Joss Whedon Discusses AVENGERS 2, S.H.I.E.L.D. and MARVEL
Joss Whedon has had an incredible year, and I imagine every year from here on out is going to be incredible! He's made his mark, and now everyone knows who he is. The filmmaker recently signed a contract with Marvel in which he would write and direct the sequel to The Avengers, and develop a S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series for ABC. In a recent interview with Vulture the director talks about all things Marvel!
There was a point when we weren't sure if Whedon would want to make a sequel to The Avengers, so it was great when we found out he had commited himself to it, and more! What made him jump on board with Marvel?
It was part of what made it attractive to me. I loved the idea of being a consigliere. Every writer loves the idea of being able to go in and fix a problem and then leave without obligation. It's fun! I also love these characters and the Marvel universe, and I grew up reading the books, and I've been going back and reading the old books and realizing that they shaped my storytelling way more than I give them credit for. Now I'm starting up a TV show, which is something I really wanted to do, but I thought it wasn't going to be a part of my life for the next several years. It's like a tapas menus of projects that excite me, in addition to the Avengers sequel, which I'm excited for because I'm incredibly excited about the next story that I'm going to tell. For me, it's a huge win.
So he basically made Marvel and all of his fans sweat it out because he could, and he had a fun time doing it. I guess if you are in a position like that, why not soak it up and have a little fun with it? He goes on to explain that he will be giving these projects everything that he can,
It is unbelievably daunting, especially because I don't want to lose sight of all the other things I have on my docket and in my heart. So, it's going to be an insane few years, but I feel ready for that. It's an unholy amount of productivity, but as long as I give it all I can, it's a good thing. What's great is that the deal with Marvel is nonspecific, so I will give all I can, but the moment I can't, I just walk away. The moment I say, "You know, I'd like to help more on this project, but I need this time for The Avengers," there's no obligation. It's not like, "You must spend this amount of time on this movie." It's as much as it needs to be.
As for the S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series he'll be developing he says,
The important thing to me is that we know what the show is. We love what it is. It came together very organically, so when we went in to pitch [to Marvel], it wasn't like, We're trying to find this because you want a TV show, it was, Check this out. And that's a good way to walk in a room.
Good support is wonderful, but it's not a hill of beans, because they may give us all this support and then decide, "Eh. Yeah, it's Friday." They might give us all the support and then not do that, but then audiences might go, "Yeahhh … no." You just can't be sure. What I do know is that it's the show it should be, and we've got some really dope notions. It's going to work very well for people who either love the Marvel universe or for people who've never dipped a toe in the Marvel universe.
That's so cool to hear. I don't see why Marvel wouldn't back up the series all the way, and I know Whedon's audience will. If he says he's come up with a great concept for a series, than I believe he'll deliver something we'll all enjoy. Here he talks about the deleted scenes in The Avengers and why he deleted them, specifically the alternate opening that involved Colbie Smulders:
Two factors. One: The movie was three hours long. Two: Audiences didn't respond to it as well in the movie as I think they would as a DVD extra. Most of them didn't know who this character was or what the context was, and they were like, Uhhh, I don't know why I'm supposed to be personally involved in this character I don't know. The rollout to the Avengers getting to Loki was so gradual that people were getting restless. I thought Cobie nailed it, and the reason I thought it was necessary is because I was trying to make a war movie and I wanted to give context that something bad had happened in the past. In a war movie, you don't know who's going to live or die, but you do know that this war happened and that [the characters] are going to be in a dire circumstance, and I wanted to create that atmosphere.
He then discusses the awesome Captain America deleted scene, saying that he hated cutting it, but that he was able to get the point across without it. Now, If you're interested in knowing what Whedon thought about his Avengers film... here ya go.
I don't think it's a perfect movie. I don't even think it's a great movie. I think it's a great time, and I'm proud of it, but for me, what was exciting is that people don't go to see a movie that many times unless it's pulling on something from within, unless there's a need there. That's very gratifying.
To read the rest of the interview head on over to Vulture.