The Avengers Joss Whedon leading on "Avengers" short list of directors

[roach]

Yeah. I like how Joss - while IN MY OPINION thematically a perfect fit - is a bit more out of the box. I don't like the argument of "my top picks are Favreau and Vaughn because they're doing superhero movies this year." As if only people who've done superhero movies are qualified to make superhero movies.

fanboys only know directors that come into their world

 

[GhostPoet]

My head nearly exploded when I read the news...I think a small galaxy may have been destroyed by the supernova of awesomeness.

 

[Keyser Soze]

I'm just saying I'd prefer someone who is proven to make great movies with big ensembles that include megastars. Like Matthew Vaughn.

Whether Serenity is good or not is irrelevant at this point. It is the ONLY film he has made. He has NEVER connected to big audiences apart from with vampire shows. He is a niche, quirky, polorizing director who is more suited to quirky, polorizing things like Runaways or Cloak and Dagger or whatever. So him taking on something like Avengers is a risk. I don't see how this is deniable.

Of course it's a risk. Of course it's not deniable that Whedon is polarizing, this thread proves it. But I think it's a risk that can pay off in spades.

We're back to the argument going in circles again, but the lack of massive blockbusting smashes hardly means a director is not qualified to helm a superhero movie. I'd say one great film makes him a safer choice than a director with a lot of shoddy films, like say, Joe Johnston. But I still think Johnston is a good fit for Captain America, just like all the other directors for the Marvel Studios projects have been. I think by now that, when it comes to directors at least, Marvel have shown they know what they're doing. They do their homework, and pick who they feel is the best fit for the project. And for this, they've chosen Joss Whedon. And like Whedon or not, if Marvel have chosen him, then much like with the other directors they've chosen, its because THEY at least are confident he's the right guy to pull it off.

 

[Keyser Soze]

My head nearly exploded when I read the news...I think a small galaxy may have been destroyed by the supernova of awesomeness.

That's what I thought! That's what I thought most people would think.... until I entered this thread. Welcome to Bizarro World.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Of course it's a risk. Of course it's not deniable that Whedon is polarizing, this thread proves it. But I think it's a risk that can pay off in spades.

We're back to the argument going in circles again, but the lack of massive blockbusting smashes hardly means a director is not qualified to helm a superhero movie. I'd say one great film makes him a safer choice than a director with a lot of shoddy films, like say, Joe Johnston. But I still think Johnston is a good fit for Captain America, just like all the other directors for the Marvel Studios projects have been. I think by now that, when it comes to directors at least, Marvel have shown they know what they're doing. They do their homework, and pick who they feel is the best fit for the project. And for this, they've chosen Joss Whedon. And like Whedon or not, if Marvel have chosen him, then much like with the other directors they've chosen, its because THEY at least are confident he's the right guy to pull it off.

Ok yea i get ya.

But to be fair Johnston did Rocketeer. Captain America's script was described as Rocketeer meets Indiana Jones was it not?

 

[kedrell]

Johnston has some great films to his name, and some blockbusters.

 

[Kanon]

Well, Marvel tried to get him to direct Thor, but unfortunately it didn't work out.

And he quit X-Men 3...

 

[Evil Twin]

I'll be honest, I think The Avengers is kind of a thankless job for a director. You're kind of tied in to the visual worlds that others have created, significant parts of casting have been taken out of your hands, and you probably have limits what you can do storywise with most of the characters. Having to work within other people's continuity and characterization, doesn't sound like a lot of fun. Or creatively fulfilling. You can play around with the plot some, and the character interactions, but it's a fairly limiting project.

So, it's no wonder that a proven big name isn't really interested. And, heck, Vaughn sounds like he'd rather pursue something like Sandman than the logistical nightmare that The Avengers is likely to be.

In a certain sense, this is the least amount of control Whedon has had in probably over a decade. Yeah, it will probably be a hit regardless of how it turns out, but the odds are that it will be pretty messy and Whedon will have a tough time claiming credit for the success of the film. Nor is it likely to make it easier for Whedon to get his original projects made.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Ok yea i get ya.

But to be fair Johnston did Rocketeer. Captain America's script was described as Rocketeer meets Indiana Jones was it not?

It's largely because of the Rocketeer that I still have faith in Johnston to pull off Captain America.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Same here.

 

[kedrell]

That's what I thought! That's what I thought most people would think.... until I entered this thread. Welcome to Bizarro World.

More likely the real world. Whedon fans have sort of inculcated and insulated themselves to the point that they couldn't hear all the voices of people who never liked Whedon's stuff. I'm sure Stephanie Myer fans also can't figure out why Twilight gets so made fun of.

 

[kedrell]

Ok yea i get ya.

But to be fair Johnston did Rocketeer. Captain America's script was described as Rocketeer meets Indiana Jones was it not?

Meets Saving Private Ryan, yeah it was.

 

[Evil Twin]

Actually I think the real world response is more like "Joss Whedon? Who's that?"

 

[OB12]

You have to think the risk here is fairly small. What I mean is, I think that Avengers is an automatic $300 mil box office conservatively speaking. This is a movie that will likely bring in over $600 mil domestically. We are seeing mainstream media hyping Whedon as the director already adding to the already monumental hype that IM2 is getting and some pretty good mainstream hype for Cap and Thor at this early date. I just fail to see how this film does badly, from a money standpoint. Creatively speaking, it still has to put up, but I think that Whedon will do a fine job. Marvel knows they are going to make bank on this movie and are looking to contract well-respected director among fanboys that has yet to really make a blockbuster, thus allowing them to make more profit.

 

[GhostPoet]

That's what I thought! That's what I thought most people would think.... until I entered this thread. Welcome to Bizarro World.

I know!! What the heck?
I believe Whedon is the PERFECT choice since we are dealing with a group of characters, not just one. He really has perfected the art of keeping characters interesting while grouped up. And I don't just say that cause i'm a Whedon fan. I'm a movie fanatic and I've seen very few handle so many characters at once and do it so well.

 

[Son of Coul]

Looking at comments on this and **************, it seems the internet consists of a million people bashing these "Whedonites" that don't appear to exist. I've only seen a few people really overselling Whedon. Most supporters, including me, are just like "sounds like a good pick, he's done good stuff and looks like he knows what he's doing."

 

[roach]

More likely the real world. Whedon fans have sort of inculcated and insulated themselves to the point that they couldn't hear all the voices of people who never liked Whedon's stuff. I'm sure Stephanie Myer fans also can't figure out why Twilight gets so made fun of.

agreed

 

[Raiden]

I'll be honest, I think The Avengers is kind of a thankless job for a director. You're kind of tied in to the visual worlds that others have created, significant parts of casting have been taken out of your hands, and you probably have limits what you can do storywise with most of the characters. Having to work within other people's continuity and characterization, doesn't sound like a lot of fun. Or creatively fulfilling. You can play around with the plot some, and the character interactions, but it's a fairly limiting project.

So, it's no wonder that a proven big name isn't really interested. And, heck, Vaughn sounds like he'd rather pursue something like Sandman than the logistical nightmare that The Avengers is likely to be.

In a certain sense, this is the least amount of control Whedon has had in probably over a decade. Yeah, it will probably be a hit regardless of how it turns out, but the odds are that it will be pretty messy and Whedon will have a tough time claiming credit for the success of the film. Nor is it likely to make it easier for Whedon to get his original projects made.

Agreed. This is one of the reasons why bigwigs like Spielberg and Scott would never agree to make The Avengers movie; they have no control over the casting except for some minor characters, and they will basically borrow characters from other films while under pressure to deliver a movie that has extraordinarily high expectation. I wish the best for Whedon to succeed, but it is obviously a very monumental task.

 

[craigdbfan]

Johnston has some great films to his name, and some blockbusters.

And some major stinkers in recent years.

 

[kedrell]

I'll be honest, I think The Avengers is kind of a thankless job for a director. You're kind of tied in to the visual worlds that others have created, significant parts of casting have been taken out of your hands, and you probably have limits what you can do storywise with most of the characters. Having to work within other people's continuity and characterization, doesn't sound like a lot of fun. Or creatively fulfilling. You can play around with the plot some, and the character interactions, but it's a fairly limiting project.

So, it's no wonder that a proven big name isn't really interested. And, heck, Vaughn sounds like he'd rather pursue something like Sandman than the logistical nightmare that The Avengers is likely to be.

In a certain sense, this is the least amount of control Whedon has had in probably over a decade. Yeah, it will probably be a hit regardless of how it turns out, but the odds are that it will be pretty messy and Whedon will have a tough time claiming credit for the success of the film. Nor is it likely to make it easier for Whedon to get his original projects made.

Then I wish he'd do us all a favor and turn it down for his own good.

 

[Evil Twin]

I agree that the chances of The Avengers absolutely bombing are quite small. But I think $600 million domestically is a pipe dream. Especially if Thor and Captain America aren't as big as Iron Man. I could very easily see The Avengers doing less than Iron Man 2 with the average movie goer seeing it as Iron Man 3 with less Iron Man.

 

[Keyser Soze]

More likely the real world. Whedon fans have sort of inculcated and insulated themselves to the point that they couldn't hear all the voices of people who never liked Whedon's stuff. I'm sure Stephanie Myer fans also can't figure out why Twilight gets so made fun of.

I hardly think it's fair to compare Whedon's fanbase to Stephanie Meyer's. It's a lot of Buffy fans who are the ones tearing their hair out after how much Twilight has dumbed down the vampire lore that Buffy originally helped put back in vogue during the 90s.

"Whedon fans" are more widespread than you present it - Whedon's as much a critical darling as he is a cult hero. I'd say the flipside of your argument is "Whedon haters have sort of downplayed and demonised Whedon's fanbase to the point they refuse to acknowledge the voices of all the people who do like Whedon's stuff."

 

[NickNitro]

:heart: STOP THE MADNESS! Lets all sit down and have some cookies and milk at the round table.

 

[chamber-music]

And he quit X-Men 3...

He dodged a bullet on that one

 

[Keyser Soze]

Looking at comments on this and **************, it seems the internet consists of a million people bashing these "Whedonites" that don't appear to exist. I've only seen a few people really overselling Whedon. Most supporters, including me, are just like "sounds like a good pick, he's done good stuff and looks like he knows what he's doing."

It's easier to dismiss close to two decades of consistent praise and acclaim when you portray the ones doing the praising as slabbering, crazy-eyed zealots.