Joss Whedon released this video explaining why he has turned his back on the president in favor of Gov. Romney. He’s really the only candidate whose cold attitude and shortsighted policies can usher in the zombie apocalypse. As Whedon points out, “[Mitt's] not afraid to face a ravening, grasping horde of subhumans because that’s how he sees poor people already.” That’s really the type of leader we need when Hell is full and the dead walk the Earth.

The man himself, Clark Gregg, appeared this weekend at NY Comic-Con’s Marvel panel. Joss Whedon (who couldn’t be there to nerd out in person) phoned in and revealed that Gregg would reprise the secret agent man role in ABC’s S.H.I.E.L.D. television series. That is if ABC decides to pick the series up.

What is unknown is the exact timeline of the series. Will it take place after the events of The Avengers and reveal Nick Fury to be a big, mean liar? Or will the events featuring Coulson take place in the past? My recommendation is that he die in every episode only to mysteriously resurrect in the next. That would up the drama. (Screen Crush)

Mike Birbiglia’s Sleepwalk With Me opened on 30 screens (as opposed to The Avengers on 4,000) but has since had its order doubled to 60 in light of strong turnout. If it does well with that, more screens will be added. Thus, Whedon has sent out a plea to his loyal fans to boycott Sleepwalk With Me thus preserving his title.

Granted, this was done all in good fun, but I really don’t appreciate being told what to do. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some Weed Killer to drink. (THR)

 ”At the end of the day, 90% of the movie, I’m not the character I signed on to play. I’m literally in there for two minutes, and then all of a sudden…So there’s not a lot of back story or understanding we can really tell about who Clint Barton is, or Hawkeye, and is he working for SHIELD or not. There’s a lot of unanswered questions, even for me. And I was OK with that. At least I was still in the movie. And I was glad for that…”

“I prefer [playing] the good, because if we go to the evil part, or hypnotized or whatever the heck you want to call it, it’s kind of a vacancy. Not even a bad guy, because there’s not really a consciousness to him. The interesting part was being guilty about the bad things I did do when I was hypnotized. I think he’s already an interesting enough character. To really kind of take away who that character is and just have him be this sort of robot, essentially, and have him be this minion for evil that Loki uses,” he explained. “Again, I could just focus on the task. I was limited, you know what I mean? I was a terminator in a way. So yeah, fun stunts. But is there any sort of emotional content or thought process? No. That doesn’t exist in that time [that he's hypnotized]. It happens to be for most of the movie.”

“You know, there are a lot of people in that movie. And a lot of important characters. And my character, I felt like if I can help serve the story, then I did my job.”

I have to agree with Renner here, who actually did a pretty good job with what he was given. I blame the audience. Kids today just aren’t as interested in following the exploits of an aerodynamics genius as much as they used to be. It’s sad, really.

It also seems that his relationship with Marvel has blossomed from a little over-the-shirt beneath the bleachers to full-on going steady. Whedon is also developing a live-action television show featuring Marvel characters. There’s no word on what that show will be but, one way or the other, this is good news for Eliza Dushku. (EW)

Also, who is this extremely sexy, extremely camera-shy Black Widow? I’d sure like to show her what to do with her arms… (via Reddit)

Jeremy Renner – Senior Trip

Before he threw himself into mortal danger in The Hurt Locker, Jeremy Renner was an actor looking for his big break. It certainly didn’t come when he booked his first role as Mark “Dags” D’Agastino in National Lampoon’s Senior Trip. The floppy-haired, study-hatin’ rad party dude traveled to Washington with the rest of his class after writing a letter to the President about how much school sucks. Apparently the President agreed 100% and invited them as his honored guests to discuss how to make class lessons as awesome as beer is.

This was the Clinton administration we’re talking about here.

Scarlett Johansson – My Brother the Pig

She’s an international star nowadays regarded for her beauty and poise, but Scarlett Johansson was once much like every other girl. She had to worry about school and popularity and not getting grounded after accidentally turning her brother into a pig.

And shame on you, Eva Mendes. You were old enough to know better.

Since his career has mostly seen him operating on the fringe, it’s expected he’ll shatter the walls that have held him back all of these years. Below is a retrospective of his work for the 0.00002% of the Internet that might not be aware.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

After kicking around Hollywood with writing jobs on sitcoms like Parenthood and Roseanne, Joss Whedon graduated briefly to film writing with 1992′s Buffy the Vampire Slayer starring Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry. The movie underperformed at the box office but Whedon couldn’t shake the character. Four years later he was able to develop the television series of the same name that would put him on the map. This series became the foundation of the Whedonverse eventually leading to a spin-off and higher-profile projects.

Alien: Resurrection

Against the better judgement of almost everyone, 20th Century Fox was eager to revive the Alien franchise after box office failure of Alien 3. The project proved to be somewhat of a hot potato with directors Danny Boyle, Peter Jackson, Bryan Singer, and South Park’s Trey Parker all passing. Due to the success of Buffy, Whedon was brought in to write the script and subsequently put through the studio’s ringer. Originally the script starred a cloned Newt with the final act taking place on Earth. After re-writing the finale five times, his battle for Earth and the lead character of Newt didn’t make the final film version.

Angel

Seeing the potential in Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s supporting character Angel, Whedon spun off a second drama that relocated the vampire with a soul to Los Angeles. The result was a darker, more grown up show that appealed more to male audiences. The series centered around a paranormal detective agency that investigated and dispatched Los Angeles’s demonic underbelly. Don’t let that description dissuade you. The show was awesome.

Firefly/Serenity

Whedon’s futuristic space western followed a crew of rebel smugglers in the year 2517 as they traversed the solar system alluding the Alliance and other threats. The series was criminally mishandled by the programmers at Fox which led to its early cancellation. However, success on DVD lead to the film adaptation, Serenity.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

This musical broken into three acts centers around a lovesick super-villain, his heroic nemesis, and the woman that they both love. It was written exclusively for the Internet during the Writer’s Guild of America Strike and funded by Whedon himself. This allowed he and his writing partners complete control over the final product without the worries of changing story and pacing to fit a television or film format. The series won several awards and helped guarantee that Neil Patrick Harris would be allowed to sing at any televised event of his choosing.

Dollhouse

Feeling pretty bad about their mistreatment of Firefly and seeing a need to televise Eliza Dushku in various sexy outfits, Fox once again went into business with Joss Whedon. The result was the high-concept science-fiction series Dollhouse. On the show, individuals trying to wipe their slate clean and start over volunteer themselves to a service that wipes their memories and reprograms them to fulfill the fantasies and nefarious needs of clients able to afford such services. It was a pretty shakey premise that needed time to find its footing. It took an entire season to do so. In a very un-Fox move, Fox actually allowed the show the opportunity to grow and brought it back for a second season. It was then canceled as it hit its stride.

We took the time to comb through these new offerings, and pulled out our favorites. And by the look of things, we won’t encounter any vitamin D for at least three months.

The Hunger Games

Based on the addictive book series, teenagers fight one another and their hormoes in a televised battle to the death. (March 23rd)

The Raid: Redemption

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An elite SWAT team enter the fight of their lives when trapped in a fifteen-story apartment building overflowing with rapists, murderers, thieves, and loiterers. Billed as “the greatest action movie in years.” I assume they’re referring to every movie since Con-Air. (March 23rd)

Goon

Seann William Scott stars as a bouncer turned ice enforcerer when his talent for breaking faces lands him a spot on his hometown hockey team. (March 30th)

Wrath of the Titans

I know that I shouldn’t be excited after Clash of the Titans. But they promise this time things will be different. They promise and there’s a giant lava monster. (March 30th)

Life Happens

The spring’s only non-violent film comes from Breaking Bad’s Krysten Ritter. She stars alongside Kate Bosworth and Rachel Bilson as a party girl trying to get back into the dating game after squeezing out a kid. (March 30th)

Iron Sky

Space Nazis from the moon. (April 4th)

American Reunion

The gang from American Pie is back to examine how life changes when they stick their penises in a variety of places. (April 6th)

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope

This documentary from director Morgan Spurlock and producer Joss Whedon offers a view of the geek mecca that is Comic-Con through the eyes of four very different super-fans. Perfect for those who want in on the fun, but don’t want to wear a Wookiee costume in the San Diego heat. (April 6th)

ATM

Two dweebs and Alice Eve are trapped overnight in an ATM vestibule by a hooded killer. Make your own judgements from the trailer. And know that I would watch this even if it was Alice Eve using an ATM incident-free for two hours. (April 6th)

Detention

What looks at first to be a quirky, teen rom-com quickly goes off the rails when an axe-killer, a flying saucer, and poorly-timed Heath Ledger jokes suddenly appear. (April 6th)

The Cabin in the Woods

Best Spring Ever for Whedonites continues when The Cabin in the Woods finally escapes from MGM’s vaults. By all accounts, it’s a movie that you just need to shut up and go see. Then shut up again as to not ruin the fun for anyone else. (April 13th)

Bad Ass

Coasting on the audiences built for films like Machete and Hobo With a Shotgun, Danny Trejo stars in this film based upon the Internet phenomenon, “Epic Beard Man.” Also stars Charles S. Dutton, Ron Pearlman, and green screen explosions. (April 13th)

Lockout

When the President’s daughter is held captive during an outer space prison riot, Guy Pearce is the one man extemely sarcastic enough to save her. (April 20th)

Chimpanzee

This documentary follows a young chimpanzee separated from his tribe and adopted by a fully grown male (Andy Serkis). (April 20th)

The Avengers

A mixed bag of Marvel movies have lead up to them — the first superhero team up film, The Avengers. Judging by the trailer, it’s going to be totally awesome even if it makes zero sense. (May 4th)

The Dictator

Sacha Baron Cohen finds yet another way to offend the Middle East. (May 11th)

God Bless America

Bobcat Goldthwait goes behind the camera again with this film about a man who travels the country after being diagnosed with a terminal disease. Oh yeah, he also viciously kills every a-hole he encounters along the way. (May 11th)

Battleship

You’re not curious? You’ve gotta be curious. (May 18th)

Moonrise Kingdom

So many wonderful things in one place. I love this movie without having even seen it, and it makes me love his other films all the more. (May 25th)

• Civilians running from whatever menace Loki has aligned himself with
• Badass S.H.I.E.L.D. jets being parked neatly (Coulson demands it)
• Iron Man wearing a Black Sabbath t-shirt
• Thor surfing on a jet
• Alien ninjas jumping from the sky above New York
• Captain America and Thor using their shield and hammer to protect the team from raining flames and debris
• Lasers
• A Samuel L. Jackson pep talk
• Cool 360 degree group shot
• Tony Stark’s New York penthouse
• The Hulk jumping in the air and tackling rockets

So, yeah. Pretty great. Ball’s in your court now The Amazing Spider-Man. Amaze us.

Also of interest is the news that those incredibly popular post-credits scenes are also going to continue. It wasn’t clear if this means that The Avengers will feature a teaser for Iron Man 3, or something else entirely. It’ll be nice to be surprised, right? Anyway, assuming The Avengers is the blockbuster everyone knows it will be, this will all culminate in a sequel to The Avengers, after which I’m sure they’ll just pack everything up in the interest of maintaining a high standard of quality. Ha ha, just kidding. (FirstShowing.net)

Swordsman

One of the early “New” Avengers brought into the series during the late ’60s, Swordsman didn’t have a lengthy career with the team. In fact, he promptly quit, later rejoined, and was killed off in about 20 issues. Along with a crappy costume, even by 1960′s standards, Swordsman brought with him a power set that included… sword play. There were subsequent heroes to go by the name Swordsman as the years went on, but none of them lasted very long. Thank God.

Rage

Rage was a 13-year-old kid who, after being doused in toxic waste, morphed into a super strong 30-something. In addition to having the least thought out origin in history, his costume was a true artifact of the 1990′s. Rage was kicked off the Avengers when they discovered he was only a minor. Plus, the toxic waste thing probably creeped them all out.

Wonder Man

Wonder Man is actually fairly popular amongst Avengers fans, and has had a long and colorful history with the team. But the poor guy would have trouble being taken seriously by film fans for one key reason: his name. For the general public, the only “Wonder” superhero is DC‘s Wonder Woman, and any character with a similar moniker is only going to come off as derivative, even if his powers and origins have nothing to do with hers. Maybe they should change his name to something more distinct. How about “Glowing Red Eyes Flying Guy”? That’s yours for free, Marvel. You’re welcome.

Look, what do you want from me? There are lasers, explosions, Robert Downey Jr. lipping off, and Thor. Everybody loves some Thor. The action here looks pretty impressive. It makes me want to team up with a ragtag group of extraordinary individuals and throw one another through plate glass windows and such. Then again, I just watched The Kids Are Alright and it had the same effect.

When you’re done gawking at the trailer, click here to gawk at 27 Hot Girls Dressed Like R2D2.

Cleveland seemed like a random, but inspired choice when it was announced as the primary filming location for The Avengers. Between this and Batman shooting in Pittsburgh, it would appear that midwestern chambers of commerce have a stranglehold on the comic book films.

Additionally, from this same scene, we’ve got some set photos that include Chris Evans looking wholesome and an entire city block blown to shit. (Click next for photos).

So what do you think? Should the X-Men be suing for likeness rights here?

The Avengers, which is a glorious, glorious amalgam of Marvel superheroes, hits theaters on May 4 of next year. It will star Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Clark Gregg, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, and Chris Hemsworth. Evildoers best watch their asses. I’ve had Robert Downey Jr. mad at me and it’s NOT pleasant.

More Avengers news as the week and weekend progress, I’m sure.

6 photosHayley Atwell

Call it a coincidence, but the scene wasn’t directed by Kenneth Branagh, but by Avengers director Joss Whedon. It all comes from an interview between Skarsgard and Empire, in which he divulges absolutely no other details about The Avengers except for his appearing in it, for fear of the Disney death squads who would bring violent death to anyone who reveals any of movie’s secrets. So, if you’re a Whedon completist, maybe you should try to get a hold of a DVD copy of the Thor post-credits scene – maybe there’s a cool director’s commentary.

“There’s no definitive plans, but we have started talking and talking with Scarlett about what a Widow movie could be,” he said. “Internally we’ve also started thinking what a ‘Hawkeye’ movie could be, how we could continue to explore the organization [which Samuel Jackson's Nick Fury leads] S.H.I.E.L.D, which has a pretty big part in Thor, smaller parts in the two Iron Man films and has a giant part in The Avengers. [So it’s like], what would a stand-alone S.H.I.E.L.D. be like? It all goes back to the comics. Sometimes the answer is—when looking at a certain run of issues— ‘no way’ and sometimes the answer is ‘maybe, let’s continue to explore it’ and certainly with Hawkeye and Black Widow those are two that we’re exploring.”

Feige noted that Marvel will announce its next batch of films closer to the end of summer, so for right now it’s a matter of wait and see. Only one thing is certain. If these films do go through, Stan Lee is going to be exhausted from all of his cameo duties. Let’s keep an eye on his blood sugar.

Goofing around with a guy who fights robots and frost giants is not a bad way to spend an afternoon. Hemsworth seems to be having fun talking about his breakthrough role. He thought Red Dawn and Cabin in the Woods were good gigs, but The Avengers will probably be out before we see those movies.

Q: Could you eat a burger or something? You’re making me look bad.

CH: [Laughs] I’m about to shoot The Avengers. I have to play the character again so I’m back in the gym and force feeding myself full of protein.

Q: I get the sense Ryan Reynolds is sick of people talking about his abs. Does the body obsession amuse you?

CH: It’s funny. You’ve got to laugh at it. It’s all very new for me. He’s been in the spotlight for a lot longer than I have. At the moment I’m happy to be working and whatever attention is a plus.

Q Thor learns his lesson in this movie. Where do you go once he’s learned to respect humanity and be humble?

CH: I was just thinking about that. That’s the challenge with having sequels. You don’t want to go through the same arc again and you want to have new challenges. Now he’s more mature than he was. Whether he falls back into some old habits or whether it’s a completely new challenge he’s faced with, I can only hope for that to be the case. The writers and director put it on the page. I’m sort of at the mercy of them in a sense.

Q: Did you ever see the Thor in Adventures in Babysitting?

CH: [Laughs] I didn’t. With Vincent D’Onofrio. I’ve heard a lot about it.

Q: What is it like to swing that hammer?

CH: It’s good fun. It’s a fairly unorthodo weapon in a lot of ways so we had to invent fighting style around it. It became an extension of your body and very much boxing technique was a big influence there. We wanted it to have a sort of brutality and a power to it so we talked about broadsword technique as well and incorporating that. It was a lot of fun, standing on the set and having 12 stunt guys say, “Yeah, just hit us. Go for it.” And there’ll be no consequence.

Q: Have you been on set on The Avengers yet?

CH: I haven’t, no. They started shooting about a week ago and I come on board in about a week’s time.

Q: What was the read through like

with you, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Evans?

CH: We didn’t have one. That was the plan and then different schedules made that impossible. We’ve all individually spent a lot of time with Joss talking about the script and our characters. There may have been certain people who worked together more than others doing rehearsals and what have you but my main intro into it is going to be next week when I get there.

Q: Does it feel different than doing your own Thor movie?

CH: Sure, yeah. You can never have the same sort of attention that you have in your own movie obviously, because there’s seven other people who’ve got to fit into it. But it’s interesting and probably nicer to not carry all the weight and be surrounded by some people who are going to elevate your game and you can learn from. That’s exciting. They’re actors I’ve admired for years and the idea of working with them and the superheroes that they’re playing I think is going to be pretty iconic.

Q: Will your hammer as broadsword style apply to the fights in that film or will it be a completely different style?

CH: Oh no, you’ve still got to have the same somewhat fight sequence. I think you want it to be an evolution and you want to add in some new flairs or have some kind of new technique and moments. You don’t want to repeat the same things but still the structure of it is going to be pretty similar.

Q: Will changing the Chinese to Koreans really help Red Dawn?

CH: [Laughs] I have no idea. You have to ask the producers who made the decision. We as the actors, it was all kept pretty vague to us even when we were shooting. The Russians were in there, then the Chinese, now it’s the North Koreans. It wasn’t a political statement on anyone’s behalf. For us, the film was about the relationship of the kids and their interaction and banding together. So you’d have to ask the producers.

Q: Do all the MGM shenanigans hurt Red Dawn and Cabin in the Woods?

CH: I don’t know, I hadn’t really thought about it. When you film a film, you want it to come out soon. You want people to see it. It’s the representation of who you are at that point. It’ll be sort of a Benjamin Button effect when these films come out. I’ll get younger and younger.

Q: What is your character in Cabin in the Woods?

CH: He’s one of the young college kids. It’s the same, there’s a big secrecy around that just like there is with the Marvel films but it’s a blend. The Truman Show meets Night of the Living Dead is a pretty good comparison.

Q: That’s the thing. It’s been a secret for two years now, so by the time the film comes out people still won’t know what it is.

CH: I don’t know, once again my job is to go in there as the actor and do my bit. Everything beyond that, politically and what have you, I’m kept out of the loop. I think the secrets around it or people no knowing the story sometimes builds up an anticipation about it and some excitement. Hopefully that’s the case with this.

Q: How much of your life is tied up in Marvel-land the next few years?

CH: A lot of it. I do Avengers next. I’ve just done Thor and if this is a success, hopefully we do another one but that wouldn’t happen for probably quite a while. I’d love to launch into something else and not wear a big heavy costume and cape in the next one.

Q: Do you enjoy talking in Thor-speak?

CH: Sure, there was an old English sort of Shakespearean tone to it. It didn’t go as far as what the comic books head into but it certainly makes you feel or sound more like that period or those characters, as opposed to if you’re doing an American accent in a modern day speak. I guess I wouldn’t feel as much like someone from another realm.

Q: But even to speak like that in a Midwestern diner…

CH: Yeah, that was rather odd. That was strange because we’d shot everything in Asgard first. Then we’d come to Santa Fe and we shot that section, it felt like a completely different film. I felt very fish out of water during that period which the character was meant to feel so I guess it was beneficial. It was much harder to maintain that Thor-speak in that environment.

Thor crashes into theaters Friday.

Alert: a spoiler approaches…

According to the above MTV interview with actor Chris Evans, by the end of Captain America: The First Avenger, he’s frozen in carbonite or goes through a time portal or something and ends up in 2011. The sequel is a “fish out of water story,” which sounds shagadellically Austin Powers-esque. Hopefully the shield can cover himself up while he tries out a Swedish Penis Enlarger.

Cap is sure to have a number of questions once he gets to our time, like “are all black people presidents,” “what do you mean nobody likes swing music anymore,” and “when can I see my life story in theaters?” I can answer the last one at least: July 22, 2011.

Sorry, Jeremy.

So now it’s time to take part in the Internet’s favorite pastime – mindless speculation. I’m mindlessly speculating that the villain in The Avengers will be … Don Draper! They can do a storyline in which Draper discovers the secret to eternal youth that gives him superpowers, so it could still be set in the present day. Make this happen, Marvel. (The Daily Blam)

“We have to get the script,” Ruffalo said. “We’ve been working on the script which has been fun. I’ve lost 15 pounds. They don’t want me all ripped up but they want me to be lean and mean. Trying to get the psychology of somebody who knows at any moment they could literally tear the roof off of wherever they are. Trying to bring his, I don’t know, something real to that and totally fantastic. Like I said, I’ve been working with Joss Whedon on the script with the rest of the cast and we start rehearsals soon. Hopefully we’ll have the mother of all comic book movies for you soon.”

He’ll be the third Hulk in 10 years. Don’t think that doesn’t give Ruffalo pause. “Yeah, man, are you kidding me? I’ve got some big shoes to fill. I kind of look at it as my generation’s Hamlet. We’re all going to get a shot at it.”

Ruffalo said he begins shooting The Avengers the first week in May.

Oh no, Marvel movie fans. It looks like Doctor Doom couldn’t wait until the summer to find out wh The Avengers will be taking on, so he broke into Marvel’s offices and stole the info, then leaked it to the internet. We don’t know 100% if this is true, but we have good reason to believe…

SPOILER ALERT. Don’t look past the ridiculous picture below if you don’t want to know who Cap and the gang are tangling with next year.

According to the internerds, The Avengers will figh Thor‘s brother Loki, who’ll be played by Tom Hiddleston in the Thor movie. Here’s more detail on how all these movies form an intricate spider-web of plot, even though that spider guy is owned by a different studio:

How does Loki fit in exactly? Well, we’d hear rumors that the Skrulls (and Loki too) would somehow fit into The Avengers and that’s apparently true. Loki, from Thor, will somehow get his hands on the Cosmic Cube, from Captain America: The First Avenger, in order to summon the Skrulls, an evil, alien race who look like reptiles but have similar several human characteristics.

Loki. Skrulls. Cubes. Finally, one film dares to incorporate all three. I hear No Strings Attached tried to in its first draft, but was significantly rewritten. (/Film, Latino Review, AICN)