On May 4th, 2012,
The Avengers will finally assemble in cinemas. And who ever thought that we'd see this happen? We've known since
Iron Man back in 2008 that this is what Marvel Studios had planned, but even so, who could possibly imagine seeing all these iconic characters together in one movie? Even now, I find it hard to picture Captain America, Iron Man and Thor all standing side-by-side in live action...not to mention the Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow!
Many have followed the progression of this movie solidly for the past few years. Our first glimpse of what
The Avengers would look like came with the casting announcements of Chris Evans as Captain America and Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Soon after, we had the announcement that Joss Whedon would direct, and all through this period, numerous rumours have continuosly circulated. From the slightly strange obsession a former CBM editor had with Kevin Pennington appearing in the movie (I'm pretty sure he was mentioned for at least six different characters at one point) to the speculation surrounding the inclusion of Ant-Man and the Wasp, as well as the shocking news that the team might face off against the Skrulls and Kree, it's been pretty non-stop.
It wasn't until the Avengers finally assembled on the stage of the 2010 San Diego Comic Con, that it all became real. Sure, we were disappointed that there was no Hank and Jan (especially when
Firefly stars Nathan Fillion and Morena Baccarin were proclaimed as being the favourites) but there they were. Nick Fury. Captain America. Iron Man. Thor. Hawkeye. Black Widow. Agent Coulson. And to the horror of some, a brand new Bruce Banner in the form of Mark Ruffalo. Why the horror? Well, Ed Norton was well liked as the alter-ego of the Green Goliath, but c'mon...anyone who has heard Ruffalo speak about the role now knows he's a great replacement!
And now, filming has begun. We've heard nothing but good things and the recent reveal that Tom Hiddleston's Loki WILL in fact face off against the superhero team has only helped get everyone all the more excited. However, we still don't reallt know all that much. Captain America will have a new costume and Iron Man will be getting some upgraded armor. The Helicarrier will definitely be in the movie and we can expect there to be some tension between the heroes. And who better to handle all that than a director like Joss Whedon? The news that he had rewritten Zak Penn's script came as a relief to almost everyone, while he proved just how well he can handle a big scree ensemble cast in the brilliant,
Serenity.
So, what now? It's to be expected that Marvel Studios' will be keeping everything under wraps, so it would be naive to think we'll be seeing any leaked images of the cast together in full costume anytime soon. When will we see that? I wouldn't be surprised if it's before July's Comic Con. By that point they'll probably even have some footage to show off! Will we know whether there's any truth to the rumor that they'll be facing off against the Skrulls and Kree? Maybe. I for one am hoping they're saving them for a sequel, but there's no doubt that this is an exciting time to be a comic book fan and I'm sure Marvel still have plenty of surprises up their sleeves. With
Captain America: The First Avenger only a few months away, there's still plenty of time for speculation and excitement about what hints and clues that film will contain for
The Avengers and regardless, I've got a feeling that the next 365 days are going to be one hell of a ride!
With an all star cast which includes Chris Evans as Captain America, Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Rufallo as Bruce Banner, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Tom Hiddleston as Loki,
The Avengers will be in cinemas exactly one year from today!