of improv on the fly.I wonder if that will clash with Joss who is tight on his actors sticking to the script.

Joss let Nathan improvise some of his lines in Serenity. The 'Faster would be better!' and that end monologue to River. If Joss and RDJ click with one another, I doubt Joss would have any problem with letting RDJ improvise a bit (I think Jon Favreau encouraged it).

Mcjw_serenity | April 14, 01:04 CET

Also, if we're just guessing Avengers we'd like to see in the Avenger's movie who blatantly won't be in it:

- TRIATHLON. HE HAS THE POWER, SPEED, AND POSSIBLY OTHER STUFF, OF THREE MEN!

Sparticus | April 14, 01:05 CET

I believe a Robert Downey Jr./Sam Jackson/Chris Evans exchange written by Joss would be so full of snark minds. would. blow.

In a good way.

I think RDJ would work well with Joss - they're both very dedicated people, and there's an appreciation for professionalism.

the ninja report | April 14, 01:06 CET

I truly hope that Avengers fans will see as little of an ultimate influence as possible. This movie has been 40 years in the making and if they want an ultimates movie then they should call it ultimates and not Avengers. Besides that, the ultimates don't even sell as well as the Avengers do. Avengers is without a doubt, more popular and currently the better commercial property.

Risch22 | April 14, 01:13 CET

As for female characters, what I would like to see Joss do is add the role of Jennifer Walters. As She-Hulk, it would be a great way to fill the "Hulk" role if Norton is not available. She could spend some time in her human persona, which would cut a (little) on the CGI, but more importantly is one of the few female characters who does not have the stereotypical "super-hero" model/body-builder look. I think that Amy Acker would be great in that role.

[ edited by Risch22 on 2010-04-14 01:14 ]

Risch22 | April 14, 01:13 CET

Wow! I figured it was just the usual internet rumor-mongoring.

Interesting set of contrasts with Whedon as a director:
- dislikes writing action scenes, vs. "explosions are so pretty!"
- tight with the script (what Buffyfanatic mentioned), vs. letting the actors improv (Firefly)
- good with the group dynamics, vs. cutting characters for movies (like Inara's scenes in "Serenity")
- good director for actors, vs. a large group of big-name stars

I hope he gets to use the old Angel stunt team. That was some slick action, especially with television limitations on time and budget.

OneTeV | April 14, 01:14 CET

This is very exciting. I'm holding in my sheer exultant excitement til said for sure by Joss...but til then it's oh let be so, oh let it be so...

FollowMal | April 14, 01:22 CET

Most AICN talkbackers really do hate Joss.

This isn't bashing, granted, but please let's not get into commenting on what other sites' commentators think of it all. Thanks.

Back on-topic: very happy about this news. Always loved the Avengers, both old and modern-day incarnations. And RDJ can do little wrong.

SoddingNancyTribe | April 14, 01:29 CET

- good director for actors, vs. a large group of big-name stars

Right now, RDJ and Edward Norton are the biggest stars in the Marvel Universe. Actors like ScarJo, Chris Evans, and Samuel L. Jackson are recognizable names, but aren't huge draws. And Chris Hemsworth is a newcomer to Hollywood.

Joss shouldn't have a problem getting the actors in line. Hemsworth's worked with him and I'm pretty sure RDJ and Norton are open to working with Joss.

Mcjw_serenity | April 14, 01:31 CET

Well Inara's scenes were cut since ostensibly she could get so many of her lines across with mere looks. (This is true, but I still would have loved more screentime.)

As for the whole bodybuilder look of so many female heroines, that really is more something of personal style of the artists and expectations of the genre rather than necessarily drawing the characters as intended. (Or at least according to those stats in profiles which are notoriously made up since they have no conception of reasonable weight and height proportions of humanity.)

It did slip my mind that She-Hulk is indeed an option I suppose... As for the Avengers vs. Ultimates, I'm not sure we can really say 40 years in the making even if it has taken at least that long for them to get around to it. Plus I just always assumed that Ultimates sold more given the hype but really I don't see them skipping so many line ups even if Bendis' current-ish avengers through "New" have far outsold the Ultimate ones.

I do absolutely love Dan Slott's Mighty Avengers as of the first collection but I don't think any of the current film cast is part of the ensemble. (Wait, aside from maybe Hulk?)

Who (Norton) by the way I've also gotten the impression is slightly difficult to work with since he's fully aware he's pretty bankable and talented. The same was also true of Donald Sutherland in the first Buffy movie and really it depends on if there's any respect for the screenplay as written. (Which I sincerely hope Joss punches up regardless if he directs or not.)

orangewaxlion | April 14, 01:43 CET

Yeah, I'm a bit worried about the ego that is Edward Norton. That's if he even goes for it, and he probably wouldn't until he sees a script. And then he'd probably pull that "I want to re-write!" crap he's so fond of.

However, can totally see RDJ and Joss riffing when not filming.

The First Weevil | April 14, 01:50 CET

Does anyone have suggestions for Avengers comics (preferably some nice hefty TPBs) to read as a sort of primer? I'm painfully ignorant of the series, and I'd like to go in being able to appreciate the I'm-sure-several references thrown in for fans of the comic.

sumogrip | April 14, 01:55 CET

Oh, my god, I'm so freaking happy right now for him. I want to dance and I want to cry too. This is so freaking awesome. YOU GO, JOSS!

Allen Doyle | April 14, 02:01 CET

Cool. :)

redeem147 | April 14, 02:06 CET

I hope Joss gets a big paycheck and I hope this project is the HUGE success that we've all been waiting for to launch Joss into the stratosphere of hollywood!

eddy | April 14, 02:16 CET

Hurrah!

knitgrrl | April 14, 02:17 CET

Best. Birthday. Ever.

Ain't. We. Just. | April 14, 02:18 CET

I wasn't sure about this, but now I feel better that Joss will finally show his stuff with a major event. The Whedonverse just grew three sizes this day.

impalergeneral | April 14, 02:23 CET

From what I've read Ed Norton isn't signed because he wants it to be a good script, not a mindless action movie. More Iron Man, less X-men 3. :-) With Joss rewriting the script, hopefully Norton will sign on.

Also I don't blame him as while Incredible Hulk was a good movie, the one that Norton seemed to be fighting for with more character seemed like a better movie to me. I hope that eventually they release a director's cut (or the Ed Ed Norton cut?) of the Incredible Hulk on DVD sometime.

Matt_Fabb | April 14, 02:31 CET

nothing coherent to say except how exciting this is, please hopes don't be dashed

cazador | April 14, 02:38 CET

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!^26
If this happens it'll mean my two favorite worlds are meeting. Whedon + Avengers! Please let this happen!!!
Not to mention how this will raise his profile to the top!
"Whedon will also rework Zak Penn's script." Oh this line is just cherry!

silent knight | April 14, 02:48 CET

Best news ever!

Seriously, I think it has unlocked a dormant form of turrets syndrome in me. All I've been able do is sit here uttering expletives for the last few minutes.

Plus it gave me an ice cream headache.

elroy | April 14, 02:48 CET

If this is a goer then what does that do to DH2? Is there time to film that before Avengers? Or maybe Jed might direct? And what about S9 and any future comics? Not that Im complaining but I wouldnt like to see all that get pushed aside for too long.

Kaan | April 14, 02:51 CET

The "Morton Downey Jr." slip is a real age giveaway, ain't it? ; >

Sorry, it must have been my "turrets" kicking in again - which I believe is what occurs when you have no control over what you say while seated at a tower window. ; >

(Happy Birthday, Ain't. We. Just. - and great name.)

QuoterGal | April 14, 03:01 CET

This is absolutely incredible! Although I'm a teensy sad that this most likely means probably no new Jossiness on my small screen for at least 3 or 4 years :(

marvelknight616 | April 14, 03:03 CET

Wow.

WilliamTheB | April 14, 03:17 CET

It's great for Whedon's career, but I'm a little tired of comic book movies, and the Avengers don't interest me much. It'd be a lot of pressure to direct and write this film no doubt.

GhostsWatcher | April 14, 03:24 CET

I'm not terribly up on these particular superheroes, but if it can achieve at least some of the emotion I've seen in X-Men or Watchmen, then I'll be happy. And I think the story will depend on the writer, and in this case, we've got an extraordinary one.

Tonya J | April 14, 03:34 CET

man if this happens its going to be the best movie in awhile,

and as far as "Actors like ScarJo, Chris Evans, and Samuel L. Jackson are recognizable names, but aren't huge draws." Id watch anything if Scarlette Johansson or Samuel L Jackson were in it

Canis_Latrans | April 14, 03:48 CET

Darn, I thought for a moment it was the Brit spy story The Avengers. Denisof would have killed as John Steed!

will.bueche | April 14, 03:48 CET

Go Team Whedon. Pepper Potts is so going to die. Or be evil. Or sing. Possibly all three.

BlueLampshade | April 14, 03:48 CET

Pretty brilliant move. Whedon is something of a master at realizing clumsy existing continuities (Astonishing), finding what you love about established characters, building great ensembles, and finding the perfect dramatic balances.

streetartist | April 14, 04:06 CET

Here's hoping for a Nathan Fillion cameo.

The Hammer | April 14, 04:08 CET

I have to go to bed due to stupid early start time at work, and so can't read this whole thread tonight - but I just have to say this is awesome news!!! WOO!! With how great an impact helming a huge blockbuster like this could have on Joss' career and getting his future projects done - the fact that I've been a Marvel Comics reader for - well, about thirty years, I guess... - and Whedon will be directing - and re-writing(?)! - perhaps the biggest Marvel movie ever almost feels secondary, the icing on the cake of this excellent news!! WOW!

LKW | April 14, 04:25 CET

Go Team Whedon. Pepper Potts is so going to die. Or be evil. Or sing. Possibly all three.

Well, Gwyneth Paltrow definitely can sing. I don't know if she can play an evil person, all the roles I've seen her in either have her as a temptress ("Great Expectations", "Two Lovers") or bright, sunny personality ("Iron Man", "Bounce").

Mcjw_serenity | April 14, 04:28 CET

I may go full frontal fangirl for this!!!

Dietcoke | April 14, 04:32 CET

I refuse to believe it until I see Robert Downey Jr. sporting one of those "Joss is my Master Now" T-Shirts.

fanbuoyant | April 14, 05:01 CET

Thanks QuoterGal. I wonder if he is going to have Thor say "Do you know what happens when a toad gets hit by lightning?..."

Ain't. We. Just. | April 14, 05:22 CET

I refuse to believe it until I see Robert Downey Jr. sporting one of those "Joss is my Master Now" T-Shirts.

If this happens I will finally buy one for myself.

VeryVeryCrowded | April 14, 05:33 CET

. . . So. . . Damned. Happy.

This will be awesome. Honestly, if I wanted Joss to do a Superhero movie, I wanted him to do Captain America, but the Avengers works just as well.

Elf | April 14, 06:33 CET

Also it'll be coming out just before Whedonesque's 10th birthday.

Simon | April 14, 06:39 CET

There are pretty much no words - just goosebumps. Best news I've heard in a while. Wow.

onthedrift | April 14, 06:55 CET

Great news! I'm just as happy with what he does with a small budget, but I'd like to see what happens when he's allowed to run freer. I would think that (in my own private, ideal world) he wouldn't sign on unless he's given enough creative control, and the fact that he's reworking the script seems to suggest that. Here's hoping Edward Norton signs on... Watching him perform in a scene written and directed by Joss would be amazing (plus, the usual fanboy mind-explosion stuff).

alqualond | April 14, 07:01 CET

Very exciting stuff. Like many others here, I'm not intimately familiar with the Marvel Universe, but I recognize the names and am open to comics on the big screen when the buzz is mostly positive.

I'll watch absolutely anything with Ed Norton and Samuel L. Jackson. ScarJo and RDJ aren't too shabby, either. And with a Joss script????? *squeeeeeeeeeeeee* over such possibilities!

All in all, excited about the project and equally excited about the projects after the project. As in, more of his original ones!

WhoIsOmega? | April 14, 07:48 CET

How fantastic! Very stoked for Joss, who must be sitting on his sofa staring into space and occasionally saying "Wow." Or maybe already having a crazy stampede of ideas and scribbling away maniacally.

It will be great to be on the site see this grow (and an excellent birthday present, Simon).

curlymynci | April 14, 07:58 CET

Oh I cannot wait for this to be 100% confirmed. I actually think Joss is THE perfect fit. He is used to large ensemble drama with potent action sequences. Plus Joss and Stan Lee = multiple squees.

Also "The Avengers" is at heart about a disparate group of misfits. And I quote:-

"And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth's Mightiest Heroes found themselves united against a common threat! On that day, the Avengers were born, to fight the foes no single super hero could withstand"

A team of wacky individuals thrown together to fight the good fight. Now, where have I heard that before?

ps. To the person who wanted to know what comics or graphs to check out I recommend "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" by Joe Casey and Scott Hollins - it's well written and is almost an Avengers 101. Also the same author has a five week mini-series out right now about them too.

viewingfigures | April 14, 10:05 CET

It is as if the heavens have parted and a celestial light shone down upon the Whedon. I hope he has much success!

I also hope this movie doesn't get away from him (anyone spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a movie is going to want control over the final product) and that Whedon doesn't just end up being a director for hire. It's his opportunity to show people he can do more than be quippy and all about girl power (not that I share these opinions, but plenty of my friends have this impression of him).

*crosses fingers*

RogueScribner | April 14, 10:14 CET

Oh my god.

Sorry, that's all I have right now.

Oh my god.

(Oh my god in a *good* way. Like, the highest good. Well above sex-good)

Carmie | April 14, 10:20 CET

Hang about, what they are going to avenge?

Simon | April 14, 10:27 CET

This is awesome, getting Joss and RDJ, it's epicness cannot be matched.

Vergil | April 14, 10:35 CET

Go Joss!!!

Shep | April 14, 11:00 CET

Wow! Just wow!! and OMG!!! I am so not into comics, but love the movies made from them, if they're well done. (big duuh, it's Joss).

The "re-working the script" part is the icing on the cake and a good part of the cake itself.
As for Edward Norton - he was in a relationship with Courtney Love for a couple of years, how hard could it be for him to get along with an actual sane person? :)

Thanks for the EW Popwatch link, QG:

"A fizzy-dialog writing, massive cast juggling, funny-sad-thrilling-terrifying-singing-dancing filmmaker genius."

It's gonna be hard to top that. ;-)

EF:typo

[ edited by Shey on 2010-04-14 15:05 ]

Shey | April 14, 11:55 CET

Reuters via The Hollywood Reporter reinforce the "Final Negotiations" part.

Numfar PTB | April 14, 12:45 CET

Joss' words out of RDJ's mouth = Best Movie Ever

gregkoko | April 14, 13:47 CET

Congratulations to Joss on landing something so massive. Talking completely selfishly, I had zero interest in this project (my ignorance of comic book franchises was so much that I hadn't even heard of it until it was mentioned on here) and would much rather see Joss create something original, but this will hopefully lead on to him being able to do whatever wants.

Interests slightly peeked by him getting the chance to do some re-writes. It is certainly sounding like it is going to be a Joss film, rather than him being simply a director for hire.

I also hope that this doesn't take up all his time between now and the release. Not getting anything Joss, bar Cabin, until 4th May 2012 would be hell.

Vandelay | April 14, 13:48 CET

Considering this is such a massive movie and it's 2 years 'til it is released (let alone written, pre-produced, produced, shot, edited, effects done, scored, test screened and tweaked) I think it's safe to say this is his world for a while now.

In my opinion Marvel just handed Joss the biggest toys in the comic book world, and I can't wait to see him play with them.

[ edited by gossi on 2010-04-14 13:58 ]

gossi | April 14, 13:52 CET

Wouldn't be great if John Cassaday got involved on some level?

Simon | April 14, 14:07 CET

If I have a downside to this news, it's that Joss will be making a movie in which the principle cast have been chosen, and that the movie will be the culmination of many, many visions from previous movies. Marvel will be all over this, because they have so much at stake. In addition, Robert Downey Jr, and Ed Norton are not famous for being tools of the director.

So my concern is the dilution of of his voice and vision for the film, and that it will be a film by committee. But Jooss will be blamed if it tanks.

But still, it's what this could mean for his career that really excites me. If Avengers is a hit, Whedon could be on Abrams' level in terms of getting work produced.

Andy Dufresne | April 14, 14:46 CET

Robert Downey Jr now part of the Whedonverse! I hope.

Of course! It was INEVITABLE. Not really. It was entirely evitable, but I think it's one of the Best Things Ever. I agree with what somebody said about his mouth. And words. Um, and awesomeness.

I have not been spending enough time on the black - I had to hear this news from my honey this morning. I am supposed to be the Knower-And-Deliverer-Of-All-Whedony-News in this house! Resolution for Spring: waste more time on-line.

Also happy to read he'll be re-working the script. Since every script could use a good Jossian workover.

Happy Birthday Ain't. We. Just.!

catherine | April 14, 14:57 CET

Dude, the "biggest toys" in the comic book world aren't owned by Marvel in the first place. The solar system consists of the Sun, Jupiter, and assorted debris. Sub in "Superman" and "Batman" and you have the comic world described as well.

I'm happy for him, but I'm a little wary. For one thing, from where will he draw the young female superhero ingenue to play the mandatory Kitty/Buffy/Echo/River around which Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, et al will eventually rally (I'm kidding but... come on, you know it's plausible)? For another thing... am I nuts, or is this Joss first full on encounter, as director, with bona fide Movie Stars©®™? It makes me wonder about all those discussions, amongst sports fans, about how well somebody like Coach K could transition from college to pro basketball. There's a whole different type of interaction because there's a whole lot of different personalities involved. There's at least one renowned ad-libber and at least one compulsive script re-writer amongst the current established Marvel Studios roster of Avengers characters.

KingofCretins | April 14, 15:17 CET

Had to come back and make sure this is really true. :)

Funniest new tweet: does this mean it will be incredible but every showing will be canceled half way through?

Shey | April 14, 15:19 CET

If hear your concern, Andy Dufresne, but I'd say: no risk, no gain. Because what you say is basically true for any writer, director, etcetera hired to do a movie this huge (although, obviously, I too am more anxious to see Joss become an instant hit in the big leagues than some random writer or director :)).

But, yes, this certainly outscales anything Joss has done before, ever, money-wise, pressure-wise and in pure number of people reached. He'll have to balance big name actors, large studio and executive pressures and huge expectations. All this means I'm not counting on this project having a very unique 'Jossian feel' to it (although I do expect some signature one-liners and maybe a cool oner to turn up :)). But in the end I'll settle for a (hopefully good) blockbuster which does (very) well at the boxoffice, which is all the studio - and anyone, really - can ask for :).

Of those two things, financial success is probably the most important for a movie like this. The major risks there are bad word-of-mouth and/or bad reviews. But I'd also consider super hero movie fatique a (hidden) risk factor. Then again, given the huge names and probably massive pr campaign, that might not be a risk factor at all. 'The Avengers' seems predestined to be a, to quote Biden ;), BFD and rake in money, but people also like to see huge things fail, so there's always that risk.

At the very least I'm pretty sure Joss will do his best to, y'know, not let it suck, which is more confidence than I'd have with a whole bunch of other big name directors. But then again, great moviemakers do fail from time to time. When Ang Lee was announced for 'Hulk' for instance, way back when, I was very excited. And we all know how that one turned out :).

Artistically, we probably shouldn't expect anything more than quality entertainment. We'll be dealing again with Hollywood!Joss who rewrote stuff like 'Speed' (which turned it into one of the most gratifying action movie experiences of the 90s, of course), instead of the late 90s/00s-Joss who we've grown used to writing emotionally complex and layered comic books and television shows (and quirky internet musicals).

Certainly we've never seen Hollywood!Joss that much since 'being a Joss Whedon fan' became a thing. So it'll be fun to see Joss doing big mainstream Hollywood stuff again (albeit in a position of much bigger responsibility and visibility), if just to see if he can pull it off (I certainly have more than a little confidence in his abilities and we've seen what he can do on a small/moderate budget with Serenity, but this is not just another level, but nearly a different type of game, I'd say).

So: I can't wait. Here's hoping they sign those contracts already, and give us some official confirmation :).

(ps. Happy birthday, Ain't. We. Just.)
(pps. Yeah, catherine, be here more, y'hear! ;))

GVH | April 14, 15:27 CET

Well, I personally hope that it won't come to this.
For totally selfish reasons, I would love joss to continue working on a nice cable show, without the restrictions, that strangled him so far.

For this project is similar to an great baritone insisting to be a successful country singer. No one would doubt that he can sing, but in fact his knowledge will make him a bad country singer, since he knows the tunes, but not soul of it.

For me joss fails to emote with the unemotional, to understand the wit of the unwitty and the intellect of the unintellectual.
Being an intelligent man, he might fight this deficits, but ultimately it will take away, what I love most about his work.

Snugels | April 14, 15:31 CET

I totally disagree [editing for clarity--your second paragraph seems to imply he can't bring life to the source material or wouldn't understand it (see X-Men)]. If you strip Joss' most well-known projects down to a meta-line, you'd have this:

* Girl with stake fights vampires and demons.

* Former evil vampire works out of office in L.A. doing good.

* Band of thieves in clunky spaceship fight the establishment.

* Secret organization rents people to highest bidder.

* There's this Cabin in the Woods. Bad things happen.

* Group of superheroes band together for the greater good.

There are endless possibilities in each description and The Avengers will be no different, IMO.

[ edited by Tonya J on 2010-04-14 16:05 ]

[ edited by Tonya J on 2010-04-14 16:44 ]

Tonya J | April 14, 16:04 CET

Variety are so excited by the news they've published the story again on their website in a different article, with the same text, and a different pic of joss.

gossi | April 14, 16:09 CET

I'd say the thing that worries (from a selfish standpoint) me about this is that it'll be a colossal success and they immediately go into production on sequels and it'll be a really long time til we see any original Joss projects.

gregkoko | April 14, 16:12 CET

From what I've read Ed Norton isn't signed because he wants it to be a good script, not a mindless action movie.

I hope that's the case, because he's a really good Bruce Banner. He's perfect, really. Now that I've seen him as Bruce Banner I'm having a hard time picturing any other actor playing him.

dispatch | April 14, 16:14 CET

Snugels, I'm not sure I'd phrase it that way. You're basically implying that anyone who doesn't understand Joss' style is unintellectual, unemotional, or unwitty.

Considering I know quite a few intellectual, emotional, and witty people who DON'T like Joss' work, I simply can't agree with that.

Joss biggest strength and weakness is his own voice and his need to push the envelope. It shows up in all his work that he's primarily involved in some form or another and if you love it, you love it. If you don't, you simply don't. The thing is, when he is the primary writer on something, it's inescapable.

The good news is, I think Joss' humor can easily appeal to kids so he should use that. After all, we like to say it's his dialogue, but if you watch enough Whedon you can tell he's conversant in humor's many forms. His social commentary and need to borrow from emotional tragedy should probably be left in the tricks bag. This isn't an indy film, it's a blockbuster. You need to appeal to people who don't breathe the Bard and may not even be old enough to grasp subtext.

Then again, I could be wrong. But then I've been watching the results of blockbusters long enough to think I'm not. Nolan was able to skirt a lot of these rules because of the charecter he was working with. And lets face it, Batman has been dark for years. And if you look at it, neither film really had great tragedy although it certainly had the elements there for it. It fits. I'm not sure I've ever considered the Avengers dark or particularly headdy fare.

[ edited by azzers on 2010-04-14 16:26 ]

azzers | April 14, 16:24 CET

So... gossi, Simon...

want to break out the campagne now? *wields corkscrew*

Mcjw_serenity | April 14, 16:42 CET

You don't use a corkscrew to open champagne.

;)

Willowy | April 14, 16:44 CET

What's campagne?? Is that the new superheroes drink? :: DUCKS::

Tonya J | April 14, 16:56 CET

I opened it yesterday.

[ edited by gossi on 2010-04-14 21:48 ]

gossi | April 14, 16:57 CET

MTV fills out the rest of Joss's Avengers team/cast minus the already cast roles.

http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/04/14/joss-whedon-avengers-casting/

[ edited by Buffyfantic on 2010-04-14 17:16 ]

Buffyfantic | April 14, 17:11 CET

what they are going to avenge?

Hopefully Penny's death. Somebody needs to put the ELE down.

fanbuoyant | April 14, 17:16 CET

I hope to hell I don't have to sit through the next 6 months reading articles about how James Marsters should play every character. But I know I will do.

gossi | April 14, 17:41 CET

So since Joss is going to be a big movie name now, and people are all going to wonder what he's done in the past, they'll probably go out and watch Serenity and be amazed. Since there's going to be a huge uptake in the DVD sales for Firefly/Serenity, I think this means the Serenity movie franchise will be reinvigorated and we'll finally get another adventure in the 'verse.

Not likely, I know. But whatevs. I can have my delusions.

jesse | April 14, 17:48 CET

Gossi, you should hire an assistant to sift through the articles and weed those out, dude.

[ edited by Tonya J on 2010-04-14 17:49 ]

Tonya J | April 14, 17:48 CET

I have one, it's called Whedonesque.

gossi | April 14, 17:50 CET

Hint taken, gossi. :)

Obviously as everyone has said, this is great news and huge for Joss's career. It must be the biggest leap since he got Buffy onto TV. The financial success of the film will depend more on the marketing and on how well the Captain America movie is received, but the credit will go to Joss anyway. Hopefully he can then pick whatever he wants to do next. Despite not really getting what The Avengers is, (I mean if you have that many superheroes together, don't you need a equally ridiculous group of opponents? If it is just the Hulk, that really doesn't seem fair!) I expect that Joss will be able to make a witty, fun and spectacular blockbuster, especially as he's doing a re-write. A critical and commercial hit would be wonderful.

I hope Joss has basically finished the final arc for the Buffy comic, because it is hard to see how he'll have much time for anything else other than The Avengers for the next two years. I wonder if Dr Horrible 2 will be put on hold or done by the rest of clan Whedon. Anyway, whatever has to happen with other projects, it's well worth it - this is an amazing opportunity for Joss. It's going to be an interesting couple of years.

[ edited by NotaViking on 2010-04-14 17:55 ]

NotaViking | April 14, 17:53 CET

Before that comment starts a riot, it's nothing against Marsters, I'm just generally against that idea that Joss has to cast everybody he's ever worked with in everything. He should only cast people if they bring something new to the table, especially in a movie already having so many characters to service. (Of course, I recognise certain Whedonverse cast members always bring something new - I'm looking at you, Enver and Dichen).

[ edited by gossi on 2010-04-14 17:58 ]

gossi | April 14, 17:58 CET

More great unorthodox thinking by Marvel. Sam Raimi, Jon Favreau, Robert Downey, now Joss Whedon. And the Avengers--if Joss has finally found an angle to approach it that has made him enthusiastic for the material now, which I assume he has (he was on the short list but he still must have had to pitch his vision for the film)--will be a good fit. The characters that must be in, that Marvel will insist upon, are Cap-Thor-Iron Man, with the Hulk as the mission and Nick Fury as the guy who gets them together, but that leaves at least one, possibly as many as three or four extra hero roles (the Avengers could be a sprawling group at times), and who knows what Joss might decide to bring in with non-powered supporting cast types to help put his stamp on the film. Scarlet Witch seems a good possibility for me, as does the Wasp and Black Widow. Hawkeye might be cool as well; I'd skip the Vision (the audience really doesn't need a robot on top of all the other super-powered strangeness they'll be expected to swallow.) Joss could even invent a character if he chooses.

Joss's problem is this: his movie's success is in large part dependent upon the success of the upcoming Captain America and Thor movies which he has no control over. Those movies are going to introduce the characters; if they fail, Avengers has a big strike against it. Another issue: Marvel meddling. They meddled with Rami's Spider-Man 3 after Raimi basically gave them the golden goose with the first two movies. You'd think if anyone had earned the right to do what he wanted to do it was Raimi, but Marvel's foolish insistence on including Venom basically torpedoed Spidey 3, and the franchise now has to reboot.

The Avengers don't ever avenge anything by the way. They just look cool and kick ass. Especially when Thor gets angry.

Hellmouthguy | April 14, 17:58 CET

There had better be subtext. I cannot abide a Joss work without there being a great deal of subtext. This is one reason Joss's works soar above many.

The thing is, subtext isn't useful if the Text-text isn't also incredibly accessible to everyone. So what I'm looking for in this movie is a great action in-your-face superheroes movie that all the kiddies will love to watch and then act out again with their action figures.

And also, that all the adults will walk out of with big discussions about Life and Pain and Love hanging about in their heads.

That's what Serenity was to me. The downfall of Serenity was the fact it did not have an Avatar-worth of money behind its promotion, and it's hard to get people to go see a movie with no-name actors without promoting the crap out of it.

Anyway. I've read a decent deal of Joss's X-men comics and he is perfectly capable of creating a story like that.

I have confidence in him.

VeryVeryCrowded | April 14, 17:59 CET

Silly gossi. It's Nathan Fillion who should play every character.

Sunfire | April 14, 18:00 CET

Yeah, I'm not overly concerned about Joss's ability to make an intelligent blockbuster movie. If there's anything he's shown over the course of his work, it's an ability to have a shiny fun surface with plenty to discuss underneath. Space cowboys! Kick-ass blonde girl! Vampire-turned-hero! Mind-wiped girl slaves! (okay, maybe "shiny fun" doesn't really work for that one)

sumogrip | April 14, 18:03 CET

Here's how I see it. With Dollhouse, Joss sold Fox a story they ultimately didn't really want - so Fox and Joss tried to work it into the show they did want. With Wondie, I suspect Warners had no idea what they wanted really. With this, Marvel know exactly what they want. And Joss knows exactly what Marvel want. And Paramount want Joss.

So, in other words, don't panic, and strap yourselves in.

gossi | April 14, 18:17 CET

So... no picnic?

Willowy | April 14, 18:20 CET

What's campagne?? Is that the new superheroes drink? :: DUCKS::

Silly me, I spelt it the way Zap Branigan did. My apologies.

[ edited by Mcjw_serenity on 2010-04-14 18:21 ]

Mcjw_serenity | April 14, 18:20 CET

Another issue: Marvel meddling. They meddled with Rami's Spider-Man 3 after Raimi basically gave them the golden goose with the first two movies. You'd think if anyone had earned the right to do what he wanted to do it was Raimi, but Marvel's foolish insistence on including Venom basically torpedoed Spidey 3, and the franchise now has to reboot.

No, it was Sony who insisted on meddling with Spider-Man 3... they bought the film rights from Marvel, you see. And it was their dunderheaded decision to reboot the series, as opposed to letting Sam Raimi amend for Spider-Man 3 with a decent fourth movie.

Sad, really.

Mcjw_serenity | April 14, 18:24 CET

Sunfire: Silly gossi. It's Nathan Fillion who should play every character.

I thought it was Morgan Freeman who should play every character?

To throw in some wild suggestions that will never happen (and show my age), I would like:
1) JW to spend a weekend brainstorming with Roger Stern. The guy's writing sensibilities would fit in with Joss's, and his writing definitely hooked me on Marvel in the '80s. Stern has written Cap, Iron Man, and Thor, in addition to his multiple years on Avengers (and Spider Man).
2) The movie to be a variation on Avengers 164-166. Big time action, heros with their own personalities and agendas, and a villain with a story arc. Plus this was when Cap and Iron Man argued with each other, before they became close friends. (Obviously it would have to be adapted for different characters.)

OneTeV | April 14, 18:50 CET

Mcjw_serenity, Avi Arad, a Marvel producer, was the one who insisted Venom be included, which threw off the balance of the story Raimi was trying to tell with Sandman vs. Peter and turned it into one of those 1990's Batman sequels with all the villains crowding out the hero. And he'll be a producer on Avengers as well. Joss will get plenty of notes on this project, right down to casting. We're not going to see a Whedon alumni reunion of any sort for this film, though I'm hoping we can get one or two actors who really are perfect for the roles to be cast. No Sarah, no Eliza, no Alyson, no James Marsters, unless Joss comes up with civilian supporting characters for them to play. (Sarah would make a great perky entertainment news reporter covering the story of the Avengers and interviewing Tony Stark.) But Morena Baccarin works for Scarlet Witch. Fillion works for Hank Pym or Hawkeye. Kristen Bell works for Wasp. And I say this as a guy who has read a ton of these comics.

Hellmouthguy | April 14, 20:07 CET

I just want Amy Acker somewhere... Just a wish.

Darkness | April 14, 20:24 CET

I thought Avi Arad left marvel.

http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23471

He did.

eddy | April 14, 20:55 CET

"So my concern is the dilution of of his voice and vision for the film, and that it will be a film by committee. But Joss will be blamed if it tanks."

I would imagine that creative control has been a topic in the negotiations.

1940's movies that were not musicals frequently had one or two songs in them, usually delivered in a nightclub. It would be a treat if Joss could incorporate a couple of songs into this movie.

Enver as a villain?

janef | April 14, 21:09 CET

I'm excited (I was for an Avengers movie in general, but WAY MORE so when I heard this)!! I hope it works out!! Joss would make it ten thousand times more awesome than it would be otherwise!

Linnea1928 | April 14, 21:57 CET

Someone mentioned Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Funny fact: If you watch the interview extras on the Iron Man 1 DVD, they have lots of Marvel action figures in the background. The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver action figures (and they alone) are blurred out(!), so I don't think Paramount/Marvel owns the movie rights to these characters.

Edit: For crazy people who are interested: You can see them in the interviews with Gerry Conway (The Invincible Iron Man - Origins on disc 2)

[ edited by Hexaphim on 2010-04-14 22:20 ]

Hexaphim | April 14, 22:12 CET

FYI, and apologies if it's been noted 10 times in the above comments, but according to teh intarwebs it was fairly recently announced that Joss will in fact be doing a rewrite on the script. http://screenrant.com/joss-whedon-avengers-movie-kofi-54246/

MrArg | April 14, 23:06 CET

Well, Fillion and Acker are like white on Joss' rice, so of course they will show up if he can wedge them in. And since Joss has not shown any indication of Marsters-love in his other projects (his appearance on Angel s5 was dictated by the network), I assume he will not find a role there. It's all good, different strokes and all that.

baxter | April 14, 23:16 CET

baxter, thats kind of a odd assumption to make. I don't think anyone would argue that Joss loves Alyson, Tony, or Jewel(to name a few) and neither of them have appeared in Joss' recent projects.

eddy | April 15, 01:19 CET

And another thing, should Joss ferry this movie to completion, I can't wait to see the DVD and Blu-ray releases. Full color disc artwork and no forced ads/previews at startup.

Mcjw_serenity | April 15, 02:06 CET

But the DVD art has to have llamas even if the movie doesn't feature a llama! Come on, everyone loves llamas!

crazygolfa | April 15, 03:54 CET

Whedon should cameo as an llama in "The Avengers." Just to throw off naysayers.

Mcjw_serenity | April 15, 04:09 CET

Wow. I'm not emotionally attached to The Avengers as a property (I'm comic-dyslexic, you see) but this has the potential of being big, Spiderman kind of big. Then the studio may give Joss the opportunity to develop his own projects between sequel installments, like Nolan does.

Am I the only one who suspects the studio will insist on 3D?

Effulgent | April 15, 04:16 CET

I'd be pretty shocked if there weren't a 3D version, yeah. But hopefully the fact that they can be thinking about this now, rather than after shooting, means maybe it'll be a fast conversion process? I don't know if that has anything to do with anything--I guess logically they'd still have to wait until picture lock to do any converting--but I would be surprised if most of the 3D movies coming out now had a year between picture lock and release date (assuming Cabin's 3D transition period is typical).

There's a lot of makin' an ass of you and me in that there post.

sumogrip | April 15, 05:52 CET

Bleh, waiting for the 3D fad to end (again). This is like the third or fourth 3D craze in the history of the movies, isn't it? Props to the critic (was it Roger Ebert?) who pointed out that 2D is 3D, as far as our eyes are concerned.

Maybe I'm just getting old. When a movie that is basically a 2 hour MTV music video like The Hurt Locker wins an Oscar, I have to wonder if the times haven't moved on from me.

dispatch | April 15, 07:37 CET

If they do insist on 3D (which they will, btw) they will probably pony up the cash to use the Fusion Camera System that was used with Avatar, which will drastically cut down conversion time.

Ain't. We. Just. | April 15, 07:46 CET

eddy, I was speaking of professional 'love', based on history of involvement in multiple projects. I have no idea who Joss likes personally as I don't know him. Anyway, I'm very interested in seeing how this will turn out, particularly with Joss doing a re-write as well as directing.

baxter | April 15, 09:47 CET

I added a bit to the entry to make it clear that the Variety article says Joss will be reworking the script.

Simon | April 15, 10:45 CET

HUZZAH!
I'm so jazzed about this! A character-driven, awesome packed Avengers flick! So friggin' cool!

Astonishing_Chaos | April 15, 20:45 CET

If they do insist on 3D (which they will, btw) they will probably pony up the cash to use the Fusion Camera System that was used with Avatar, which will drastically cut down conversion time.

Joss is a fan of digital now (since it enabled him to shoot "Dr. Horrible" quickly and efficiently). I wouldn't put it past him to hire a cinematographer to shoot "Avengers" digitally... dunno about it shot in 3D.

But there aren't any 3D superhero movies out there now. If there were (and they were raking in the dough), I'm positive Marvel will spring for the 3D gimmick.

Mcjw_serenity | April 16, 05:36 CET

Ah, Joss Whedon directing the Avengers AND Captain America. That's more like it. Now, all he needs to do is find someone suitable to play Captain America. Sorry. Chris Evans is many things, but I don't think he can fake the sincerity, humility, or high ethical standards set by Steve Rogers.

May I make a suggestion? As soon as I heard they were casting Captain America, the first person I thought of was Marc Blucas. Not only does he look the part (chiseled features and all), but he proved he's able to play the sincere, loyal, patriotic character and NOT have his performance marred by cynicism.

Okay, again, MARC BLUCAS to play STEVE ROGERS.

Arninetyes | April 17, 08:08 CET

3D is an interesting issue; obviously the studios are gaga over Avatar's returns, but that was also executed with (as my non-technical mind understands it) a lot more high end proprietary tech than most 3D flicks are made at this point, and of course we've got the critical plummet of Clash of the Titans, much of which is focused on its bad use of 3D, to look at too. If Joss is given the budget and, more importantl and less likely, the time, I'd love to see it.

Blucas is a nice idea to banter about on this fan site but would get zero attention from the studios and reams of derision from the haters out there who think Joss is only capable of working with a stock stable of 10-15 actors.

Speaking of which, Joss + Downey Jr.? Can it possibly get any better than that?

GrrrAargh | April 17, 20:40 CET

Marc Blucas is a great choice. Chris Reeve was a nobody until he played Superman and than wow, his career took off. And besides Blucas, how about Mark Lutz? I think either one of them would be terrific.

Tonya J | April 17, 21:41 CET

I also was thinking Emma Peel, who I love, but wasn't there already a bad remake of it with Uma Thurman?

Yay, Joss and superheroes!

wrecks | April 23, 01:15 CET

This is the best news I've heard in a while... amazing.

CaptainTightpants | April 26, 16:05 CET

Still awaiting some Purple Prose on this subject. Until Joss says something official, it isn't "real", y'know?

TDBrown | April 26, 23:44 CET

TDBrown, I agree.

Butler | May 07, 17:44 CET

April 13 2010