.
.
You may recall reading various postings on movie news website stating that Joss Whedon was being considered to take on the directing job for THE AVENGERS movie. The news hit first at IESB on April 1st (which immediately made it suspect) that Whedon was on a short list of potential directors to take on the project. The LA Times confirmed the short list story the following day. Heck, even I played an April Fools prank on my readers. But to be safe, I held off on posting anything here, as there just wasn’t enough concrete info at that time. Since then there’s been more posts that the rumors might in fact be true, and negotiations were moving forward with Whedon to take on the comic team epic. But again, no concrete proof… so I waited.
This was the kind of news story I wanted to be certain on. Well, I received word today from a VERY reliable source that Joss Whedon directing THE AVENGERS movie is in fact definite. It’s going to happen. This is not just a tip, this is someone who knows what is going on. To my knowledge, there has yet to be an official announcement anywhere, but it looks like the BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and FIREFLY creator may in fact be taking on Marvel’s mighty superteam film, in which Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) would appear. Will Hulk (Edward Norton) be in there? Who knows… maybe. Now granted, there’s been some negativity from those not part of the Whedon Legion, especially since outside of his BUFFY series, other works like FIREFLY and DOLLHOUSE were less than stellar successes on TV. Even SERENITY, which he directed for the big screen, didn’t make it’s needed profit to be considered truly successful. But hey, this is THE AVENGERS. With Robert Downey Jr. on board, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, and Captain America and Thor running around (assuming their respective films are as bad-ass as we want them to be), can this really lose? I like Whedon’s work, and I especially loved FIREFLY and SERENITY. Granted, I think to truly appreciate SERENITY, you have to be well-versed (no pun intended) in FIREFLY, but the point is Joss knows how to make good action, and that’s ultimately what you need behind the camera for a project like this. He also knows comics, as he’s proven with ASTONISHING X-MEN and THE RUNAWAYS for Marvel’s comic line. If you ask me, he’s just as good a choice as any, and in the long run may prove to be the perfect choice. Look at what Sam Raimi did for SPIDER-MAN 1 and 2, especially considering the low-budget films he came from before those movies. Look at what Peter Jackson did with LORD OF THE RINGS, again coming from a background of low-budget New Zealand fare. I think Joss could bring some needed fanboy sensibilities to this project, and really (hopefully) knock it out of the park. So when the “official” announcement is made, just remember we told you right here, we already heard it “is happening.”
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
