# The best part of the fact that The Avengers is about to make a Gazillion dollars is... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 4, 2012, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869 "2012-05-04T13:40:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/21 "2012-05-05T18:41:35Z")
I’m going to save my guess as to Joss’ future plans until after _Much Ado_ comes out. If it gets good buzz and a decent box office, the sky’s the limit. If not, then he may decide to play around with things that interest him the most rather than go for the “glory” that is Michael Bay-dom. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/22 "2012-05-05T19:15:26Z")
Maybe he could spin off another series set in the Firefly universe. It seems to me there are lot of stories could be based in that system. There is a dramatic tension between the more civilized parts of the system and the pioneer parts of the system. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/23 "2012-05-05T19:26:03Z")
> [@Punoqllads](#): > > I thoroughly enjoyed the movie; I’d give it an A-, but > > due to the significant use of shakeycam in act 3, I was very glad to be viewing the 2D version. Ugh, thanks for the heads-up - even shakey-cam in 2D tends to inflict nausea on me. (3-D is always out of the question.) I guess I’ll be spending that part of the film with my eyes closed. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/24 "2012-05-05T19:48:38Z")
I don’t remember that much shakey-cam in the film, in fact I remember commenting after seeing it that it DIDN’T have any, perhaps I missed it? or our definitions of “Shakey-cam” are different?. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/25 "2012-05-05T19:49:35Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I’m going to save my guess as to Joss’ future plans until after _Much Ado_ comes out. If it gets good buzz and a decent box office, the sky’s the limit. 😕 Is this a joke? How can you think _Much Ado_–a pet project shot on the cheap in a few days at his house and whose biggest “name” actor is Nathan Fillion–will be a better indicator of Whedon’s career trajectory than his current megablockbuster? I mean, I realize the success of _The Avengers_ has to do with many, many other things in addition to Joss, but this will definitely give him much more weight to throw around in Hollywood. And that doesn’t mean he’ll become Michael Bay. Don’t get me wrong–I am looking forward to seeing _Much Ado_ and I love Joss’s stable of actors (especially Fillion), but even if it does get a theatrical release it’ll likely be nothing more than a blip at the box office. I imagine he’ll continue to do these kinds of small projects for fun, in between larger, more mass-appeal ventures. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/26 "2012-05-05T19:56:20Z")
I’m speaking from an artistic view. More than one director has fallen to the blockbuster Hollywood temptation. If Joss still has the chops for “Art,” then maybe he’ll keep at it and not sell out to Hollywood. Make the films he wants to make, and do the blockbusters to keep his funding alive. But if _MAAN_ disappears without notice, he might just decide to turn to the Dark Side. We don’t need any more of those people. We need directors who care, like Joss has been so far. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/27 "2012-05-05T20:34:10Z")
I can see a few reasons why _Much Ado_ could be significant. One, it’s a test of his directing ability independent of his writing ability. Two, it broadens his portfolio: Most of what he’s done so far has been nerd fare in one form or another, but _Much Ado_ is a straight romcom. Three, there’s a certain segment of the critical community that pays no heed to blockbusters, but would take notice of Shakespeare. Yeah, it won’t make as much money as _The Avengers_, but money isn’t _everything_. When is that coming out, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/28 "2012-05-05T21:46:39Z")
“Inception” exists because of the Box Office of The Dark Knight allowed Nolan to finally get it made. Joss must have something like that rattling around his attic. _That’s_ what I can’t wait to see. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2012, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/29 "2012-05-05T22:01:06Z")
I wonder what Joss’ deal is? I’m sure he has some points. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/30 "2012-05-05T22:36:18Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > “Inception” exists because of the Box Office of The Dark Knight allowed Nolan to finally get it made. Joss must have something like that rattling around his attic. _That’s_ what I can’t wait to see. Take this for what it’s worth, because Joss often gives jokey answers or is coy about his intentions, but this is from a recent interview: > [@](#): > > What is your dream project? I mean, if money and marketability weren’t an issue in any way, what would be the first movie or TV show you’d make? > > Whedon: I have many dream projects. But all the money in the world means just one thing: spaceships. Spaceships in trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/31 "2012-05-05T23:35:02Z")
> [@](#): > > Whedon: I have many dream projects. But all the money in the world means just one thing: spaceships. Spaceships in trouble. So the success of _The Avengers_ means we may finally get to see _Space Titanic_. On a more serious note, success isn’t always a good thing for creative types. Sometimes it turns out that they do their best work under limitations. Give them complete freedom and they produce self-indulgent crap. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/32 "2012-05-06T03:58:26Z")
Well if he’s going to be making blockbusters, I’d like to see him partnered with Timothy Olyphant for some action and/or science fiction films. Between Whedon’s dialogue and Olyphant’s delivery, that could be a terrific team. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/33 "2012-05-06T06:10:06Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > I don’t remember that much shakey-cam in the film, in fact I remember commenting after seeing it that it DIDN’T have any, perhaps I missed it? or our definitions of “Shakey-cam” are different?. In act 3, I noticed quite a few explosions emphasized by camera shakes, plus some quick camera pans. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/34 "2012-05-06T07:26:33Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > Also, Joss said in his [reddit interview](http://www.whedonverse.net/news/online/joss-whedons-reddit-ask-me-anything/) that he doesn’t want to make Firefly Season 2 happen: > Originally Posted by Joss Whedon > Step 2: Cancel Castle. > Step 3: Cancel Homeland. > Step 4: Generally destroy everybody’s careers. > Step 5: Avoid Step 2. > . I don’t get it. Besides the point that Joss doesn’t post here, there’s no step 1, and why would he want to do those horrible things?😕 (altho true, I admit that Castle may have gone past it’s “sell by date”) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/35 "2012-05-06T08:09:25Z")
I would’ve thought Jon Favreau, by making **Iron Man** , would be in the firmament of Hollywood director gods. But then he made two disappointments back-to-back, and now he has two TV movies in development, a bit of a step down. It’s not hard to attribute a successful movie to something other than the director, or an unsuccessful movie to the director alone. And I can see Joss Whedon falling victim to this as well. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/36 "2012-05-06T08:27:48Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > So the success of _The Avengers_ means we may finally get to see _Space Titanic_. [Starship Titanic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_Titanic) has, in fact, been done. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/37 "2012-05-06T09:45:12Z")
> [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > Joss Whedon wrote Alien Resurrection. This floored me, since everyone seems to hate it. I liked it at least more than Alien 3. > > I think that was before he was Joss Whedon though. > [@Lok](#): > > No, he got the job because he was already Joss Whedon. But he claims the director did horrible things to his script. How true that is I don’t know, but it was a good enough script to get Sigourney Weaver to sign up after she was initially against doing so. The studio hired Whedon to write Alien Resurrection after he wrote the scripts for Buffy and Toy Story, but before the latter’s Oscar nom and the former’s resurrection as a TV show. So he was just a regular old screenwriter (and not JOSS WHEDON) at the time. Normally, I don’t believe people who claim “they ruined my movie” because we don’t know how it would have turned out after drastic changes, but Whedon is right. They ruined the movie he wrote because Alien Resurrection the filmed movie is more or less the same as Alien Resurrection the Joss Whedon script, but suckier in several small (but key) ways. [http://www.cc2konline.com/component/content/1801?task=view](http://www.cc2konline.com/component/content/1801?task=view) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/38 "2012-05-06T10:10:49Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > I would’ve thought Jon Favreau, by making **Iron Man** , would be in the firmament of Hollywood director gods. But then he made two disappointments back-to-back, and now he has two TV movies in development, a bit of a step down. It’s not hard to attribute a successful movie to something other than the director, or an unsuccessful movie to the director alone. And I can see Joss Whedon falling victim to this as well. That’s a good point, and something like that could still happen. However, the way I see it, the key difference is that while Robert Downey Jr. received most of the credit for \*Iron Man’s \*success, at least according to the vast majority of the reviews I’ve read, Whedon seems to be taking most of the acclaim for the _Avengers_. Now, there’s no assurance that the Hollywood industry will thing the same way as the critics, but it’s a good indication. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/39 "2012-05-06T12:34:48Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I don’t get it. Besides the point that Joss doesn’t post here, there’s no step 1, and why would he want to do those horrible things?😕 (altho true, I admit that Castle may have gone past it’s “sell by date”) Sorry, I guess I left out important context. Step 1 was basically in the Reddit fan’s question - “Raise money (via Kickstarter) towards buying the rights back from Fox.” And steps 2 through 4 I read as sarcasm - that they’d be necessary to get Firefly back on the air as a TV series, but not what Joss wants to happen - thus, step 5. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869/40 "2012-05-06T12:40:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I can see a few reasons why _Much Ado_ could be significant. One, it’s a test of his directing ability independent of his writing ability. Two, it broadens his portfolio: Most of what he’s done so far has been nerd fare in one form or another, but _Much Ado_ is a straight romcom. Three, there’s a certain segment of the critical community that pays no heed to blockbusters, but would take notice of Shakespeare. Yeah, it won’t make as much money as _The Avengers_, but money isn’t _everything_. > > When is that coming out, anyway? It’s far from a certain thing yet, but when Sean Maher and Amy Acker, (both in the ‘Much Ado’ cast,) were in Toronto a few weeks ago for Wizard World Comic Con, there was some mention that Joss may be submitting it for the Toronto International Film Festival this year, which happens in September. That usually goes along with a wide release between November and January, though the TIFF winner from last year, “Where do we go now”, is coming out next week. Take with salt as needed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-part-of-the-fact-that-the-avengers-is-about-to-make-a-gazillion-dollars-is/620869.md?page=3)