Joss Whedon is developing (as in writing and directing) a live-action pilot for ABC that will focus on S.H.I.E.L.D., the peacekeeping group known well to viewers of the Avengers and its many tie-in movies, as well as (of course) the Marvel comics.  The team for the covert organization that is the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division is lead by Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson in the films), but Whedon has a whole new cast of characters for the potential television series, which he has teased in the past.  Hit the jump for details.

According to TV Line the new characters are as follows:

• Skye -- This late-20s woman sounds like a dream: fun, smart, caring and confident – with an ability to get the upper hand by using her wit and charm. (Or "the one all the dudes are going to want to sleep with")
• Agent Grant Ward --  Quite the physical specimen and “cool under fire,” he sometimes botches interpersonal relations. He’s a quiet one with a bit of a temper, but he’s the kind of guy that grows on you. (Or "the one all the chicks are going to want to sleep with")
• Agent Althea Rice --  Also known as “The Calvary,” this hard-core soldier has crazy skills when it comes to weapons and being a pilot. But her experiences have left her very quiet and a little damaged. (So, Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica, minus the quiet part)
• Agent Leo Fitz and Agent Jemma Simmons -- These two came through training together and still choose to spend most of their time in each other’s company. Their sibling-like relationship is reinforced by their shared nerd tendencies – she deals with biology and chemistry, he’s a whiz at the technical side of weaponry. (Sheldon and Amy from The Big Bang Theory)

Or, in other words, the cast of Firefly.

Whedon is a maybe to direct the pilot, but he is apparently attached to definitely write the series along with his brother Jed Whedon and Jed's wife Maurissa Tancharoen (Dollhouse).