Joss Whedon cleared one thing up from almost the start when addressing
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which debuts Tuesday, Sept. 24: "We're not making an easter egg farm," he said.
This means that the show - which has the tremendous advantage over pretty much anything else on television this year due to it's tie-ins with popular blockbuster movies - will not be going out of it's way to build up the next big Marvel movie, nor should we expect it to rely too heavily on Marvel's past successes at the the box-office to feed the plot.
That's not to say that the television series is not clearly related to it's parent company's past successes. It's a reasonable assumption to say that there wouldn't be a show coming out if
The Avengers hadn't done so well in theaters, but how widespread that effect will be on the show is yet to be fully seen.
Clark Gregg brings his affable Agent Phil Coulson to the show, which is a welcome, if surprising twist. (SPOLER ALERT) "Didn't he die in
The Avengers?" You're wondering. Well...no. In fact, that bit of deception by Nick Fury will evidently play a pretty major plot point in the series. Seems that not everyone is happy about that little stunt he pulled.
Coulson isn't the only big name attached to the project. Joss Whedon himself is directing the pilot, but don't expect him to remain at the helm for the whole series, as he's still cranking out multi-million silver screen successes at a pretty impressive rate. Apparently, Clark Gregg himself has done some writing and directing, but I don't know that he could do that and carry the character of Phil Coulson.
So just how many other characters can we expect to see in
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.(Typing that out is going to get old in a hurry)? The truth is, nobody knows. The official trailer (see below) shows nothing of the the Avengers but stock footage from the movie. One thing's for certain: they want this to be a standalone product, even when it does tie into the other adventures in Marvel's cinematic universe. Joss Whedon recently commented on the plot process during a panel Sunday at the Television Critics Association press tour. "We're still working it out," he said. "This is a fluid process. It’s a fun opportunity....This show has to work for people who are not going to see those movies or haven’t seen them before."
With names like Marvel, Whedon and Gregg involved, we know it'll draw a crowd, but the fact that they're willing to accommodate the most novice watchers is a point in favor of this series lasting longer than just one season. We'll see how well it does.
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