Joss Whedon Is The 'Right Thing' For 'Avengers,' Marvel Boss Says

'We hire directors who have the potential to do great things,' Kevin Feige tells MTV News.By Kara Warner





Kevin Feige

Photo: MTV News




For comic book fans, and those who love comic book movies in general, Marvel Studio's major "Avengers" announcement and cast unveiling at last week's San Diego Comic-Con still has heads reeling. From the unveiling of Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye to seeing director Joss Whedon smiling with his star-studded cast — there was a lot to take in.

When MTV News caught up with Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige during our Comic-Con live stream, no one was more excited to talk about the highly anticipated film and, specifically, the qualifications of fan-favorite director Joss Whedon. We asked him how they made the decision to hire Joss despite his having only directed one feature film (2005's "Serenity").
"I've known Joss for many years. We were looking for the right thing and he came in and met on it," Feige explained. "As you've already heard him say on his panels, he's incredibly intelligent, he's got great things to say about it, and if you look at the directors we've worked with, we hire directors who have the potential to do great things and we want our film to be that great thing."
Feige cited "Thor" helmer Kenneth Branagh and "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau as perfect examples of Marvel's hiring decisions. "Whether it's Branagh who of course has done some great things, whether it's Favreau, who did some fun movies prior to 'Iron Man,' we want to find a director that's on the verge of doing something great, as we think Joss is."
"The Avengers," starring Samuel L. Jackson, Clark Gregg, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner is slated for release in 2012.
What do you think of Joss in the "Avengers" driver's seat? Tell us in the comments!
For breaking comic book movie news, columns and more — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.


Madonna Mel Gibson Carrie Underwood Taylor Swift