Joss Whedon’s S.H.I.E.L.D. is quite possibly the most highly anticipated TV pilot in recent memory. Coming off the back of making the third-highest-grossing film of all time this year with The Avengers, Marvel has pretty much handed the writer-director the keys to the kingdom of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, setting him to both write and direct The Avengers 2, and also to pen the pilot for a TV series based around the human agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., introduced into the film from the get-go back in 2008’s Iron Man.
One of the few characters to star in almost every film in Phase One, Clark Gregg has been a fan-favourite as Agent Coulson from the beginning, and if you’ve seen The Avengers, then you’ll know why there’s been a lot of debating going on since the spring as to what the future of his character would be.
And it looks like those debates have got plenty of fuel to add to the fire now, because at this weekend’s NYCC, Jeph Loeb, the Head of Marvel Television, took to the stage, brought out Clark Gregg, and announced Agent Coulson as the first cast member of Whedon’s upcoming S.H.I.E.L.D. series, which Whedon has penned with his brother Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, and is hoping to direct, should scheduling not be a problem.
Appearing via video alongside Kevin Feige, Whedon and Feige gave the audiences their input on the casting:
“”We all love Clark Gregg, there’s no doubt about that,” Whedon said. “From before we made ‘The Avengers,’ we discussed whether there was a way for him to be a part of the Marvel Universe, perhaps a part of a TV show even after his death. … The fact of the matter is, as much as we love him, now that I’m really running Marvel, I like to keep a type of artistic integrity, which means we don’t stretch the bounds of reality.”
“There was never going to be a ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ show without Agent Phil Coulson!” said Feige, who appeared behind Whedon, wearing a COULSON LIVES shirt.
“He’s headlining the S.H.I.E.L.D. show and always was.” said Whedon.”
For the time being, it’s not yet known exactly how Coulson will be reprising his role as Gregg. It could be that the series will be set before The Avengers. Or it could be that he’ll be starring as a Life Model Decoy. And let’s not forget the theories about Vision.
With this recent and brilliant announcement, it’s going to be this that will no doubt be the subject of many a conversation in the months to come. The one thing we now know for sure is that Gregg will be back, and that is just terrific news.
Agent Coulson (and Gregg, himself) is a deservedly beloved character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we can’t wait for him to come back to be part of the transition to the live-action TV series Whedon is creating. It’s going to be amazing. And here’s to hoping we’ll have more casting news to bring you soon.
Source: via Comic Book Resources.
