"The Avengers 2" is happening with Joss Whedon. That's the word from Disney, as the studio confirmed Whedon will both write and direct the upcoming "Avengers" sequel during a conference call for investors on Tuesday afternoon. In a twist, Whedon will also help Marvel and ABC develop a new television series that takes place within "The Avengers" universe.
While this might have all seemed like a foregone conclusion -- "Marvel's The Avengers" has earned over $1.46 billion around the world, with many crediting Whedon's mix of source-material reverence and sense of humor as part of the reason why -- Whedon wasn't sure if he would return for the sequel as late as Comic-Con in July.
“I have not come to a decision on directing 'Avengers 2' yet,” he said during a panel celebrating the 10th anniversary of "Firefly."
This has been quite a year for Whedon, who has long been considered a cult presence in film and television. "The Avengers" helped the creative mind behind "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Firefly" reach a whole new audience, but it didn't make him appreciate the true fans any less.
"I've had the smartest, most loyal, most passionate, most articulate group of -- I'm not even gonna say fans. I'm going with 'peeps' -- that any cult oddity such as my bad self could have dreamt of," he wrote in a letter to fans on the website Whedonesque. "When almost no one was watching, when people probably should have STOPPED watching, I've had three constants: my family and friends, my collaborators (often the same), and y'all."
For more on Whedon's future plans head over to Slashfilm.
'Avengers' Premiere Photos
CORRECTION: An earlier edition of this post mistakenly referred to Whedonesque.com as Joss Whedon's own website. It is not.