It was a big week for Joss Whedon who managed to nab several honors at the 2013 Saturn Awards. Not only did he win Best Director for “The Avengers,” but the superhero blockbuster also won Best Science Fiction Film. Also, though he only served as a writer on the film, he had to be pretty proud that “The Cabin in the Woods” took home Best Horror/Thriller Film. Before Joss could accept those awards, though, he navigated the minefield of reporters looking to get the next big exclusive out of him. While on the red carpet, Joss discussed sharing Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch with the upcoming X-Men film and why he didn’t initially believe in “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
While talking with Collider, Whedon revealed that he had some initial apprehension about the “Guardians of the Galaxy” film when it was first announced. “It seemed out there to me. I sort of went ‘I don’t know about this.’ Then they brought on James Gunn, and as soon as they said James, the movie started to make sense to me in a way that it hadn’t. I was like ‘Oh this isn’t a guy that’s gonna chase ‘Star Wars,’ he’s gonna make a James Gunn movie.’ And James’ first thing was ‘Oh I love Rocket, it’s all the raccoon.’ People were like, ‘Really, a raccoon?’ He was like ‘The raccoon is the heart’. And knowing that, I felt very safe,” Whedon explained. “And casting Chris Pratt. I was just there before they started production, and seeing all the designs and stuff… I got really jealous. I was like, ‘Why can’t I make this movie?’ I really got turned 180 on that one.”
With the Joss Whedon seal of approval firmly stamped on the “Guardians of the Galaxy” perhaps fans can rest easy in the knowledge that their beloved franchise is in good hands. However, Joss Whedon has his own movie to think about now as he continues to work on “The Avengers 2.” One of the most interesting challenges facing that project is the inclusion of two characters that will also be making an appearance in the upcoming “X-Men: Days of Future Past.”
If you didn’t know, there’s a bit of a joint custody situation going on between Marvel and Fox over the use of the superhero mutants Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Due to the characters being important to both the X-Men and the Avengers, the studios have equal rights to use them in their respective movies. However, they cannot be referred to as “mutants” in the “The Avengers” movie. Nor can their mutant history be used. So with the possibility of the two characters showing up in the upcoming sequels to X-Men and Avengers, fans are eager to find out which franchise will utilize them the best.
In an interview with Crave Online, Whedon discussed his desire not to think about what the X-Men film is doing with the two characters. “It’s a huge part of the movie [‘The Avengers 2’). I’m really excited about it and I don’t know what they’re doing. And I’m determinedly not knowing. They’re going to do their thing and I have to do mine,” he said.
How this will all turn out is anyone’s guess. The only that that’s safe to say for now is that it’s a good time to be a comic book fan. “Guardians Of The Galaxy” arrives on August 1, 2014 and “The Avengers 2” hits on May 1, 2015.