I confess. I was one of those who thought this would never push through. But in San Diego at last Saturday’s Comicon, those doubts were wiped away as Samuel L. Jackson suddenly appeared to introduce the cast of the Avengers movie.
Some surprises there. The biggest surprise for me was that Jon Favreau – who’d done such an awesome job on Iron Man – wouldn’t be directing. Instead Joss Whedon will be taking the helm.
Hmmm. I liked Serenity but, for the most part, Whedon’s work has been for television. The Avengers, on the other hand, is about as a big as movie as anyone can imagine. It leaves me wondering whether Whedon will be able to take on a tale that huge. Oh well.
Some surprises in the casting as well. Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner?
Regarding Ruffalo, Whedon said that he was his “first and only choice for Bruce Banner.”
He continued: “I’m stunned that we landed that, just stunned. He has what I remember loving about the show, that quality of, you just look at him and you go through it with him, he invites you in in a way that [no] other performer has since Bill Bixby. He is a guy who’s been beaten up by life, but not defined by that. That’s what I want from Bruce Banner, is a guy who’s still getting it done, even though he has his problem.“
So, Ruffalo looks like he’s miserable? LOL. Not since Morissey have we had a celeb trade so successfully on his misery. Anyway, here’s the cast Jackson – who of course plays Nick Fury – announced.
(L-R) Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner), Joss Whedon (director), some guy.
The Avengers movie will be out 2012.