Joss Whedon In Negotations for The Avengers

Though the initial news of Joss Whedon being on the shortlist to direct The Avengers may have first broken on April Fools’ Day it appears that report was right on the mark. Indications today are that Marvel has entered final negotiations with Whedon to take on the critical franchise which represents the culmination of several other Marvel films that have been released or are slated to release through 2011. The Avengers would then become a franchise of its own with plans for sequels should the first be successful.

Whedon would certainly be a popular pick amongst the internet crowd. Some of his previous projects such as Firefly, Dollhouse, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are cult favorites but never reached the mainstream. Whedon is also generally regarded as a better screenwriter than a director. Despite all that Whedon has a history of working with ensemble casts which would be the case with The Avengers. He also has a history with Marvel. He has written comic books including ‘Astonishing X-Men’ and ‘Runaways’ and was writing the Wonder Woman movie with plans to direct that until the project was shelved.