When Joss Whedon was announced as the writer/director of The Avengers 2, it was also mentioned that he would be ‘involved’ in the development of a Marvel-Universe TV series for ABC.
Today we’ve learned that his involvement will actually be quite significant, as he will write and direct (schedule permitting) the pilot for SHIELD.
SHIELD, which is being co-written by Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, with whom he wrote Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog, centers on the government agency headed by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) that has been operating in the background throughout the Marvel movie universe, quietly assembling what would eventually become the Avengers. Whether any of the characters from the movies (or their actors) will appear in the series remains to be seen.
This will be Whedon’s fifth TV series, after Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse. He also wrote for Roseanne and directed Glee and The Office. Marvel has a second TV series in the works at ABC, this one based on The Hulk and being developed by Guillermo Del Toro.