Update below: Fanboys rejoice. Joss Whedon who was rumored to be on the top of Marvel’s wishlist for “The Avengers” is now in final negotiations to direct the film (sorry Louis Letterier).
While we’ve had our doubts as to whether or not Whedon is the right guy to handle the central film in Marvel’s onscreen universe, it appears the studio has faith that the writer and one-time director has what it takes to deliver the goods. With Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), as well as SHIELD leader Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) all set to feature in the we’re a little surprised that the untested and unproven Whedon is being given the reigns. While “Serenity” had its fans, it does not come close to the scope and undertaking this project will require. For a sophomore directorial effort, the leap between pictures doesn’t get much bigger than this. Notice Ed Norton‘s name is not mentioned here, because he’s probably still some kind of question mark (even if the Hulk plays the villain as rumored, they could just stick to the CGI version and not use Bruce Banner).
The film apparently already has a script in the can by Zak Penn that is expected to begin with a modern day lead-in from current day bookends in the “Captain America” film. With “Iron Man 2” hitting theaters next month, and “Captain America” and “Thor” being readied for 2011, everything will be in place for “The Avengers” to be introduced on May 4, 2012.
Update: This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to anyone, but Variety are reporting that Whedon will also rewrite Zak Penn’s script.