Joss Whedon Says He's Taking a Break from Marvel

Avengers: Age of Ultron has clearly exhausted Joss Whedon. He made no secret that he was probably done with Marvel after Age of Ultron, but while he’s out of the director’s chair, will he remain a consultant for the studio? Following the success of The Avengers, Whedon signed a contract to stay with Marvel through 2015 and creatively consult on their other features. But now that contract is finished, and it’s up to Whedon to decide how to proceed.

Steve spoke to Whedon at the Avengers: Age of Ultron press day, and Whedon sounded like a college grad who’s being asked what he wants to do with his life five seconds after receiving his diploma:

Are you done with Marvel or are you going to take a real break for a while?

JOSS WHEDON: Well I’m definitely going to take a real break for a couple months because my brain is no longer. You know, I’ve looked a both options. I love these guys. I love these movies; they’re exciting. But part of me does think, “You know what? I got to find out what’s next.”

avengers-age-of-ultron-joss-whedon-jeremy-renner — Image via Disney

Personally, I’m glad Whedon’s moving on. While it would be nice to see him take The Avengers trilogy to the end, it’s not worth it if he doesn’t feel like he has anything left in the tank. It would be a waste of time to everyone involved and a disappointment to the fans.

However, while he might be leaving Marvel behind, Whedon is keeping all his options open:

Would you do another horror film or anything like that.

WHEDON: There’s nothing I don’t want to do. I love every genre and a lot of different mediums so I literally have no idea. I do not know. I have no idea what I’m going to do next. It’s a nice feeling.

It must also be nice knowing that Avengers has given him a ridiculous amount of cache. If he has a dream project, he has the power to do it because a studio can just slap “From the Director of The Avengers” on the marketing. Whedon is no longer the celebrated auteur whose TV shows would inevitably be canceled. He’s got some sway, and while I’m eager to see how he uses it, the guy definitely deserves a break.

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