"The Avengers." Is Marvel Assembling the Film Too Quickly?

Commentary

"The Avengers."  Is Marvel Assembling the Film Too Quickly?

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

A couple of weeks ago, it was widely reported that Joss Whedon would direct Marvel's "The Avengers" movie, bringing together all its greatest franchises.  This includes "Iron Man" and Ed Norton's "The Incredible Hulk" reboot ... and "Captain America" ... and, well, "Thor."

Slow down a minute. With two characters yet to even hit theaters, isn't it a bit early to be hiring a director for "The Avengers"? Whedon (the genius behind "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Firefly"), is a great choice to direct, but there are just too many variables left for me to feel confident that he can pull this off.

Let's back up. In 2008, after the smashing financial and critical success of "Iron Man," it was revealed that the film, along with "The Incredible Hulk," would lead to an "Avengers" movie. Fanboys wept.

So, Marvel forged ahead and announced two more films--"Thor," starring Liam Hemsworth, and "Captain America," starring Chris Evans. Now, with those two series well on their way, and a director attached to "The Avengers," there's nothing that can stop it. Right?

Not so much. Getting caught up in the whirlwind of "Iron Man's" success, Marvel has put the cart before the horse with "The Avengers." Here are a few X-Factors that could potentially put the brakes on the film.

The X-Factors

Unreleased films — Yes, "Iron Man" made well over $300 million domestically. And yes, the sequel is going to outdo the original. But for Marvel, there are still two films--"Thor" and "The First Avenger: Captain America"--that haven't even been released yet.

These two properties also happen to be the least marketable of "The Avengers" characters--Thor in particular. He wears a Viking helmet and carries a hammer--I'm not sure how that's going to play out with filmgoers.

There is, in fact, a real possibility that "Thor" and "Captain America" could be critical and financial busts--anti-Iron Men. In that case, what happens to "The Avengers"? Does it get canned? Recast? Do the roles of Captain America or Thor get diminished, depending on their individual success?

Or maybe Marvel just forgets the whole thing ever happened and make a third "Iron Man" film.

Comic booked out — By May 2012, the time "The Avengers" movie is scheduled to hit theaters, movie-goers might just have had it with comic book franchises.

"Spider-Man," "Fantastic Four" and "X-Men" all have reboots in the works (trying to confuse the average Joe, are you?), the Batman franchise is more alive than ever, and numerous other comic series are in the works.  More than ever, Summer blockbusters are simply becoming comic book movies, and that might create a fatigue.

Make no mistake about it, comic book movies are hot right now, but could it be just a trend? It's a possibility.

Power struggle? — Captain America is generally considered the captain of The Avengers by many comic book fans. Even though Chris Evans is one of my favorites, I have a hard time believing moviegoers will want to see him take the lead over Robert Downey Jr. (also one of my favorites).

What happens with the roles each actor plays in "The Avengers" will have to be determined after all of the characters' films have been released. And then there's Samuel L. Jackson--who knows where he'll fit into the whole thing.

"The Avengers" film is an ambitious project, and one that I admire. But getting caught up in the moment seems to have clouded Marvel's judgment--they appear to be desperately trying to capitalize on their "Iron Man" success. And at this point, that's all they have--one successful film series and questionable reboots of several others.

What do you think of the challenges facing "The Avengers"?