Movie Make-out

When I was recently out on the town and killing time before a midnight screening of The Neverending Story with two of my future writers for this blog, we were killing time in a Best Buy when we passed a guy who was wearing a “Joss Whedon is my Master Now” T-shirt. He was duly fist-bumped as we turned for the double-take, and my geek heart grew one size larger.

Now, I fear that my Whedon-loving heart is exploding—and not entirely from boundless excitement. While I was toiling away in the trenches yesterday, Variety confirmed an April Fool’s Day IESB.net exclusive report that the Serenity director and Wonder Woman screenwriter would be directing The Avengers for Marvel Studios.

Marc Graser at the paper trade noted that part of the negotiations included Whedon taking a pass at the script which was previously written by Zak Penn. The core cast is set with Chris Evans taking on the Captain America role, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Chris Hemsworth as Thor.

There’s no word yet on who will be taking on the Hulk role or if any of the many women who have been Avengers over the years will be in the movie, but considering that Whedon’s muses have mostly been female, I’d be surprised if the Scarlet Witch didn’t at least make the cut.

I will be perfectly honest and say that my love for Whedon’s work peaked with “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” and foundered with “Dollhouse.” Like the guys at Penny Arcade, I only found bits and pieces of the TV series fascinating but didn’t like it enough to continue watching after the sixth episode.

Just as most newly announced these days, I’m being cautiously optimistic that it will be good—and bracing myself for a reality where a Whedon-helmed Avengers won’t be good.

Filming will begin in early 2011.