In an interview with C.H.U.D., Feige talks about what else....The Avengers. But there's also a few new tidbits of info that emerged from this interview including some intriguing intel on Captain America 2---
Are the rights to the Skrulls with another studio?
Feige: Yes, Skrulls have a big connection to Fantastic Four. So there are some contractual limitations about who can do what when it comes to Skrulls. Though that is not why we didn’t do Skrulls. There is already enough going on in this movie.
While describing the process of making The Avengers a reality, Feige talks about who may have inquired about using S.H.I.E.L.D. in their films.
Feige: ...during development – I don’t remember who it was – but some of the writers asked, “Hey we want to have an agent who is sort of trailing Tony Stark, and is asking questions to add an air of mystery and global consequence to what he’s doing. Can we use SHIELD?” And I said, no no, you can’t do that. I said that as a knee-jerk reaction because that is what I would always say when people writing Fantastic Four or X-Men or Spider Man or whatever – I’m not saying they all asked for SHIELD, but many of them would ask for something that wasn’t in their contract. So my knee-jerk was no no. But then I thought, oh wait, you can! Of course you can! It’s ours! We have it!......
Feige goes on to discuss the Hulk stealing the show in the movie and whether he'll get another solo film. Feige says Mark Ruffalo's contract would allow it but there's no current plan for another Hulk solo film. Moving on to Avengers 2, Feige says we have to get through Iron Man III, Thor 2 and the Captain America sequel first.
Feige: If we do an Avengers 2 it will be after [Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Captain America 2]. They have to grow, they have to change. What they’ve gone through in this movie will impact their state of mind and where they stand in their next movies. Then whatever they go through in those movies is going to affect where we meet them in the next Avengers film. But I think people will be surprised to see, as we go forward – particularly in Iron Man 3 – the notion of how singular the stories can become. Iron Man 3 is a very singular Tony Stark story. As is Thor 2. Cap, who is stuck in the modern day with no friends or family, there will be some revelations of who is still alive from his days in WWII, but SHIELD and Nick Fury are kind of his confidants right now. So of all these movies, Captain America 2 will be most closely associated with Avengers.
Captain America dealing with someone who is still around from his World War II adventures? I find it interesting that Feige says "revelation" here, implying that it's a secret. The question is whether this is a secret to the characters in the film or just a secret to the movie going audience. Either way, I'm pretty excited for Captain America 2, probably more so than I am for Iron Man III and Thor 2.
The Avengers is an upcoming American superhero film produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. It is the sixth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film is written and directed by Joss Whedon and features an ensemble cast, which includes Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson. In The Avengers, Nick Fury, director of the peacekeeping organization S.H.I.E.L.D., recruits Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Captain America to save the world from destruction.
Development of The Avengers began when Marvel Studios received a grant from Merrill Lynch in April 2005. After the success of the film Iron Man in May 2008, Marvel announced that The Avengers would be released in July 2011. With the signing of Scarlett Johansson in March 2009, the film was pushed back for a 2012 release. Whedon was brought on board in April 2010 and rewrote the screenplay that was originally written by Zak Penn. Production began in April 2011 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before moving to Cleveland, Ohio in August 2011 and New York City in September 2011. The film was converted to 3D in post-production.
The Avengers is scheduled for release on May 4, 2012 in the United States in 2D and 3D.
Running Time: 2 hrs 23minutes
Release Date: May 4 2012 (USA)
MPAA Rating: PG 13 for for intense sequences of action and violence, some disturbing images, and language
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, Cobie Smulders, Jeremy Renner, Clark Gregg, Stellan Skarsgård, Mark Ruffalo, Amanda Righetti, Scarlett Johansson and Lou Ferrigno
The Incredible Hulk (voice) .
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Written by: Zak Penn (initial screenplay), Joss Whedon (revised screenplay)