B5Erik

For my money Serenity was a great movie and Whedon did a great job directing it. If he gets the job directing The Avengers then I will expect a really good movie.

I think he would be one of the better choices that Marvel could make.

RocShemp

Summer Glau!

And what of Eliza Dushku?



Her and Whedon are synonimous these days.

devilshalo

No... actors like Evans and Hemsworth probably have it in their multi-picture contracts already. Sam Jackson already has his. RDJ will be the high dollar star.. not sure how Norton will be handled. No reason for this to be $400M. $230M is a conservative estimate dependent on other cameos and villain(s) and the amount of vfx.

RocShemp

There was already a lot of that in Iron Man (and it seems there's even more of that in the sequel) and, although in smaller doses, there was some snarky and quirky dialogue in The Incredible Hulk.

Draven

Joss Whedon is a nerd but he's successful. Therefore, other nerds hate him. Simply because they aren't applauded for their nerdiness.

This scenario also works with Kevin Smith.

Supermallet

What was the highest grossing film Sam Raimi had before Spider-Man? What was the highest grossing film Peter Jackson made before The Lord of the Rings? What was the highest grossing film Jon Favreau directed before Iron Man?

Artman

Elf - 220 million.

PopcornTreeCt

In all fairness, those guys were established film directors. A more apt comparison would be if they hired Jim Jarmusch or David Cronenberg.

Supermallet

Fair enough. But that also wasn't a big budget action movie. And, in all fairness, not all of the action in Iron Man is great (although overall I quite like the movie).

Jim Jarmusch and David Cronenberg aren't established filmmakers? They may often work with independent companies, but they are established. A better example would be giving the guy who directed 500 Days of Summer the Spider-Man reboot, and I don't hear too many people complaining about that. But because this is Joss Whedon, people complain.

PopcornTreeCt

I meant that Joss Whedon is not an established filmmaker. Yeah, I don't think anyone cares about the Spider-Man reboot that's probably why there aren't too many complaints.

kstublen

I'm a Whedon fanbody through and through and while I welcome the opportunity for Whedon to get some mainstream exposure and success, I am a little concerned.

For the most part, the stuff he has directed has been his own original creation (an episode of The Office and Glee notwithstanding) and the only feature film he has directed thus far has been Serenity, where he was working with actors he was familiar with and characters he had already developed and fleshed out over the course of Firefly's short run on FOX. Aside from his earlier work as a writer and his comic book endeavors, Whedon has only ever worked with characters that he created himself.

Obviously this is a quite different scenario; he is going to be working with characters he didn't create, in a pre-defined universe, with well-established, big-name actors with whom he doesn't already have an existing report. It will be interesting to see how he handles a franchise that has clearly defined characters and constraints. The fact that he isn't starting from scratch suggests that people needn't worry the characters will be quipping about popular culture or spouting off other Whedonesque dialogue. And just because he is directing doesn't mean he is writing the screenplay, although knowing Whedon I am sure if he directs he will also be involved in the writing aspect. Still, I don't think we have to worry about his signature style seeping through too much, if only because he will recognize that it doesn't suit these characters.

I definitely think Whedon can successfully take these iconic characters and make them work together sharing the big screen. His love of the comic book medium will definitely work to the film's advantage because he will give the the characters and the stories the respect they deserve.

A sequel to Dr. Horrible has been confirmed, but it hasn't been confirmed whether it will be another web series or a feature film. Neil Patrick Harris said that principal photography couldn't begin until at least April 2011 when he had time off from How I Met Your Mother, but obviously Whedon directing The Avengers would push Dr. Horrible back at least another year.

Superboy

Whedon is massively overrated. He can't direct worth shit and his claims of being needled by Hollywood are seriously contentious. His ideas are weak at best.

His run on Astonishing X-men is probably one of the worst i've seen. He was worse than Chuck Austen.

Supermallet

I know what you meant, and while you may not think so, he's a known commodity in Hollywood. And I imagine this is a win/win scenario. Marvel hires someone who they know and have worked with, don't have to pay the kind of fee they would pay for a real A-list director, and get someone who does have a lot of experience with film and television. And Whedon gets to prove he can deliver a hit for a big studio, which raises his clout and lets him get back to his own projects.

I've enjoyed some of Whedon's past efforts, most especially Firefly and Serenity, but I hated Dollhouse and don't think everything he touches turns to gold. But I do think he's a cool, interesting choice for this and if the movie turns out to be awful, I'll be the first to admit it. Until then, I'm remaining optimistic.

Shannon Nutt

Jealous, much? To paraphrase Jim Cameron's repsonse to haters, "Let's see you make a movie."

Seriously, while Whedon may not be the best visual director, he's a hell of a storyteller with a gift for dialogue. We need more films from people like him, and less films from people like Michael Bay and Brett Ratner.

stingermck

I thought his run on Astonishing was pretty good, with a nice epic feel.

Paul_SD

I agree.
It's also funny how many people seem to think his primarily TV-centric background is a minus when it is exactly the opposite.
Marvel is an independent production house. Despite striking gold with Iron Man, they have to borrow and leverage to continue getting these films made.
Avengers will go into production while two big films are still a HUGE ? in terms of financial return. They could easily flop. This is borrowed money they will owe interest on, financed in an era where banks no longer have the spigots turned on full bore.
Whedon's TV background means he has a decades + experience delivering high quality work under enormous time and budgetary constraints. They don't need a director that is going to pull auteur trips and go over budget waiting for magic hour every day. They need someone who can work quickly and resourcefully and is a proven storyteller who appreciates the genre.
Whedon fits the bill in spades.

Hokeyboy

I WOULD KILL OR DIE TO SEE A JIM JARMUSCH AVENGERS FILM.

stingermck

Totally agree with ya Paul. Robert Rodriguez also comes to mind as someone who can work quick, cheap, but still delivers.

Dr. DVD

If Whedon must cast Dushku, make her Wasp. Of course if they go with the Ultimates take (which it seems they are with the universe they've established in Iron Man and Hulk), then the actress who played Ciara would be better.

While some people are knocking Whedon's ability to deliver an epic level look, check out the Reiver space battle towards the end of Serenity . That looked more impressive than anything I had seen from the previous Star Wars movies.

kstublen

Fixed.

Mr. Cinema

For Love of the Game: $46 million worldwide. The Frighteners: $29 million worldwide.

My turn. How many motion pictures has Joss Whedon directed in his career?

Peter Jackson had directed 3. Not too many, but at least it was a nice mix of films that gave us some sense of his talents. Dead Alive has a cult following, Heavenly Creatures was well received, and The Frighteners did have some interesting special effects.

Raimi was definitely more established than either Jackson or Whedon. He already had the Evil Dead trilogy, and gave us A Simple Plan, easily his best film that deserved far more than 2 Oscar nominations.

He may make a good film, but I'm not as optimistic.

Meglos

I'm not a Whedon fanboy at all and I'm not understanding the hate from all the armchair directors here. Before Iron Man, I couldn't equate Jon Favreau with "summer action blockbuster". Now I know better,,,

RocShemp

You forgot Meet the Feebles and Bad Taste. Jackson may have had a cult following but that doesn't usually mean box-office draw. The Lord of the Rings was a huge gamble for New Line Cinema.

BJacks

I don't hate him, I just don't think there's any indication that he's the right man for the job. Serenity was just an extension of a poorly-rated television show and nobody watched Dollhouse either. And as much as some people claim Whedon' was somewhat constrained by Fox on that series, that's nothing compared to all the rules and regulations that Marvel will impose on him.

When all's said and done, his only real success has been Buffy, which is a very different project than The Avengers. I hope he pulls off an amazing film, I just think he's a weird choice for what's arguably one of the biggest films in decades.

spainlinx0

I would consider Angel a moderate success as well. But so what? I enjoyed all his series (Dollhouse much less so), and that's what I care about. I don't care if he's super successful as long as he continues creating stuff I enjoy watching.