When I first reported the news that the well loved and mourned Agent Coulson would be starring in Whedon’s much anticipated S.H.I.E.L.D, it was yet to be confirmed if the series would be set before of after the Avengers events in New York City. However, we no longer need to speculate, it has been confirmed as a sequel.
ABC president Paul Lee. Speaking at the Television Critics Association press tour Lee responded to the question of how the series will tie into the Marvel films with this “There is no question that it is part of the Marvel Universe. In fact, the story takes place after the battle for New York.”
Woo! But how they are going to resurrect Agent Coulson played by the wonderful Clark Gregg? I am of course assuming this question will be answered in the pilot, fingers crossed this also includes a little Fury cameo. That tricksy Fury must have pulled a fast one, so he better be around to explain himself.
The pilot has yet has to be officially picked by ABC, but this doesn’t concern me. Given Whedon’s involvement in the entire Marvel universe something would have to go terribly wrong for ABC to not make at least one season. Joss is a legend when is comes to creating characters and stories with the bonus of being back to his roots on a TV show. Whedon talking to MTV confirmed as much:
[quote]“You’ve got to bring a bit of spectacle to it. It’s got to be bigger than your average cop show. But at the end of the day, it’s about the peripheral people. It’s about the people on the edges of the grand adventures. The whole point of the show is that even with all these big things, the little things matter. So it’s about people who don’t have super powers. There will be some people with powers, there will be FX, there will be the spectacle of science-fiction storytelling, but all played on a very human, small level. That’s the appeal of the thing.”[/quote]
Lee also had this to say about the series “It’s the early days. We don’t know if it’s going to be everything we hope it’s going to be. We know the script is great. That’s all we know at this point. And we know Joss is the best!” adding “I think if we’re lucky enough to have a great series, we’re obviously having fun with that. At this point though, we have a number of characters at the heart of the script who are real characters, who are the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and the first task is to make those guys great and relatable and everything that a great show needs. Beyond that, fingers crossed!”
So to sum up what we know, S.H.I.E.L.D is set after the events in Avengers and Coulson is not as dead as Fury would have us believe. The series will also star Ming-Na Wen, British actors Elizabeth Henstridge and Iain De Caestecker, Brett Dalton and Chloe Bennet as agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
All good indications suggest that it is going to be AWESOME, wouldn’t you agree?
Source: No, it’s Not a Prequel: ABC President Confirms S.H.I.E.L.D. Takes Place After The Avengers [IGN]
