At the San Diego Comic-Con Joss Whedon confirmed that he is going to direct The Avengers (which had been out there but unconfirmed since April, see “Whedon to Direct the Avengers”).  Whedon joked that “it wasn’t official because Marvel couldn’t afford a press release.  So can we make it an official thing, I’m directing The Avengers.”

Whedon said that he was still working on an outline for the movie.  He mentioned why he liked the project so much: “These people (The Avengers) shouldn’t be in the same room together, and that’s the very definition of family.

The Avengers will likely star Robert Downey, Jr., (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), but the identity of the actor playing the Hulk has not been released, and probably won’t be until the Saturday Marvel Studios/Avengers panel.  Paramount will be releasing The Avengers on May 4th, 2012.