Joss Whedon developing Marvel SHIELD series for ABC

[Dark Raven]

It hasn't gone into production yet though. Whedon is just working on a script still but no actors have been cast and nothing filmed or built yet.

[sethypants]

Originally Posted by Lord

Damn, this show is moving fast, i thought it would take some time before going into production like AKA and The Incredible Hulk

They're both dead. So is The Punisher and Mockingbird.

[metaphysician]

Originally Posted by TheCorpulent1

I wouldn't say it's glorifying normalcy if they stick with normal SHIELD agents; they'd just be showing (relatively) normal people's perspectives on the increasingly superhuman world in which they live. If you don't think that can make for an incredibly entertaining and intriguing narrative, check out a few Gotham Central trades.

I also don't see why superheroes need to necessarily remain unique in their universes. Sure, they should be now, but over time why wouldn't people get used to them? It's the logical way for events to play out if superhumans maintain a consistent presence on Earth over a long period of time. Literally every single one of Marvel's superhero comics published today understands that. I wouldn't be bothered if the SHIELD agents who've been around a while become a bit jaded about superhumans 2 or 3 seasons down the line (assuming it makes it that far). That's where introducing new POV characters occasionally comes in.

Its also important to note that "normal human" is a very relative term. Black Widow and Hawkeye are "normal humans" for example. While the cast of the SHIELD TV series probably aren't going to be quite that level, they are still going to be highly skilled experts in their fields with access to advanced technology. I wouldn't be shocked if they come off as more impressive than a fair number of TV super shows.

[metaphysician]

Originally Posted by sethypants

They're both dead. So is The Punisher and Mockingbird.

While I suspect you are right, we haven't received confirmation yet for Hulk, and it wasn't that many weeks back that De Toro said he was still working on it.

[Specter313]

Originally Posted by sethypants

They're both dead. So is The Punisher and Mockingbird.

Del Toro has said recently that his Hulk series is still in the developmental stage. Nothing's been said about Mockingbird being dead. I don't know what's going on with a Punisher show, since I don't even know if that was fully serious or not. The only one we know for sure is dead is AKA Jessica Jones.

[sethypants]

Well, Hulk has been in development for 3-4 years? If they're still developing, then there would've been more news about it. In the mean time Del Toro is developing a new show on FX and with movies also, I don't think there is much hope for it.
Punisher was pitched to FOX but failed to get a pilot, so its probably dropped.
Just like how Spectre was pitched to FOX but failed to get a pilot. Deadman was supposed to get a pilot, but should Amazon get picked up, Deadman would probably be dead as well. Booster is highly likely because Syfy doesn't develop TV shows like a broadcast network.

[Specter313]

Del Toro just said a little over a month ago that they're trying to bring a new big name writer on board who is busy right now and they want to wait for him. Do a search.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1757241.html

[sethypants]

I know about that. But they said the same thing every year. Then after the pick ups are announced, people would start asking about it again then theres another excuse.

[DrDoom]

Originally Posted by sethypants

I miss Chuck. Would love to see Yvonne as Ms Marvel in a movie.

Maybe her "Chuck" costar, Zachary Levi, can put in a good word at Marvel. Then they can reunite in Thor: The Dark World or Avengers 2 as Ms Marvel and Fandral

[DrDoom]

Originally Posted by metaphysician

While I suspect you are right, we haven't received confirmation yet for Hulk, and it wasn't that many weeks back that De Toro said he was still working on it.

Originally Posted by Specter313

Del Toro has said recently that his Hulk series is still in the developmental stage. Nothing's been said about Mockingbird being dead. I don't know what's going on with a Punisher show, since I don't even know if that was fully serious or not. The only one we know for sure is dead is AKA Jessica Jones.

Originally Posted by sethypants

Well, Hulk has been in development for 3-4 years? If they're still developing, then there would've been more news about it. In the mean time Del Toro is developing a new show on FX and with movies also, I don't think there is much hope for it.
Punisher was pitched to FOX but failed to get a pilot, so its probably dropped.
Just like how Spectre was pitched to FOX but failed to get a pilot. Deadman was supposed to get a pilot, but should Amazon get picked up, Deadman would probably be dead as well. Booster is highly likely because Syfy doesn't develop TV shows like a broadcast network.

Originally Posted by Specter313

Del Toro just said a little over a month ago that they're trying to bring a new big name writer on board who is busy right now and they want to wait for him. Do a search.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1757241.html

Originally Posted by sethypants

I know about that. But they said the same thing every year. Then after the pick ups are announced, people would start asking about it again then theres another excuse.

http://www.superherohype.com/news/ar...re-of-the-hulk
What I take away from that story is that marvel is more interested in continuing Hulk's story in films rather than TV, regardless of how long that may take.

[Nave 'Torment']

Originally Posted by TheCorpulent1

I wouldn't say it's glorifying normalcy if they stick with normal SHIELD agents; they'd just be showing (relatively) normal people's perspectives on the increasingly superhuman world in which they live. If you don't think that can make for an incredibly entertaining and intriguing narrative, check out a few Gotham Central trades.

I also don't see why superheroes need to necessarily remain unique in their universes. Sure, they should be now, but over time why wouldn't people get used to them? It's the logical way for events to play out if superhumans maintain a consistent presence on Earth over a long period of time. Literally every single one of Marvel's superhero comics published today understands that. I wouldn't be bothered if the SHIELD agents who've been around a while become a bit jaded about superhumans 2 or 3 seasons down the line (assuming it makes it that far). That's where introducing new POV characters occasionally comes in.

That's actually a good point with Gotham Central--I've been a huge fan of those for a long time, and I understand if this series can work on that level.

There is certainly an audience for it.

However, I'll still insist that there has to be two different ways of doing it. On one hand you have what Fury was doing throughout The Avengers--basically responding to this overwhelmingly superhuman threat, being "hopelessly outgunned" and trying to balance out a group of increasingly volatile superhumans as a part of his "team." And that's great. It still manages to keep what is superhuman unique in its own crazy world. That's why the Fury bits were some of my favourites. On the other hand you have what happens in almost every other comic-book, where people really act on a level above the people of Townsville. What happens is that those really iconic moments where Spider-Man is fighting the Green Goblin high atop the sky-scrapers of NY become not-so-iconic. And it's not just Marvel Comics; both companies are guilty of it.

Even if superhumans maintain a consistent presence on Earth over a long period of time, they'd cease being "super-human." And that's where all the mutant-prejudice comes in. It's great to have a "David vs. Goliath" story but if you're telling it in a world where there are 10 more like Goliath, his monstrosity becomes muted to the point where his sole narrative purpose of being this unstoppable monster who, upon being stopped, enhances David's heroism, is lost.

Or, to stick more to my original point, if there's a David vs. Goliath around every street-corner, the Davids would cease being the underdog, and the entire drama of the story would be lost. If they do go with this, what I'd like is if they still regarded the superhumans as these iconic beings--gods among men--and they are the mortals struggling under them. The uniqueness of those superhumans need to exist, even if only to be refuted and ultimately overcome.

[Nave 'Torment']

Originally Posted by The Question

When was it ever implied that the idea of superhuman forces having become so frequent that it's considered ordinary is a part of the premise? Nobody brought up that idea as far as I saw.

The whole point of the idea of SHIELD being underdogs is that they're going up against superhuman threats while they themselves are not superheroes. The concept of relative normalcy was never apart of it.

Well, the entire series is being highlighted as something worthwhile because it's about "the ordinary guys" fighting in an extraordinary world. I get that. But then it means that the premise itself is based on this assumption that the meta-humans exist. Instead of being something unique, they're the norm. And we're expected to cheer SHIELD on because the heroes are ordinary people. While I loved A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer, that short was selling the same idea as well.

[flickchick85]

I think it will be a show about people who have a very specific skillset and are perfectly capable of handling all forms of Earthly threats (as demonstrated in A Funny Thing Happened...), but are suddenly finding themselves as "the ordinary guys" for the first time when all sorts of supernatural threats (not just metahumans, but bizarre forces, objects, etc.) rear their ugly head as a result of the events in The Avengers and the world that opened up. Like Thor said, this event was a signal to all the other realms that the Earth is ready for them, ripe for the picking. And some of those other realms might not be so far away (K'un-L'un, anyone?). And now, SHIELD has a much better knowledge of what's out there and better ideas of what to look out for (especially if Dr. Selvig retained all that "truth" the Tesseract showed him). So I think all kinds of stuff is gonna start showing up on Earth that might have been outside SHIELD's vantage point before, making them feel much smaller, and much more helpless than they ever have.

That's my guess.

[The Overlord]

Who would be the main villain in this series? I guess Baron Strucker might work, mainly because he isn't appearing in a movie soon like Viper is and doesn't require a lot special effects to work on screen.

[The Question]

Originally Posted by Nave 'Torment'

Well, the entire series is being highlighted as something worthwhile because it's about "the ordinary guys" fighting in an extraordinary world. I get that. But then it means that the premise itself is based on this assumption that the meta-humans exist. Instead of being something unique, they're the norm. And we're expected to cheer SHIELD on because the heroes are ordinary people. While I loved A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer, that short was selling the same idea as well.

I don't understand how those two things relate to each other at all. The show is based on the assumption that metahumans exist because, in the Marvel Universe, they do. In what way does that mean that superhuman stuff if the norm in this world? How is that suggested by the show's premise? The fact that SHIELD is dealing with superhuman stuff doesn't mean that stuff is the norm, all it means is that it's their job to deal with that stuff.

[Pink Ranger]

Originally Posted by flickchick85

I think it will be a show about people who have a very specific skillset and are perfectly capable of handling all forms of Earthly threats (as demonstrated in [I]A Funny Thing Happened...

Do you mean specific skill sets, that make them a nightmare for people like me?

[BatsDC]

I hope they introduce Punisher and Heroes for Hire in this series, and then, depending on their reception, spin them off into their own series.

[Nave 'Torment']

^ now that'd be a great idea! Marvel Studios acquired the rights to Punisher yes? I vaguely remember seeing the "Marvel Knights" banner before that atrocity of a film in War Zone.

[OB12]

Yeah, Marvel now has the rights to Punisher back and they have, or should soon have, Daredevil. I'd like Punisher, Heros for Hire, and Daredevil to all be featured in this series at different points.

[The Question]

Originally Posted by Nave 'Torment'

^ now that'd be a great idea! Marvel Studios acquired the rights to Punisher yes? I vaguely remember seeing the "Marvel Knights" banner before that atrocity of a film in War Zone.

I don't really see The Punisher fitting into a SHIELD show. His deal is that he's a serial killer who targets mobsters. That's an FBI kind of thing, not a SHIELD kind of thing.

Might be good for a guest spot in one episode, though.

[TheCorpulent1]

SHIELD sometimes takes over when threats prove too much for the regular authorities to handle, though. If they show Frank stockpiling superhero and supervillain tech like he is in the comics now, that could qualify him for SHIELD's jurisdiction.

Not that I'd necessarily want to see the Punisher featured in this show. Just saying, it's not entirely implausible.

[Nave 'Torment']

Yeah it'd make for a good cameo. Imagine SHIELD focusing in on all these metas around when the real volatile player becomes this one uncontrollable guy with a gun.

Or alternatively, maybe a subplot of them trying to recruit Castle but which backfires terribly--ostensibly giving the SHIELD cast some hope opposing metas when they see someone like Castle doing a good job at it (not that they need it with players like Burton, Hill, Widow, Fury and Coulson).

[DrCosmic]

Originally Posted by Nave 'Torment'

Or, to stick more to my original point, if there's a David vs. Goliath around every street-corner, the Davids would cease being the underdog, and the entire drama of the story would be lost. If they do go with this, what I'd like is if they still regarded the superhumans as these iconic beings--gods among men--and they are the mortals struggling under them. The uniqueness of those superhumans need to exist, even if only to be refuted and ultimately overcome.

That's a good point, and something to watch out for, but it is relatively unavoidable unless Marvel stops making movies. It will have to grow to the place where, like the comics, the relevant emotions are what drives the conflict and not just the underdog story, which will be lost on an increasing number of people for just the reason you say.

Funny, in the original story of David and Goliath, once people realized that it was possible, all of David's homeboys went and found Goliath's brothers and killed them too, since they knew it was possible. I guess in TV land they'll have to just come up with bigger giants then.

[Rowsdower!]

Any word yet on whether Titus Welliver will be in this? That guy needs to be a regular on a series already.

[Nave 'Torment']

Originally Posted by DrCosmic

That's a good point, and something to watch out for, but it is relatively unavoidable unless Marvel stops making movies. It will have to grow to the place where, like the comics, the relevant emotions are what drives the conflict and not just the underdog story, which will be lost on an increasing number of people for just the reason you say.

Funny, in the original story of David and Goliath, once people realized that it was possible, all of David's homeboys went and found Goliath's brothers and killed them too, since they knew it was possible. I guess in TV land they'll have to just come up with bigger giants then.

That's probably one of the things shared by both TV world and real world -- that sort of escalation is always possible... maybe they'll focus on the sort of role SHIELD has to play in a world where they're clearly outmatched.

Good bit on the David vs Goliath myth! I wasn't aware of it!