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Joss Whedon At ABC Upfront Brings Longer Trailer For ‘Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday May 14, 2013 @ 3:45pm PDTTags: ABC, Joss Whedon, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Upfronts

“Last spring, Bob Iger sent us some bonus footage from The Avengers, with a simple question, ‘Is there a show here?’” said ABC Entertainment Group chief Paul Lee at the network’s upfront presentation today. Obviously the answer was yes, and next fall the ABC series Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. takes the Tuesday 8 PM slot previously given to Dancing With The Stars which moves to Monday night for a 2-hour block. Joss Whedon was nervous and rambling as he faced TV media buyers and advertisers right before the end of the presentation. He appeared on stage with the entire cast of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge. Whedon at first tried to be funny. “I’ll be brief. I was born…” But then he grew serious. “I wasn’t born. I was grown in a lab… and fed on Marvel Comics — and that turned out OK for me.” As to why Avengers was so successful, Whedon said, “It worked because everyone felt included” and predicted the TV show would have the same effect on viewers. He praised S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s unorthodox leading man Clark Gregg as “an actor so talented even I couldn’t kill him” so Whedon said he “built S.H.I.E.L.D. around him” because he “had a story to tell [how] to be an ordinary person in an increasingly extraordinary world. We wanted to say that everybody could be a part of this - men, women, children and “grownups who love comic books”. Earlier in the day Paul Lee told reporters that SH.I.E.L.D. “tested so well in all four quadrants”. Here’s the extended trailer which ABC showed at its upfront and just released now:

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TV Teaser: ‘Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Sunday May 12, 2013 @ 6:05pm PDTTags: ABC, Joss Whedon, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

UPDATE: Here’s the full 30-second first look at ABC‘s Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. unveiled tonight:


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Hulk Most Difficult Marvel Property: Whedon

By JEN YAMATO | Friday March 8, 2013 @ 7:10am PSTTags: Joss Whedon, Mark Ruffalo, Marvel, The Hulk

There’s been so much Hulk talk lately. The direct-to-DVD film from Marvel - Iron Man and Hulk: Heroes United - was originally slated for an April 23 release date but now won’t come out until December 3. Much has been made of … Read More »

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Joss Whedon Q&A On Eve Of SXSW

By JEN YAMATO | Thursday March 7, 2013 @ 11:25pm PSTTags: Avengers 2, Joss Whedon, Much Ado About Nothing, SXSW

RELATED: Hot Trailer: ‘Much Ado About Nothing’

THURSDAY PM: Joss Whedon is making a much anticipated appearance at SXSW to present his indie modern retelling of the Shakespeare comedy Much Ado About Nothing. That’s the microbudgeted pic he shot in 12 days in secret under his Bellwether Pictures banner while working on Marvel‘s The Avengers. Picked up after its Toronto debut, the film screens in Austin with a panel  on Saturday in front of his rabid fanbase – then hits theaters June 7 via Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions. (The film releases June 14 in the UK via Kaleidoscope, which is also handling international sales.) Joss Whedon

Whedon recently wrapped his pilot for Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D. series and is set to work on The Avengers 2 for a 2015 release. He’s also contracted for three years as a creative consultant to Marvel, helping studio head Kevin Feige develop the sprawling superhero universe. Whedon admits the Marvel commitments may not leave time anymore for passion projects like Much Ado because he’s “in constant danger of burning out”. He also talks to Deadline’s Jen Yamato and contributor Joe Utichi about what could have been – Wonder Woman, Star Wars  – and what might still be for The Hulk:

DEADLINE: Most directors helming a giant summer blockbuster wouldn’t choose to use their 2-week break to make a small Shakespeare film.
WHEDON: Making The Avengers was very important to me, but it was also extremely arduous. I missed my friends and I missed my home, so I decided to throw them all on camera which is the only way I seem to know to relate to people. But I was blissfully happy when we were shooting Much Ado About Nothing – and it was actually one week and three weekends – and then I went back to cutting Avengers much better. I was in the very early process – my first assembly was very long. When I came back from Much Ado, without any rancor or confusion, I was able to cut the film down to length and readily focus on the things that mattered. I think I would have come to that one way or another, but Much Ado sped it up. Here I was making absolute giddy ridiculous art with no expectations, and nothing but joy – and wishing that my neighbors’ dogs would shut up.
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Hot Trailer: ‘Much Ado About Nothing’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday March 7, 2013 @ 11:20am PSTTags: Joss Whedon, Much Ado About Nothing, SXSW

Here’s the official trailer for Joss Whedon’s indie Much Ado About Nothing that he’ll be presenting Saturday at SXSW. The pic is a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words. Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker star … Read More »

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SXSW Adds Joss Whedon, Harmony Korine, Danny Boyle Chats & ‘Trance’ Preview; ‘The East’ Closing Night Film

By JEN YAMATO | Wednesday February 13, 2013 @ 12:00pm PSTTags: Joss Whedon, SXSW

Avengers 2 helmer Joss Whedon and actors Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion, and Clark Gregg will host a discussion at SXSW following the U.S. premiere of their Much Ado About Nothing, the fest revealed today. Also joining previously announced panelists Carlton Cuse (presenting a look at A&E’s Bates Motel) and Matthew McConaughey in the Film Conference sidebar are Harmony Korine and the Spring Breakers cast; Danny Boyle, who will tease his April release Trance; and Rob Zombie (Lords Of Salem). Fox Searchlight’s anarchist drama The East, from Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling, will close the fest which runs March 8-16 in Austin. Fifteen additional features have been added to the line-up including Stevie Nicks’ self-directed (with the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart) documentary In Your Dreams – Stevie Nicks, James Ponsoldt’s Sundance favorite The Spectacular Now, and the iPhone short A Year In The Life Of Wayne’s Phone directed by The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne. Here are new Film Conference and Film Festival additions unveiled today:

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SXSW 2013: Line-Up Includes Joss Whedon’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ U.S. Premiere & ‘Bates Motel’ Pilot Preview

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday January 31, 2013 @ 12:02pm PSTTags: Bates Motel, Joss Whedon, Much Ado About Nothing, SXSW

It’s not The Avengers 2 but Joss Whedon’s other new movie is making its stateside premiere at this year’s SXSW Film Festival. Much Ado About Nothing, which debuted at the Toronto Film Festival last year, joins 108 other feature films at the March 8-16 fest in Austin, SXSW announced today. Along with the previously announced world premieres of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, starring Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi and Jim Carrey, and the reimagined Evil Dead, this year’s SXSW has an on-stage interview with sometimes Austin resident Matthew McConaughey, new films from John Sayles and Nick Cassavetes, a preview of A&E’s Bates Motel pilot, a documentary about home movies from the Nixon White House and, Austin being Music City, a lot of music movies. Here are SXSW’s descriptions of the movies, panels and other events unveiled today:

NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
High profile narrative features receiving their World, North American or U.S. Premieres at SXSW.

Much Ado About Nothing
Director: Joss Whedon
Shakespeare’s classic comedy is given a contemporary spin in Joss Whedon’s film, Much Ado About Nothing. Cast: Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion, Fran Kranz, Jillian Morgese (U.S. Premiere)

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‘Avengers’ Helmer Joss Whedon Steps Back Into Spring–This Time With Shakespeare

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Thursday November 29, 2012 @ 1:29pm PSTTags: Big Deals Film, Joss Whedon, Lionsgate, Much Ado About Nothing, Roadside Attractions
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Joss Whedon, who late last spring set the blockbuster tone for summer with the May release of The Avengers, will venture further into the warm weather season with his next film — this time aiming for the counter-programming buck. Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate have set a June 7 opening for Much Ado About Nothing, Whedon’s contemporized adaptation of the William Shakespeare play. The film will open that day in five markets and then broaden out June 21. Read More »

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Joss Whedon “Endorses” Mitt Romney?

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday October 28, 2012 @ 3:59pm PDTTags: Joss Whedon, Mitt Romney

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Toronto: Joss Whedon’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ Goes To Lionsgate

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Tuesday September 11, 2012 @ 5:42pm PDTTags: Joss Whedon, Lionsgate, Much Ado About Nothing, Toronto Film Festival
Mike Fleming

BREAKING: Lionsgate acquired North American distribution rights to Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing, the low budget film by The Avengers helmer that played at Toronto this past weekend. Lionsgate sister company Roadside Attractions is in the mix, as it was on Imogene and Thanks For Sharing.

The Shakespeare classic comedy with a contemporary spin stars Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion, Fran Kranz, Jillian Morgese, Sean Maher, Clark Gregg, and Reed Diamond. Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group Chairmen Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger, Lionsgate’s co-COO and Motion Picture Group President Steve Beeks, and Roadside’s co-President Howard Cohen were in the mix and CAA repped the filmmakers. Read More »

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ABC Greenlights ‘S.H.I.E.L.D’ Marvel Pilot, Joss Whedon To Co-Write & Possibly Direct

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday August 28, 2012 @ 6:14pm PDTTags: ABC, Big Deals TV, Joss Whedon, S.H.I.E.L.D.
Nellie Andreeva

Joss Whedon SHIELD PilotEXCLUSIVE: 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 … Read More »

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Mike Birbiglia & Ira Glass Vs. Joss Whedon

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday August 16, 2012 @ 1:21pm PDTTags: Joss Whedon, Mike Birbiglia, Sleepwalk With Me

Mike Birbiglia and Ira Glass have responded to Joss Whedon’s YouTube video earlier this week with suggestions on how their Sleepwalk With Me, which opens August 24th, might compete with Whedon’s blockbuster Marvel’s The Avengers:

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Joss Whedon Vs. ‘Sleepwalk With Me’: Video

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday August 14, 2012 @ 3:00pm PDTTags: Joss Whedon, Mike Birbiglia, Sleepwalk With Me

Joss Whedon says he’s concerned that Mike Birbiglia’s Sleepwalk With Me, which opens August 24 via IFC, is “creeping up” on Marvel’s The Avengers and might eclipse the superhero movie’s dwindling weekend take when it debuts. The $1.46B global grosser Avengers took in about $271K from 220 theaters last … Read More »

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Joss Whedon To Write & Direct ‘Avengers 2′

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Tuesday August 7, 2012 @ 4:40pm PDTTags: Big Deals Film, Disney, Joss Whedon, Marvel

UPDATE: Marvel Studios has weighed in with a statement that confirms the 2015 release date that Deadline had heard about the sequel to The Avengers. “Joss Whedon has signed an exclusive deal with Marvel Studios for … Read More »

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Comic-Con: Joss Whedon Says His ‘Dr Horrible’ Web Series To Air On The CW

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Friday July 13, 2012 @ 6:53pm PDTTags: Comic-Con Wrap-Up, CW, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Joss Whedon

Joss Whedon‘s web series Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is coming to the CW next year, the director of Marvel’s The Avengers director said this evening at Comic-Con. He did not say when the series would air, nor whether … Read More »

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Comic-Con: Joss Whedon Remains Undecided About ‘Avengers 2′

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Friday July 13, 2012 @ 3:46pm PDTTags: Comic-Con Wrap-Up, Joss Whedon, Marvel's The Avengers

Anthony D’Alessandro is a Deadline contributor.

Joss Whedon said today during a Comic-Con press conference for his series Firefly‘s 10-year anniversary that he hasn’t committed to making the sequel to Marvel’s The Avengers, this year’s massive Disney tentpole that he directed and co-wrote. “I have not come to a decision on directing Avengers 2 yet,” he said. “I am having too much fun with this (Firefly reunion) now.” The Marvel superhero pic is the third-highest-grossing movie of all time to date, and has racked up $612.3 million domestically and $1.46 billion worldwide, so having the architect back for a sequel is top of mind.

Related: Disney Passing $1B Domestic Box Office Read More »

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‘Hunger Games’ Passes $500M Global Cume, Scores #1 Domestic B.O. For 4th Weekend; ‘Three Stooges’ #2, ‘Cabin In Woods’ #3; ‘Battleship’ Builds $58M Foreign War Chest

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday April 15, 2012 @ 3:02am PDTTags: Hollywood box office, Joss Whedon, The Hunger Games, The Three Stooges

April 13-15 Weekend Actuals

1. The Hunger Games (Lionsgate) Week 4 [3,916 Theaters] PG-13
Friday $6.4M, Saturday $9.3M, Sunday $5.4M, Weekend $21.1M (-36%), Cume $336.7M

2. The Three Stooges (Fox) NEW [3,477 Theaters] PG
Friday $5.6M, Saturday $7M, Sunday $4.4M, Weekend $17.0M

3. The Cabin in The Woods (Lionsgate) NEW [2,811 Theaters] R
Friday $5.6M, Saturday $5.7M, Sunday $3.5M Weekend $14.7M

4. Titanic 3D (Paramount/Fox) Week 2 [2,697 Theaters] PG-13
Friday $3.3M, Saturday $5.2M, Sunday $3.4M, Weekend $11.9M (-31%), Cume $44.7M

5. American Reunion (Universal) Week 2 [3,203 Theaters] R
Friday $3.4M, Saturday $4.4M, Sunday $2.6M, Weekend $10.5M (-51%), Cume $39.7M

6. Wrath of The Titans 3D (Warner Bros) Week 3 [3,102 Theaters] PG13
Friday $1.9M, Saturday $3.0M,Sunday $1.9M, Weekend $6.9M (-53%), Cume $71.3M

7. Mirror Mirror (Relativity) Week 3 [3,206 Theaters] PG
Friday $2.1M, Saturday $3.0M, Sunday $1.8M, Weekend $6.8M (-38%), Cume $49.3M

8. 21 Jump Street (Sony) Week 5 [2,735 Theaters] R
Friday $2.0M, Saturday $2.9M, Sunday $1.6M, Weekend $6.6M (-34%), Cume $120.3M

9. Lockout (FilmDistrict) NEW [2,308 Theaters] PG13
Friday $2.2M, Saturday $2.5M, Sunday $1.5M, Weekend $6.2M

10. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax 3D (Universal) Week 7 [2,112 Theaters] PG
Friday $866K, Saturday $1.3M, Sunday $865K, Weekend $3.1M, Cume $204.5M

SATURDAY PM/SUNDAY AM, 5TH UPDATE: Overall the North American weekend looks to be down around -11% from last year which may make Hollywood nervous going into the all-important summer movie season starting in May after a super-heated 2012 first quarter. The difference in this weekend’s close finishes were a matter of MPAA ratings and theater counts with 22% of K-12 out of school Friday. Lionsgate’s PG13-rated The Hunger Games scored the most locations in the U.S. and Canada this weekend and beat its domestic competition for the 4th straight weekend. As of Sunday morning, its global cume is now a gargantuan $500+ million! Fox received its hoped-for Friday (#1 after matinees) and Saturday (+24%) family fare bumps for the Farrelly Brothers’ PG-rated The Three Stooges, which played in more runs than Lionsgate’s R-rated The Cabin In The Woods. Interesting to note that both Stooges and Cabin were greenlit by then MGM production chief Mary Parent — and then taken over by other studios when MGM couldn’t handle its debt load. CinemaScores were as follows: Fox’s The Three Stooges ‘B-’ (‘A’ from audiences  under 18, ‘C’ from 25 and older), Lionsgate’s The Cabin In The Woods ‘C’ (‘D+’ from females), FilmDistrict’s Lockout ‘B-’. Interesting how the Stooges reviews were better than expected, especially from top-end critics who found genius in that silliness. But not as good as Joss Whedon’s horror pic which received truly stellar reviews, including 93% positive on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Three Stooges will be Peter and Bobby Farrelly’s 3rd highest opener.

Universal’s Battleship continues to screen strongly overseas with estimates bringing the 72-hour total to $58 million now that all 26 international territories are open. Director Peter Berg’s military vs alien actioner debuted to #1 in 24 of those new territories. For months the studio has fought bad buzz about how risky this expensive pic has been. Especially when the studio is claiming it came in at $209M — and everyone else is saying $250+M. And there’s still the possibility that, in the United States at least, it could become a disappointing ”John Carter in gunmetal grey”. But the film is performing well enough to allay fears that the rah-rah-USA patriotic theme in 2D might not do well internationally in a crowded foreign marketplace (against The Hunger Games, Titanic 3D, American Pie Reunion, and The Wrath Of The Titans). Universal pursued an unorthodox, even daring, strategy to open Battleship internationally more than a month before it debuts May 18th in North America. But it may pay off. My sources project the film could steam past $300M foreign box office based on current trends. The film rolls out to another 24 territories including big guns Russia and China next weekend.

My sources estimate these early Top Ten grosses for Friday, Saturday, and the weekend in North America:

1. The Hunger Games (Lionsgate) Week 4 [3,916 Theaters] PG-13
Friday $6.5M, Saturday $9.5M, Weekend $21.7M, Cume $335.7M

2. The Three Stooges (Fox) NEW [3,477 Theaters] PG
Friday $5.6M, Saturday $6.9M, Weekend $17.1M

3. The Cabin In The Woods (Lionsgate) NEW [2,811 Theaters] R
Friday $5.5M, Saturday $5.9M, Weekend $15.1M

4. Titanic 3D (Paramount/Fox) Week 2 [2,697 Theaters] PG-13
Friday $3.3M, Saturday $5.1M, Weekend $11.4M (-34%), Cume $44.1M

5. American Reunion (Universal) Week 2 [3,203 Theaters] R
Friday $3.4M, Saturday $4.4M, Weekend $10.6M (-51%), Cume $39.8M

6. Mirror Mirror (Relativity) Week 3 [3,206 Theaters] PG
Friday $2.0M, Saturday $3.1M, Weekend $7.2M, Cume $49.6M

7. Wrath Of The Titans 3D (Warner Bros) Week 3 [3,102 Theaters] PG-13
Friday $1.9M, Saturday $3.1M, Weekend $7.0M, Cume $71.3M

8. 21 Jump Street (Sony) Week 5 [2,735 Theaters] R
Friday $2.0M, Saturday $3.0M, Weekend $6.8M, Cume $120.0M

9. Lockout (FilmDistrict) NEW [2,308 Theaters] PG-13
Friday $2.2M, Saturday $2.6M, Weekend $6.4M

10. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax 3D (Universal) Week 7 [2,112 Theaters] PG
Friday $880K, Saturday $1.3M, Weekend $3.0M, Cume $204.7M
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APA Signs ‘Cabin In The Woods’/'Spartacus’ Actress

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Friday April 13, 2012 @ 1:24pm PDTTags: Chris Hemsworth, Joss Whedon, The Avengers, The Cabin in the Woods

EXCLUSIVE: Anna Hutchison who’s a co-star in The Cabin in The Woods and just landed a recurring role on Starz’s Spartacus has signed with APA in all areas. The 26-year old former New Zealand soap star will still be … Read More »

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Hot Trailer: ‘The Avengers’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday February 29, 2012 @ 11:23am PSTTags: Disney, Joss Whedon, Marvel, The Avengers

The Marvel superheroes pic is written and directed by Joss Whedon, which only serves to ramp up expectations among the fanboy set. So does the cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgard and Samuel L. Jackson. Here’s the second … Read More »

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