The Kidd here...
It's a no-brainer that development on THE AVENGERS 2 is in the early stages. In addition, director Joss Whedon is more than likely free to return if he wants. We all know Marvel Studios' propensity to lowball their talent and filmmakers, but how can they possibly send the guy who just delivered them a $1 billion plus movie packing? There's no offer out to Whedon yet, but I've got a hunch that if he wants the job, it's his... the problem is that he doesn't yet know if he wants the job.
In an interview with the L.A. Times that was conducted before THE AVENGERS started rolling in the dough in the U.S. but not released until now, Whedon claims to be "very torn" on sitting in that director's chair for a sequel. “It’s an enormous amount of work telling what is ultimately somebody else’s story, even though I feel like I did get to put myself into it. But at the same time, I have a bunch of ideas, and they all seem really cool.”
Ah... so it's a matter of wanting to do other things, too. Well, Joss, as much of an original storyteller at you are, please remember that there is only one AVENGERS... and not everyone gets a shot at it. Furthermore, not everyone would take that very opportunity and do it well. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, so don't necessarily cast it aside, because you "have a bunch of ideas." You can get to those in due time. You might even want to have a chat with Christopher Nolan on his handling of the Batman films, where he still satisfied his desire to make his own stories in between traveling to Gotham. It can be done without comprising your desire to express yourself creatively.
Whedon's real strength for THE AVENGERS was being able to bring each member of this ensemble together equally without anyone feeling slighted or reduced as a part of the unit. That's Whedon's delicate hand at work there, and I don't know how many other filmmakers would have been able to pull it off as well. If this is a matter of jockeying for dollars, Joss, Marvel is going to make THE AVENGERS 2 with or without you, and they've left talent behind in the past, so proceed carefully. I think we'd hate to see THE AVENGERS assembling without you next time, especially since you have a whole life ahead of you to make non-AVENGERS films.
-Billy Donnelly
"The Infamous Billy The Kidd"
Follow me on Twitter.
