Check Out an Impressive S.H.I.E.L.D. Video Application

Joss Whedon is currently working on his upcoming S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - something we're all pretty excited about. But Adam Levermore has a special form of excitement, as he hopes to actually work on the series as a graphic designer.

To that end, he's filmed a video to serve as his job application, in the form of a fan film of sorts, in which Levermore is taken into a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility and interrogated/interviewed about his skills and experience.

Levermore, who actually has done work associated with projects like Serenity and Battlestar Galactica in the past, certainly has some notable assistance on this project. The short is written by Eureka/Person of Interest writer Amy Berg and features a score by Bear McCreary (BSG). And there’s even a cameo from a Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum at the end.

Check out the short, called S.H.I.E.L.D.E.D., below.

So, do you think Levermore should get the job?

Source : ign[dot]com

Joss Whedon's S.H.I.E.L.D. TV Series to Feature New Characters

While at the Toronto International Film Festival promoting his film, Much Ado About Nothing, Joss Whedon sat down with MTV News and revealed that the Marvel S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series that he's currently developing is "very far" along in the developmental process and that he's already pitched it to ABC - with new S.H.I.E.L.D. characters in place of Nick Fury, Agent Coulson and Maria Hill.

Click the pic to watch the interview over at MTV.

One of the things fans have been speculating about is how involved would Fury and the rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team, most recently seen in Whedon's The Avengers, would be on a week-to-week TV show.  Budget-wise and availability-wise.  So this idea of new agents and characters answers that question.

"It's new characters" Whedon stated. "It needs to be it's own thing. It needs to be adjacent, but you don't want to do a show where you're constantly going, 'Iron Man just left, but he was totally here a minute ago.' You want them to do their own thing. What does S.H.I.E.L.D. got that the heroes don't have? To me, it's that they're not superheroes. But they live in that universe. Even though they're a big organization, that makes them underdogs and that's interesting to me."

Source : ign[dot]com

Lionsgate Buys Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions announced today that they've acquired filmmaker Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing, a contemporary adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic comedy.

Unlike his blockbuster The Avengers, Much Ado is a low-budget indie shot in black & white. Whedon filmed it in less than two weeks at his home upon completing Avengers. It's the first production of his micro-studio Bellwether Pictures.

The film, which screened at this week's Toronto International Film Festival, stars such Whedon veterans as Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion, Fran Kranz, Jillian Morgese, Sean Maher, Clark Gregg, and Reed Diamond.

“I’m thrilled to be working with my cronies at Lionsgate again, and with The Roadside team," said Whedon in a statement. "That they all embrace a Shakespearean romance with the same enthusiasm they had for 'Cabin in the Woods' shows that they’re exactly the mad fools we want to be partying – I mean working – with.”

Source : ign[dot]com

Joss Whedon Talks S.H.I.E.L.D. and His Overall Marvel Deal

On the heels of the big news that Joss Whedon is co-writing, producing and possibly directing a S.H.I.E.L.D. TV pilot for ABC, Whedon spoke to Vulture a bit about the project, along with his new role with Marvel – a three-year contract tying him to them exclusively when it comes to TV and film, which not only includes writing and directing Avengers 2, but advising on all the Marvel Cinematic Universe projects.

Mid-summer, Whedon expressed some hesitation about returning for Avengers 2, saying he might want to do a self-generated project first. Explaining what made him not only sign on, but sign on in a big way, he remarked that it was the size of the role that drew him in. Said Whedon, “It was part of what made it attractive to me. I loved the idea of being a consigliere. Every writer loves the idea of being able to go in and fix a problem and then leave without obligation. It's fun! I also love these characters and the Marvel universe, and I grew up reading the books, and I've been going back and reading the old books and realizing that they shaped my storytelling way more than I give them credit for. Now I'm starting up a TV show, which is something I really wanted to do, but I thought it wasn't going to be a part of my life for the next several years. It's like a tapas menus of projects that excite me, in addition to the Avengers sequel, which I'm excited for because I'm incredibly excited about the next story that I'm going to tell. For me, it's a huge win.”

Whedon adds, “It is unbelievably daunting, especially because I don't want to lose sight of all the other things I have on my docket and in my heart. So, it's going to be an insane few years, but I feel ready for that. It's an unholy amount of productivity, but as long as I give it all I can, it's a good thing. What's great is that the deal with Marvel is nonspecific, so I will give all I can, but the moment I can't, I just walk away. The moment I say, ‘You know, I'd like to help more on this project, but I need this time for The Avengers,’ there's no obligation. It's not like, ‘You must spend this amount of time on this movie.’ It's as much as it needs to be.”

S.H.I.E.L.D.: What We Might See in Joss Whedon’s TV Series

When it comes to S.H.I.E.L.D., Whedon didn’t offer any specifics on the character and storyline. But Vulture -- referring to some of his infamous situations on previous TV series like Firefly and Dollhouse --  asked, “How does it feel to finally be working on a project that may very well get the biggest promotional push of any TV show ever and will most likely not air on a Friday?”

Whedon replied with a laugh, “You know, I can't guarantee that any of that will happen! But so far, it feels just fine. The important thing to me is that we know what the show is. We love what it is. It came together very organically, so when we went in to pitch [to Marvel], it wasn't like, We're trying to find this because you want a TV show, it was, Check this out. And that's a good way to walk in a room.”

That being said, Whedon remarked, “Good support is wonderful, but it's not a hill of beans, because they may give us all this support and then decide, ‘Eh. Yeah, it's Friday.’ They might give us all the support and then not do that, but then audiences might go, ‘Yeahhh … no.’ You just can't be sure. What I do know is that it's the show it should be, and we've got some really dope notions. It's going to work very well for people who either love the Marvel universe or for people who've never dipped a toe in the Marvel universe.”

You can read more of Whedon's conversation over at Vulture.

Source : ign[dot]com

10 Marvel Comics Joss Whedon Could Bring to TV

It’s happening and we can hardly believe it. Joss Whedon is not only returning to write and direct The Avengers 2, but he’s also helping develop a TV series for Marvel and ABC, set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

What will this TV show be? For now, we have no idea. But there are obviously a ton of possibilities. And suffice to say, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly returning to TV to expand the world he already proved such a great fit with on The Avengers has us excited. Even assuming Whedon is more of a consultant than a hands on showrunner, there still are plenty of intriguing paths to go. Here are some potentials that make the most sense to us...

S.H.I.E.L.D.

S.H.I.E.L.D. have been a big part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the first Iron Man movie and Agent Coulson was an endearing and humanizing element of the films. In fact, it would seem like an obvious route for a TV show…

…if Coulson hadn’t been killed in The Avengers. Sure, this is a comic book-based world, and who’s to say Coulson might not come back at some point? But for now, the character who would most likely seem appropriate for the lead in a S.H.I.E.L.D. based show is gone. And yeah, we wonder about Maria Hill too, but Cobie Smulders has at least one more year of How I Met Your Mother ahead, and it’s looking likely there could be more than that. Plus, this more militarized world wouldn’t seem the most compelling one to Whedon, given his previous work, especially without Coulson there… That being said, it certainly could still happen. We just don't see it as the most likely candidate.

Young Avengers

We don’t expect this Marvel TV show, whatever it is, to be “Avengers: The TV Series.” And yet, there is a way to put Avengers in the title – with a property that would be a lot of fun on TV.

With Buffy, Whedon showed his ability to bring us fully realized, sympathetic and east to root for teenage characters. A TV show about this group of young superheroes – who have emulated themselves on the Avengers we’ve seen in the films – would be a great set up and easy way to tie a TV series into the films, without needing to have Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans show up each week (though we wouldn’t mind a cameo or two).

And yes, on a similar note, Avengers Academy is another route that would certainly make sense...

Blade

The rights to Blade have reverted to Marvel, meaning the character could now be introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though no, it’s not likely that Joss Whedon would want to tackle his third TV show about vampires. But given the fact that he’s proven he can do kick ass stories about both vampires and about Marvel Universe characters, we’re just saying… We’d watch the hell out of this. Just think about the Buffy in-jokes alone!

Jessica Jones

We heard a lot about "AKA Jessica Jones" as a potential project for the last couple of years from Marvel/ABC, with Melissa Rosenberg (Dexter, the Twilight films) writing a script that has yet to be produced. Jessica Jones makes a lot of sense for a TV series – Alias, the comic book she first appeared in, had a grounded, gritty tone that would work well with a smaller TV budget.

Whedon is drawn towards strong female characters, and Jessica Jones is a wonderful character – with all of the faults and strengths to make for plenty of compelling stories. Plus, her role as a private detective working in the Marvel universe is a great way to touch upon little corners of Marvel or introduce new characters into this world. Rosenberg’s script was said to include Luke Cage and Carol Danvers in supporting roles and it would be amazing to see what Whedon could do with them – possibly leading to bigger roles in future Avengers films.

Heroes for Hire

Speaking of Luke Cage, another way to go would be to have a show more centered on Luke and his sometime partner, Danny Rand/Iron Fist. Kind of like the short-lived Human Target (from DC), but much more willing to embrace its comic book background -- costumes included -- Heroes for Hire would provide a nice unlikely partners setup and the potential for a lot of fun stories about Luke and Danny working together.

There’s also room for the Heroes for Hire duo to become more of a larger group as time goes on – starting with characters like Misty Knight and Colleen Wing and perhaps expanding out to others. In the comics, after all, there have been larger Heroes for Hire teams, that included everyone from Black Knight to Shang Chi to… Well, the next person on this list.

Source : ign[dot]com