In probably the least surprising development in the history of cinema, with The Avengers having made over $700 million in les than two weeks, Disney CEO Robert Iger has confirmed a sequel is in the works and that they hope to use the movie as a springboard for other Marvel franchises.
Iger told CNBC, “Marvel’s The Avengers isn’t just a film. It’s a franchise, from our perspective. It was helped by the success of the Iron Man movies and Captain America: The First Avenger. From the Avengers we get a chance to make Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 and hopefully another Marvel’s The Avengers movie.
“This one film, which was successful, over $700 million, as you said, as of last night, is going to get a number of other films and franchises. We see tremendous interest in products and in games for Marvel’s The Avengers. We have an ability to leverage what was a very fun film done by a great group of film makers into something much bigger for the company and the effect will be prolonged and that’s very, very exciting for us.”
However just because Iger says it, doesn’t mean he’s not going to have difficulty getting the full team back together. While the likes of Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth have lengthy contracts that guarantee their participation in individual sequels and The Avengers 2, Robert Downey’s Jr. contract only runs through Iron Man 3. A new deal would have to be worked out for him, and if they want Joss Whedon back, he’ll also need a new contract. As Marvel is well known for refusing to pay as much as many others in the industry are prepared to, it may prove tough getting both of them back.
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