Joss Whedon will write and direct The Avengers 2

Read our thoughts on the Marvel properties Joss would be most suited to develop

Given the stellar box office performance turned in by The Avengers earlier this year, it should come as no surprise to learn that Joss Whedon will return for the forthcoming sequel, with the writer / director officially confirmed by Marvel to have signed on the dotted line.

However, Whedon's return wasn't a mere formality, with the director having been in two minds as recently as Comic-Con. "I have not come to a decision on directing Avengers 2 yet," said Whedon during a Firefly panel, setting fanboy hearts aflutter at the prospect of somebody else coming in to take the reins.

Apparently, some serious negotiations took place between Whedon and the studio, with the director reportedly getting a significant pay-rise this time around. Given just how much money the first film made, we'd argue such a reward isn't unreasonable!

Variety also reports that Whedon will develop "a live action TV series involving Marvel characters". Just who those characters will be remains to be seen, but given Whedon's previous small-screen track record, it should be a mouthwatering proposition.

At present, no release date has been confirmed for The Avengers 2 , but we'd anticipate it arriving at some point in 2015, once the next round of individual movies are out of the way. Looks like Cap, Iron Man and co. will be riding high for a few years to come...