Joss Whedon to Return for ‘Avengers’ Sequel

Whedonites rejoice! As confirmed by Walt Disney executives during a conference call earlier this week, geek icon Joss Whedon will once again direct Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the sequel to this summer’s runaway blockbuster The Avengers. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly helmsman is also working with Marvel Studios and Disney to bring an unnamed “high-concept cop show” set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to ABC.

Whedon will be hard-pressed to top his first go-around with Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Incredible Hulk and the rest of the gang, but one of the main things he accomplished with that first Avengers film was inspire confidence among all of us True Believers out there. Not only has Marvel Studios been steadfast in putting out the best superhero films possible, but they’re hiring the best storytellers possible to keep that momentum going for years to come.

For more on this story, head over to MTV News.

‘Ghostbusters 3’ to Enter Production Within the Year?

In yet another vague update on the status of Ghostbusters 3, Dan Aykroyd recently told Metro that the film is indeed moving forward and that Bill Murray will not be involved at all.

“It’s sad but we're passing it on to a new generation,” Aykroyd said of Murray’s refusal to participate in a second Ghostbusters sequel. “Ghostbusters 3 can be a successful movie without Bill. My preference would be to have him involved but at this point he doesn’t seem to be coming and we have to move on. It’s time to make the third one.”

Says Aykroyd the film has a new screenwriter and could be in production “in the next year.”

Mr. Aykroyd, with all due respect, I’m NOT ready to believe you.

For the full story, click here.

Peter Jackson’s ‘The Hobbit’ to be Split into Trilogy

 I know I’m probably the last person to comment on this, but I’ve just learned that Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit has gone from a two-part Lord of the Rings prequel to a full-on trilogy. I can’t say I’m surprised by this news – there’s money to be made in telling the story across three films – but I’m also concerned that the “unexpected journey” of Bilbo and his dwarven buddies just isn’t robust enough for a trilogy on the scale of The Lord of the Rings.

Jackson broke this news on his official Facebook page on Monday, confirming speculation that Warner Bros. and MGM were interested in a Hobbit trilogy. Quoting J.R.R. Tolkien himself, Jackson noted that The Hobbit is “a tale that grew in the telling.” Let’s hope it grew for the right reasons.