ABC has ordered a pilot for S.H.I.E.L.D, a live-action series from The Avengers writer-director Joss Whedon, Marvel TV and ABC Studios. The project is based on Marvel’s peacekeeping organization S.H.I.E.L.D (which stands for Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate or Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division) found in both the Marvel comic book and feature film universes, including the blockbuster 2012 movie The Avengers, in which S.H.I.E.L.D director Nick Fury, recruits Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, and Thor to stop Thor’s adoptive brother Loki from subjugating Earth.
S.H.I.E.L.D. will be written by Whedon and frequent collaborators, his brother Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen. Joss Whedon also is set to direct the pilot, schedule permitting. Production on the pilot, which marks the first live-action Marvel TV project to get a green light, will start immediately. Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Tancharoen executive produce with Jeffrey Bell and Marvel TV’s Jeph Loeb.
The project had been in the works at Marvel TV and ABC Studios for some time. Earlier this month, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that it had signed an exclusive film and TV deal with Joss Whedon, which included him writing and directing The Avengers sequel and develop a live-action series for Marvel TV and ABC, both owned by Disney.
This marks a return to series television for Joss Whedon, creator of cult favorites Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Firefly and Dollhouse. Husband and wife writing duo Jed Whedon and Tancharoen co-penned with Joss Whedon Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and also have worked on Dollhouse and Spartacus. In addition to S.H.I.E.L.D, Marvel TV has a couple of other projects in development at ABC Studios, including a Hulk series.
really want this to be good, hopefully they manage it well on a tv budget. would be insanely disappointing if it turns out to be Avengers ambitions done with special effects on the level of the Lost submarine
Cool. Hopefully Whedon's success with the Avengers will give him a larger fanbase going in and also a longer leash if its not an immediate success.
Actually just started finally watching Dollhouse last week.
Tommy Bunz wrote:Cool. Hopefully Whedon's success with the Avengers will give him a larger fanbase going in and also a longer leash if its not an immediate success.
Actually just started finally watching Dollhouse last week.
I watched the first season of Dollhouse a while back, it was really solid. I still haven't watched the second season, but I couldn't explain why. This sounds exciting, I imagine this will work similar to Buffy and Angel in terms of managing a TV budget and fantastical elements.
^^ i hope so (re: buffy), but this will need more than quick creature effects and make up. the whole floating headquaters thing for example. i don't wan to shit on it before it even starts because i love the idea of superhero spies but i just can't get images of previous similar tv endeavors out of my head
drizzle wrote:^^ i hope so (re: buffy), but this will need more than quick creature effects and make up. the whole floating headquaters thing for example. i don't wan to shit on it before it even starts because i love the idea of superhero spies but i just can't get images of previous similar tv endeavors out of my head
Don't get me wrong it'll be tough especially since S.H.I.E.L.D. can't simply be spy stuff tangentially related to superheros. It has to be full on laser beam fights. I imagine they'll have a better budget than most TV shows or not and it'll be like Once Upon a Time!
I think this is exactly what they need to be doing with TV branch of the Marvel Universe.
I understand where Driz is coming from regarding Lost-Sub special effects, but if they can get around that and make it very character driven, I think it will work.
Im glad they are holding off on the Hulk. I think trying to do that episodically on a TV in 2012 is a mistake.
yeah, think i said it somewhat recently somewhere else, but that back half of s2 is a shitton of fun
this should be cool, should be more interesting than the avengers movie anyways
Regarding the special effects, considering what Whedon was able to pull off visually on Firefly on what almost certainly was a much smaller budget, I don't think we have much to worry about.
The shitty Lost cgi was probably more a result of the Lindeloff and the other dickhead having no idea where the story was going from week to week and having to rush the special effects occasionally.
I think this could be a great way to introduce more fringe Marvel characters to the universe and set things up for the next Avengers film. Maybe get an Avenger to guest star here and there and it could be a great show.
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most exciting tv project i've heard about in a long time