Joss Whedon Bringing 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to ABC'
by Shannon Keirnan
It’s official—the show based on the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been picked up, and ordered to series by ABC.
Joss Whedon wrote the series with brother Jed and Maurissa Tancharoen, basing the show on a collection of Marvel comic books. There’s little surprise that the show got picked up—last fall, ABC fast-tracked it, looking to cash in on Whedon’s name and the popularity of the “Avengers” film (now the third-highest grossing film ever) as soon as possible. The pilot was shot in January.
The show will follow S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistic Directorate), a secret intelligence organization that steps in throughout films like “Iron Man” “Captain America” and “The Avengers.”
Clark Gregg will return as Agent Phil Coulson, with Ming-Na Wen (“ER”), Brett Dalton, Elizabeth Henstridge, Chloe Bennett, and Ian De Caestecker.
J. August Richards will also appear, but as his character name is as-of-yet unreleased, speculation is he may be playing a character from the Marvel universe.
As of yet there’s no information regarding which Marvel characters will be making appearances on “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
To check out a preview of the new series, tune into Sunday’s “Once Upon a Time” finale at 8 p.m. EST. ABC will air a short teaser before the fantasy series. With “Iron Man 3” newly released, the network is apparently striking while the iron is hot to bring in audience interest.
The storyline they’ll use to bring back Agent Coulson should be worth the watch in itself—unless the series is simply set before we said a tearful goodbye in “The Avengers.”
What do you think, fans? How will this all pan out?