Tag Archives: Avengers TV series

Whedon, Marvel to do S.H.I.E.L.D TV series

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Breaking news and, well, duh.

Deadline.com is reporting that ABC has ordered a pilot for a live-action TV series that follows the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – the super spy agency headed up by Nick Fury – that brought together “The Avengers” in this year’s biggest movie.

Of course.

For months there’s been speculation on what Marvel might do in its foray into live-action TV. A Jessica Jones/Heroes for Hire series was apparently sidelined and a live-action Hulk remains ill-defined.

So when news broke a few weeks ago that Joss Whedon had, in addition to his “Avengers” sequel directing duties, agreed to develop the big live-action Marvel TV series set in the Avengers universe, all of us went a little meshugana.

And we started talking about possibilities, including a Black Panther series, a Daredevil series, one featuring the Marvel cleanup crew Damage Control and any number of other possibilities.

Of course, a SHIELD (forgive me, I’m dropping the abbreviation practice until further notice) series was proposed and seemed like a natural.

Marvel has spent several movies setting up the workings of SHIELD, introducing us to characters like Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders).

While we don’t know what kind of series SHIELD  will be (well, presumably not a sitcom) and we don’t know if Jackson or any of the established actors will show up – please, please, please give us Tony Stark and Bruce Banner cameos – the flashy spy stuff that’s a natural part of the SHIELD universe makes this the most likely Marvel TV vehicle.

And since in the comics SHIELD is pervasive throughout the Marvel universe, we still could see meaty roles for fan favorites: Not just Fury and Coulson (yes, I know, I know) and Hill but others from the comics. Matt Murdock could represent Hill on a bogus murder charge. Fury could recruit the Punisher for a mission.

While the series will certainly be set in the present day, wouldn’t it be cool if it had some of the trippy feel of writer/artist Jim Steranko’s ground-breaking work on the comic a generation ago?

Yep, SHIELD is a no-brainer. And with Whedon behind the scenes and his frequent collaborators Jed Whedon and  Maurissa Tancharoen working on the series too, I think we’re going to get more of the Marvel goodness we enjoyed in “The Avengers.”

Whedon to develop ‘Avengers’ universe TV show too

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Well, duh.

In a perfect case of reverse-engineering, Disney and Marvel announced today that Joss Whedon, who got his start in TV and then directed “The Avengers” to good effect – and $1.5 billion in worldwide box office – will not only direct “Avengers 2” but oversee the development of the live-action TV series set in the “Avengers” movie universe.

It makes perfect sense, and some of the people reacting online tonight are sharing the same line of reasoning that had settled, like a fog, into my brain. Whedon, who made great TV series like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel” and “Firefly,” has moved on, we told ourselves. He’s not going back to TV after having directed one of the biggest movies ever.

Well, turns out that way of thinking was wrong, wrong, wrong.

Now I doubt we’ll get Joss Whedon, showrunner, or Joss Whedon, director, or much more than Joss Whedon, occasional screenwriter, on this series.

But the man knows how to make a TV series with wit, action and service to multiple characters.

Turns out that was the strength that made him so right for “The Avengers.”

So here’s to a happy, anticipatory “Well, duh.”

Joss Whedon will be helping create the “Avengers” universe live action TV series.

Of course.

An ‘Avengers’ TV series? It could work

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News rolled out this weekend that Marvel and parent company Disney are exploring the possibility of a TV series set in the Marvel movie universe that “The Avengers,” “Iron Man” and all the rest live in.

This is something of a change considering that Disney and Marvel have mulled a couple of TV series since their big-screen ventures began in 2008.

Apparently a “Hulk” series is still being developed, but it seems like maybe the people in charge aren’t quite sure of what to do with it. They’ve said it would not take place in the Marvel movie universe, thus eliminating the possibility of a Tony Stark cameo.

Marvel was considering a series featuring second-tier heroes like Jessica Jones and Luke Cage (Hero for Hire, Power Man, of course). But they back-burnered it, maybe so they could concentrate on this series.

So where should Marvel go on the TV screen?

Consider an animated series. Seriously. Everybody wants to see live-action, of course, and there’s already an “Avengers” animated series being developed for Disney XD. But you know what? “Jonny Quest” was a primetime series. Who wouldn’t watch a weekly primetime version of “The Incredibles?” If you decide to do the ultimate (no pun intended) “Avengers” TV series and it just happens to be animated, emulate “Justice League Unlimited” and the fans will watch.

Forget the stars. Really. Fans won’t tune in every week hoping to seem Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury. They’ll turn in to see concepts from their favorite comics explored on the small screen. Don’t worry about getting Jackson or Chris Evans or Mark Ruffalo. Work around the established characters or even re-cast them. Think about it: In the past 50 years, a lot of different artists have drawn Spider-Man, Captain America and the rest. They’ve looked pretty familiar but not exactly the same. Fans can accept variations.

Figure out how to budget it. The average episode of a TV series costs a couple million bucks. That’s about a tenth of what a big-screen movie can cost. If the producers try to be realistic in how they budget and make the show, fans will understand. Doing a cheap version that feels like a cheap version won’t satisfy anybody.

Some possible series:

“SHIELD” is a natural. It’s a spy organization. TV can do spies. Feature the Maria Hill character with a couple of cameos from Sam Jackson. Maybe Iron Man would fly over in the season finale.

“Damage Control” is little known among the public at large but often suggested by fans. Created in 1989, the Damage Control comic is about a New York-based company that comes in in the aftermath of a knock-down-drag-out between the Fantastic Four and Dr. Doom, for example. Damage Control would clean up the mess, stabilize buildings and deal with any otherworldly toxic waste. The show would be a natural to have heroes show up occasionally, make a mess and leave. Humor would be an important element here.

With its DVD short films featuring SHIELD agents and the upcoming “Item 47” – a 12-minute movie on the Avengers DVDs this September featuring a story about two grifters, including Lizzy Caplan, who find one of the Chitauri blasters and decide to put it to bad use – Marvel is showing an inclination to try comic book stories on a smaller scale. It’s no surprise they would eventually focus that effort on a TV series.