For superhero fanboys out there, the upcoming Avengers movie (due in theaters in May of 2012) could go down as one of the films they anticipate the most in their lifetime. It's like an all-star game for superheroes, with folks like Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Incredible Hulk all together for one epic, no-holds-barred action spectacular, and I'd wager this thing will break all box office records once it finally lands in theaters.
While we already knew a decent part of the cast (since they're already starring in their own solo movies), a director still hadn't been chosen. That all changed last night when Deadline reported that Joss Whedon (Serenity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) was in final negotiations to helm what could be the most important superhero movie ever made. Whedon, a self-proclaimed super fanboy who's worked in and around the comics industry before, only has one big-screen feature under his belt (Serenity), and it didn't exactly explode at the box office.
Sure, his television shows have garnered a loyal fanbase, but some of them have been cancelled before Whedon would've liked to end them. Not to mention the man was supposed to direct a Wonder Woman movie until the studio screwed him out of that as well. So here's a guy who probably has payback on his mind – a dude who's itching to prove his worth, and prove he has the chops to deliver on a much grander scale.
Plus, I like that Whedon has experience working with ensemble casts, which is something that's bound to come in handy on Avengers. Can he deliver the sort of high-powered action scenes we're going to expect from this type of movie? I don't know, but you bet Marvel will be sparing no expense to make sure Whedon delivers the kind of product both the studio and fans will be excited about.
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