It looks like Ming-Na Wen (ER) will be joining Clark Gregg (The Avengers) as a lead role in ABC’s television series, Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D.  We previously reported that Gregg would return to the franchise’s famous security organization as Agent Coulson, albeit on the small screen this time.  Wen will play Agent Melinda May, an ace pilot and weapons expert who often goes beyond the call of duty, but is showing signs of mental fatigue due to her combat experiences. With Joss Whedon on board to write the co-write the pilot script, you can expect a powerful and dynamic character in May and a more-than-capable actor to bring her to life in Wen.  Hit the jump for more.

You may have already heard the exciting news out of New York Comic-Con, but Marvel’s head of television, Jeph Loeb announced today that Clark Gregg will reprise his role as Agent Phil Coulson in the S.H.I.E.L.D. series.  We don’t know much about how he’ll fit into the plot, other than Gregg will appear in the pilot at least.  Those of you who have seen The Avengers know the fate of Coulson’s character, so it will be interesting to see how he’s featured in the television show.  Hit the jump for more regarding Gregg’s addition to the S.H.I.E.L.D. series. 

Though Clark Gregg is well-known for his work as the beloved Agent Coulson in the Marvel films, the affable actor is also a director.  He helmed the 2008 adaptation of the Chuck Palahniuk novel Choke, and now he’s gearing up for his second directorial feature Trust Me.  The dark comedy centers on “a loser agent for a young actor – and washed-up child star himself – who stumbles upon a brilliant 13-year-old prodigy (played by newcomer Saxon Sharbino) and then tries to close the mega-deal that will make her a star while managing her drunk volatile father.”

Now Deadline reports that Gregg—who also wrote Trust Me—has rustled up quite the cast for the film, as his Choke star Sam Rockwell and West Wing cohort Allison Janney have joined the ensemble cast that also includes William H. Macy, Amanda Peet, Felicity Huffman, Molly Shannon, Paul Sparks (Boardwalk Empire), and Niecy Nash (Reno 911).  Production is set to begin soon, and with Gregg onboard as the creative force driving this swell cast, Trust Me is definitely one to keep an eye on.

The Avengers was 2012’s biggest hit, and is now the third highest grossing film of all time both domestically and worldwide (it’s hard to top James Cameron). And now that summer’s over, it’s fair to say it was the most entertaining blockbuster and the most entertaining superhero film of the summer. It’s also got huge problems, though they ultimately don’t matter. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlet Johansson, Jeremy Renner, and Mark Ruffalo assemble here to fight an army of aliens led by Tom Hiddleston. Joss Whedon writes and directs, and our review of the four-disc 3D Blu-ray set follows after the jump.

Around this time last year, we found out that Joss Whedon (The Avengers) had completed an entire movie in secret; that movie was a contemporary adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.  The film recently screened at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival (you can read Matt’s review of it here) and scored a big prize when it was reported that Lionsgate had acquired the film, along with sister company, Roadside Attractions.  The micro-budget film was completed in just twelve days in Santa Monica and features such Whedonesque regulars as Amy Acker (The Cabin in the Woods), Nathan Fillion (Firefly) and, now, Clark Gregg (The Avengers).  Hit the jump for more on the acquisition and to see what Whedon himself had to say about it.

With a few exceptions, William Shakespeare‘s trips to the big screen have been sumptuous affairs.  The plays favor an expansive vision by the director, so we get films like Julie Taymor‘s Titus and Kenneth Branagh‘s Hamlet.  But one of the many beautiful things about Shakespeare is how flexible it is in terms of setting.  You can set it on a modern battlefield (Ralph Fiennes‘ Coriolanus), in a high school (Tim Blake Nelson‘s Othello adaptation, O), or in the case of Joss Whedon‘s Much Ado about Nothing, in an upper-class home.  Whedon’s Much Ado is a bold challenge for the director not because of fancy costumes or complex staging, but because he removes two of his greatest assets: his dialogue and a budget.  Of course, nothing Whedon (or anyone else) could write would surpass the Bard, but it’s an entertaining exercise seeing the director speak only in a visual language, and then having his budget limit what visuals he has available.  With no money and another author’s work, Whedon finds his film’s strength in the superb cast, clever staging, and an expert understanding of dialogue.

Good news, everyone!  Though the Blu-ray/DVD release of Marvel’s The Avengers is less than a month away, the film is returning to theaters so fans can experience Joss Whedon’s brilliant superhero saga on the big screen one more time.  The announcement was made on the film’s Facebook page that The Avengers will be back in theaters this Labor Day weekend (ie. this coming weekend).  So round up your friends and carve out two hours this weekend to go see Hulk smash on the big screen, if you so please.

If you’ve missed any of the deleted scenes/featurettes that Marvel has been releasing over the past few weeks in anticipation of the home video release, you can catch up right here.  Be sure to check out the film’s alternate opening and a wonderful deleted scene between Mark Ruffalo and Harry Dean Stanton.  The Avengers will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download on September 25th.  Hit the jump to rewatch the first trailer for the film, and be sure to read what Whedon has to say about the film’s deleted scenes and the new S.H.I.E.L.D. series right here.

The debut red-band trailer for the R-rated comedy The To Do List (previously titled The Hand Job) has landed online, and it’s wonderfully filthy.  The film stars Aubrey Plaza as a sexually inexperienced teenager with a type-A personality who decides to engage in numerous sex acts before she goes to college.  The trailer is very explicit about said acts, but never veers into “too awkward to watch” territory.  Plaza is spot-on as the lead, and she’s buoyed by a ridiculously amazing supporting cast that includes Donald Glover, Rachel Bilson, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Alia Shawkat, Mae Whitman, Johnny Simmons, Connie Britton, Clark Gregg, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Scott Porter.  Seriously, this ensemble is stacked and they all look to be bringing their A-game.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer, then make your Valentine’s Day plans accordingly.  Written and directed by Maggie Carey, the film opens on February 14th, 2013.

If you can’t wait for September 25th, Marvel has you covered; they have just unveiled seven clips from The Avengers in anticipation of its Blu-ray and DVD combo pack release.  Most of the clips are action scenes, with the exception of a scene from the original trailer of Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr) having a casual conversation about Loki’s chances at taking over Earth.

Though most of the focus is on action sequences, each clip still manages to include some of the film’s trademark humor, much of it coming from Captain America (Chris Evans).  In addition, the mid-credits scene that teases the sequel’s villain is part of the bunch, as is Item 47, a clip from a companion short film that will be part of the DVD, featuring Lizzy Caplan (Party Down).  To see the seven clips, hit the jump.

Production has officially commenced on two upcoming projects.  First up, filming is underway in Atlanta on the real-life drama Devil’s Knot, directed by Atom Egoyan.  The film stars Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth and follows the true story of the West Memphis 3 case, in which three teenagers were wrongfully charged with murdering three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas in the 1990s.  Witherspoon plays the mother of one of the victims, while Firth plays the private investigator hired to look into the case.  The cast also includes Amy Ryan, Dane DeHaan, and Stephen Moyer.

Additionally, production has begun in New York on the relationship drama Very Good Girls.  Directed by Naomi Foner, the film stars Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen as two best friends determined to lose their virginity, only to fall for the same boy.  The cast also includes Boyd Holbrook, Demi Moore, Ellen Barkin, Richard Dreyfuss, Peter Skarsgaard, and Clark Gregg.  The score will be composed by Jenny Lewis. Hit the jump to read press releases for both films.

When a movie like Disney and Marvel’s The Avengers crosses the $600 million mark domestically and approaches $1.5 billion globally, studios can afford to add in extra special items to go along with their Blu-ray/DVD sales.  This time around, the bonus item comes via a new app called “The Avengers Initiative: A Marvel Second Screen App.”  The app will give users access to exclusive content leading up to the release of The Avengers on Blu-ray/DVD with new downloads available bi-weekly in July and August, with weekly updates in September.  The content includes “special access to the S.H.I.E.L.D. database, becoming a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, invitations to “special missions” either remotely or in the field, links to character profiles, stories and scenes, interactive Marvel digital reader comic books and more.”

Joss Whedon’s The Avengers hits shelves on September 25th on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD, Digital and On-Demand, but the app will be available starting in July.  Hit the jump for details. [UPDATE: Check out a new trailer for the Blu-ray after the jump.]

We may be nearing the halfway point of the summer movie season already, but Marvel’s The Avengers is still looming over the 2012 “blockbusters” that have come and gone like the slightly older yet much more successful brother of the bunch.  We’ve seen moderate box office successes from films like Men in Black 3, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Madagascar 3, but nothing has come close to the behemoth box office giant that was Marvel’s mother of all superhero movies.

The film shattered the opening weekend record with over $200 million in three days, and now Disney has announced that The Avengers is expected to cross the $600 million domestic mark today, making it only the third film in history to reach that number.  Hit the jump for more, including a rundown of what the all-time box office chart looks like now.

Director Jason Reitman has commenced production on his next feature, the drama Labor Day.  The film is based on the Joyce Maynard novel of the same name and centers on a 13-year-old boy who convinces his reclusive mother to take in a drifter over Labor Day weekend.  It’s later revealed that the man is an escaped convict and the three spend a weekend together that will “shape them for the rest of their lives.”  Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin star as the two leads, and Reitman felt so strongly about his cast that he pushed the production schedule back a year until both Winslet and Brolin were free.

Reitman wrote the screenplay himself and is directing Labor Day as his follow-up to last year’s Young Adult.  As a big fan of Reitman’s past work (Thank You For Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air), I’m eager to see him tackle this weighty dramatic material. Clark Gregg and James Van Der Beek also star in the film.  Hit the jump to read the full press release, which includes the updated synopsis.

Marvel’s The Avengers continues to Hulk Smash records at the box office, but we now have a release date and details regarding the film’s home media release.  Joss Whedon’s excellent superhero pic will hit Blu-ray and DVD on September 25th, and as expected the combo set is loaded with special features.  The 4-disc Blu-ray/DVD pack includes an audio commentary by Whedon, loads of deleted scenes (including an alternate ending), featurettes and much more.  Additionally, a 10-disc Blu-ray super set is also apparently being planned.  Hit the jump for details regarding the release.

On the seventh day, Joss Whedon created The Avengers.  Marvel has released a new infographic movie timeline that highlights specific super-heroic instances in time and places them in the context of The Avengers and the individual movies that built up to it.  While The Avengers franchise no doubt revolves around Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, the new infographic has made him into a pseudo-Christ figure by demarcating the timeline with BIM (“Before Iron Man”) and AIM (“After Iron Man”).  While it’s true that Iron Man had more movies than the rest of The Avengers (excluding 2003′s Hulk, which the timeline wisely forgets), I’d much rather see the scenes relative to one Special Agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) or even the beloved Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg).  Hit the jump to check it out.