Interview Transcript featuring Joss Whedon
Original interview can be found at Hollywood Reporter
July 22, 2010
Joss Whedon confirms he will direct 'Avengers'
By James Hibbard
UPDATED: Joss Whedon just confirmed at Comic-Con that he is, indeed directing "The Avengers."
When asked during his dynamic duo panel with J.J. Abrams if he's directing the film, he replied:
"it's not an official thing, I think because Marvel couldn't afford a press release," Whedon said. "So can we make than an official thing? I'm directing 'The Avengers.'"
Asked what his take will be on the film, Whedon replied, "I am still writing an outline. I'm still in that stage. I will say the thing I love about it, the thing that made me excited to do it, is how counterintuitive it is. These people shouldn't be in the same room -- and that is the very definition of family."
Whedon also described his "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" sequel as "in turnaround" due to being busy on so many projects.
"We know what the movie is... we want to do it... we want to do it on our own terms, but our terms seem to be interminable."
Asked about the trend toward more 3D, Whedon says his shelved horror film "Cabin in the Woods" won't be in 3D and Abrams said his upcoming project with Steven Spielberg, "Super 8," also won't be in the format.
"We'll advertise it in 2D,'" Whedon joked. "'Cabin in the Woods' -- it's painterly, you'll see things move across the screen."
Whedon said "Cabin" is finished, but is waiting on studio MGM to resolve it's bankruptcy issues.
"They've put James Bond on hgold, and I don't think we come before him," Whedon said.
On his mysterious "Super 8" project, Abrams gave an intriguing hint about the film.
"My favorite thing about the movie is that somebody will go to the theater and see the trailer and say, 'Oh that looks bitchin;,' and have no idea they're starring in it," Abrams said.
During the fan Q&A, Abrams was also asked his opinion of the ending of ABC's "Lost" as how that he helped launch before handing over the producing duties to Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse.
"Even if you planned everything [in advance] you'd do yourself a disseervice," Abrams said. "You couldn't anticipate Michael Emerson coming on board. I know there's a lot of people who have dissenting opinions; I think Damon and Carlton kicked incredible ass and came up with a finale that ended it well."
Both men took issue with networks being so interested in telling self-contained stories rather than serialized shows like "Lost."
"They want shows that can repeat and syndicate," Abrams said. "I'm personally less interested in non-serialized shows. I'm interested in having an investment in the characters... 'Stories' imply time and some kind of progress."
"They'll never admit that people want that," Whedon countered. "They'll see the easy cash cow of 'The Mentalist.' Even when 'Lost' hit and blew up, they were still saying 'we don't want that.' What's the thing that people remember about 'Cheers'? Sam and Diane."
Asked for their own recent inspirations, Abrams cited Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," while Whedon gave praise to Abrams' own "Star Trek" reboot.
"'Scott Pilgrim' is awesome. I loved it," Abrams said.
"I have moment of sheer fucking panic, because I love 'Star Trek'," Whedon said to cheers. "This is the gold standard for a teen movie, a summer movie, for any movie that's come out the last few years."
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