Joss Whedon Confirmed to Write, Direct ‘Avengers 2,' Developing Unnamed TV Series for Marvel

Disney CEO Bob Iger announced on Tuesday that director Joss Whedon of "Buffy" fame would be signing on for another round with Marvel, directing and writing the sequel to the blockbuster hit "The Avengers." But longtime Whedon fans may be more surprised by another piece of news: Whedon will also be developing a new live action TV show for Marvel, to be broadcast on ABC.

Although Marvel and Whedon have both stayed mum about which project Whedon might be working on, some blogs have already begun to speculate that it will be ABC's "Hulk" series, which is currently on hold.

In a recent interview with Collider, Guillermo del Toro, who is set to executive produce the "Hulk" series, said that he and Marvel have been keeping the series on hold until a specific writer becomes available. "We have a writer that we want to bring on board, a very, very concrete name. I can't reveal it, but we want to wait for that writer," said del Toro. "It's a writer who is otherwise engaged. So right now we are in a holding pattern until that writer becomes free. Then we're going to do a new draft of the script."

In an official statement, Iger said, "Joss Whedon has signed an exclusive deal with Marvel Studios for film and television through the end of June 2015. As part of that deal, Whedon will write and direct Marvel's The Avengers 2 as well as help develop a new live action series for Marvel Television at ABC. He will also contribute creatively to the next phase of Marvel's cinematic universe."

News of Whedon's return follows Disney's reported 31 percent rise in quarterly earnings, boosted by the box office success of "The Avengers," which has raked in a cool $1.46 billion since its May release. Iger described "The Avengers" as a "phenomenal success," adding that it was "primarily" responsible for the studio's jump in earnings.