Joss Whedon might not make ‘Avengers 2′

K. Thor Jensen Contributing Writer, Entertainment

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Marvel

First the Hunger Games guy, and now this? Is there something in the air that makes directors of incredibly successful movies not want to go back to the well for more sweet, delicious money? Gary Ross pulled out of making Catching Fire because he didn’t believe that Lionsgate would give him the time he needed to do justice to the book, and now Joss Whedon is talking like he might not be back for Avengers 2.

The Marvel superhero masterpiece has pulled in over a billion dollars worldwide, so it seems logical to get the band back together for the sequel (which is slated for 2015). But Whedon, who most critics are positioning as a major reason for the first film’s success, is having second thoughts. A recent interview with the Los Angeles Times has the Buffy creator making some unsettling statements about the sequel such as “You know, I’m very torn. It’s an enormous amount of work telling what is ultimately somebody else’s story, even though I feel like I did get to put myself into it. But at the same time, I have a bunch of ideas, and they all seem really cool.”

Marvel Studios also has a well-earned reputation in Hollywood for lowballing directors when they make offers, but with a billion bucks on the line one would think that they’d change that policy a little bit. More details as we get them.