With The Avengers currently sitting at the #3 spot on the list of highest-grossing movies of all time and an ending that already pointed to a sequel (not to mention sequel films for Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor already in development), it was a relative no-brainer that Disney/Marvel would want to get writer/director Joss Whedon to direct an Avengers sequel. The film was even critically acclaimed, which is rare for a superhero film (unless it involves Batman).
But in the days following the film’s massive opening, Whedon was coy about committing to a sequel. But I’m assuming that Disney threw a lot of money Whedon’s way because Disney CEO Robert Iger revealed during a conference call that Whedon has signed an exclusive deal with Disney through June 2015. As part of the deal, Whedon will develop a live action Marvel TV series for Disney’s ABC network — whether or not that is the previously announced Guillermo del Toro‘s Incredible Hulk TV series in development is unknown — and will write and direct The Avengers 2. He’s also expected to have a significant role in all of Marvel’s films moving forward. I’m guessing we can assume we’ll get that sequel in summer 2015.
Of course, “exclusive” likely means that it will be 3 years before we see any non-superhero projects from Whedon, which will disappoint fans of Cabin in the Woods and his other original projects. But it’s a huge victory for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially since the brand’s first foray into sequels — 2010’s Iron Man 2 — was a step down from the original. Let’s see if Whedon can work his magic again.
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