Joss Whedon Signs on for Avengers 2, Marvel TV Series

[Fanghawk]

Joss Whedon Signs on for Avengers 2, Marvel TV Series

Joss Whedon will direct The Avengers 2 while overseeing a live-action series for ABC.

Earlier this summer, Marvel Studios finally released the culmination of a half-decade's worth of superhero films in Joss Whedon's The Avengers. <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/117120-The-Avengers-Hulk-Smashes-Box-Office-Record>Perhaps you've heard of it.. Once the explosions died down and the credits began to roll, many viewers immediately began speculating about what Marvel had planned next. New Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor sequels are already in production, but Disney Chairman Bob Iger revealed two new details on Tuesday. The first, naturally, is that Joss Whedon has signed on to write and direct Avengers 2. The second, and far more surprising detail, is that Whedon will return to the small screen for an unrevealed Marvel TV series to air on the Disney-owned network ABC.

"Joss Whedon has signed an exclusive deal with Marvel Studios for film and television through the end of June 2015," Marvel revealed. "As part of that deal, Whedon will write and direct Marvel's Avengers 2 as well as help develop a new live action series for Marvel Television at ABC. He will also contribute creatively to the next phase of Marvel's cinematic universe."

Details on the series are few and far between, but there's just enough information in the rumor mill for fans to start rampantly speculating. The ABC series is (rumored) to be set in the cinematic Marvel Universe that fans have come to know from the previous six movies. While the series concept hasn't been finalized, it will not necessarily feature the core Avengers cast. Unlike the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Avengers Assemble animated series, Whedon's Marvel series will be a live-action affair. Beyond that, anything is possible.

Whedon has not always had <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/118795-Dr-Horrible-Comes-to-Television>the best of luck in television. His last two dream projects, Firefly and Dollhouse received early cancellations when they were unable to find significant followings on television. It would be perfectly understandable for Whedon to stick to movies or web development after those experiences, but his new found post-Avengers popularity seems to be giving him the edge to bring his own creative vision to television once again. Plus the show won't be on FOX, which considering Whedon's checkered history with the network should increase its prospects.

The most likely options for Marvel are to either create a spin-off series starring characters from the movies or to create a entirely new show that will set the stage for the upcoming sequels. Whatever direction the show takes, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has no shortage of characters to choose from, especially when one considers that <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/the-big-picture/5685-Wrongs-Rights>the licensing process to bring comic book characters to film doesn't apply to television shows. If we're very, very lucky, we might even see characters like Spider-Man or the X-Men that Marvel simply can't put in their films.

Regardless of the final decision, I expect that Marvel and Joss Whedon fans alike are anxiously awaiting news of what the ABC series will entail.

Sources: Deadline

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[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

This makes me very happy.

Does anyone else have a feeling that Avengers 2 will be the most successful movie of all time? Avengers came pretty close to being that, and sequels to superhero movies usually do a lot better in the box office than their prequels.

 

[newwiseman]

This and the Doctor Horrible Sequel make me very happy

 

[gigastar]

First of all, some intense scrutiny.

...see characters like Spider-Man or the X-Men that Marvel simply can't put in their films. simply aren't possible for motion pictures.

Might want to fix that up.

With that out of the way, i recall talk of Hulk being turned into a TV series instead of getting another movie, but the thought of Spidey getting a TV series or the X-Men getting a proper TV series exites me.

 

[SUPA FRANKY]

What's with the comic splurge as of late? Not that I'm complaining, but where did it come from?

it seems like the biggest movies of the year are always super flicks. Could we be entering a super hero renaissance?

 

[Tanis]

I'd love to see a series focus on "West Coast Avengers" or "Runaways".

Runaways would probably work on Disney, if they made it more PG/13, as some sort of 'crime fighting teenagers with superpowers' bit.

 

[gigastar]

What's with the comic splurge as of late? Not that I'm complaining, but where did it come from?

it seems like the biggest movies of the year are always super flicks. Could we be entering a super hero renaissance?

Looking at Marvel only, we have had, since 1998, gotten the 3 Blade movies, 5 X-Men movies, 2 Hulk movies, 4 Spider-Man movies, 2 Fantastic Four movies, 2 Punisher movies, 2 Ghost Rider movies, 2 Iron Man movies, a Captain America movie, a Thor movie, a Man-Thing movie, a Elektra movie, and 7 more Marvel movies known to be either in development or filming all expected to have been in cinema by the end of 2015.

Compare to before 1998 when the lastest Marvel film to be released was in 1990, and it was direct-to-video.

 

[cerebus23]

well we see if he can keep his mojo or if he has jumped the shark for good, one decent by the numbers superhero buddy movie does not a genious make, after his last few projects never getting off the ground.

all that said i like his stuff and all his series have been slow to get going for the most part, just the ones that hung on and got really good were the low budget ones in syndication, anything on the networks was doomed from the start, we see how it goes with the marvel name behind it sure should get way more hype than his typical projects.

 

[JayDig]

For some reason I really want to see a Heroes for Hire tv show. Most people don't even know of Luke Cage or Iron Fist, but there is potential for cameos/guest appearances of lots of NYC based characters. Also, they aren't CG heavy characters like Hulk or Spiderman.

 

[SharedProphet]

The ABC series (is rumored) to be set in the cinematic Marvel Universe that fans have come to know from the previous six movies.

Someone seems to have misplaced a pair of parenthesis. If anyone asks, they're in the above sentence.

 

[SnipErlite]

This and the Doctor Horrible Sequel make me very happy

I'm not sure which I'm more excited for - Doctor Horrible is so awesome...and Avengers was awesome...


So much awesome

 

[ThePS1Fan]

I'm hoping the TV series will work as a way to introduce new Avengers without doing movies for each of them. That would be great.

 

[GeorgW]

Oh man, this makes me nerdgasm. I'm a huge fan of Whedon, and loved Avengers. I am a bit disappointed though. I don't delude myself, thinking that Firefly will return (but I can still dream, damn it!) but I was hoping that Whedon's next TV project would be set in the Firefly universe, cuz it's a damned good one. Still, can't say I'm not excited for the new series, Marvel has a whole lot of great characters and stories that I'd rather not wade through massive amounts of comic book continuity for. And given how Marvel's proven how well they do movie continuity, I'm looking forward to seeing some TV/movie continuity.

 

[Scars Unseen]

For some reason I really want to see a Heroes for Hire tv show. Most people don't even know of Luke Cage or Iron Fist, but there is potential for cameos/guest appearances of lots of NYC based characters. Also, they aren't CG heavy characters like Hulk or Spiderman.

Depending on exactly how much direct control Whedon is planning on exerting over the project, I'd say that chances are high of having at least one of the primary protagonists be female. Amusingly, Avengers is the only major production he's done that hasn't featured at least one superpowered girl(Black Widow merely being exceptional enough to hang out with supers). Buffy had Buffy, Angel - in the late game - had Cordelia and then Fred/Illyria, Firefly had River and Dollhouse had Echo. So that might be a good guide for shaping your expectations.

 

[Rule Britannia]

Words cannot expree how happy I am about this!

 

[Proverbial Jon]

Yes, that's all well and good but what about an answer to the real question? When will we see the return of Firefly?

Oh Great and Powerful Stan of the Lee,
What have Whedon to deserve such bounty?

You should be ashamed of yourself.

 

[TheEndlessGrey]

Tempting as it would be to get Spider-Man and the X-Men in on the TV series, it seems like a risky proposal. On the one hand, by featuring those characters in a (presumably they want it to be) popular TV series, they risk serving up an audience for the movies they don't own, many of whom either don't know or don't care about the film vs TV licensing issue. On the other hand, if their version of the characters becomes entrenched with a critical mass of viewers, anyone else who attempts to use those characters will frustrate the audience with a vision that deviates from expectations. Do the characters better than the other guys, and hope people can spot the difference.

Another way they could go, is to drive them out of existence by ignoring them. By making other characters more popular, and more prolific through appearances in weekly TV episodes, more stand-alone film franchises, more Avengers films, until the movies they don't own are no longer able to draw a large enough audience to be worth the trouble. Once again, do it better than the other guys, and hope people can spot the difference.

Personally, I think Spider-Man is ready for the kind of cinematic hibernation we saw between 90's Batman and recent Batman. X-Men however, the most recent film I thought was actually one of the best ones, and the Wolverine spin off is about to become a series of its own. Also fairly certain I heard a rumor at one point that Wolverine is not the only X-Men character slated for an Origins: treatment. The critical mass of viewers who expect things to be "this way", I think, is already on the film side, therefore risking the success of the TV series. Marvel probably won't get that bunch back without paying for it.

 

[Gizmo1990]

Well I wanted the next new hero movie from Marvel to be A Doctor Strange movie but they are making a stupid Ant man movie instead (idiots) so here is hoping the TV show is Doctor Strange (but it will probebly be Black Panther just to spite me)

 

[Artemis923]

I'd rather have Whedon do more Firefly than a Marvel show. I really...don't like TV now that isn't HBO or Starz, mainly because I feel like it has to "hold back" due to content restrictions.