Joss Whedon has been hired on again as boss of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and their superhero pals for The Avengers 2.
The news came today from Walt Disney Co Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger, who said during a company earnings call that the filmmaker is returning to write and direct the sequel adapted from the Marvel Comics tales.
Iger also said Whedon is helping to develop a Marvel-based TV series for ABC.
Whedon had previously stated he was not sure if he
would make the sequel, telling the LA Times: “I'm very torn. It’s
an enormous amount of work telling what is ultimately somebody else’s
story, even though I feel like I did get to put myself into it. But at the same
time, I have a bunch of ideas, and they all seem really cool.”
In addition to its worldwide box office
haul of nearly US$1.5 billion and strong sales for merchandise, The Avengers was
also reviewed strongly with a 69 percent average rating on metacritic.com and 8.7 / 10 user rating
on IMDB.com.
No details were provided on a start of production or release date for the sequel to Whedon's The Avengers, 2012's biggest hit at the worldwide box office. But the film will have to get in line behind a busy schedule of solo sequels featuring Avengers co-stars.
Robert Downey Jr is filming Iron Man 3 for release next May, while Thor star Chris Hemsworth will have his own sequel out in November 2013. Chris Evans' Captain America sequel will follow in April 2014.
AP / 3 News