Home Media Magazine reports that Netflix has reached an agreement to air the year’s two biggest blockbusters 90 days after they come out on disc and Epix. There was speculation that Netflix would be able to stream them even earlier after their exclusive deal with Epix, a subsidiary of Viacom, but alas, that isn’t the case. According to the magazine, Epix has stated that it would be the first to bring AVENGERS or HUNGER GAMES  to television, sometime next year. Until then, you’ll have to settle for watching it in theaters.

ABC announced that while the project will not be ready for this upcoming season, that yes, THE HULK is still in development, and could be coming to TV as soon as next season. The show will be produced by Guillermo Del Toro (PAN’S LABYRINTH) in a dream combination. The Hulk hasn’t exactly thrived in a lead role in two movies, so it’d be interesting to see an entire television show based on the character, but you know with immense popularity and recognition following THE AVENGERS that the show would have enormous rope.

It wasn’t all good news, as FOX’s plans to develop a PUNISHER procedural from CRIMINAL MINDS producer Ed Bernero were squashed, according to Dark Horizons. The pilot was rejected and looks about dead in the water. If Punisher had stolen scenes in THE AVENGERS like the Hulk we might have written a different story today. It’s sad, but  in my opinion, I wouldn’t want a washed down network version of PUNISHER, and would very much prefer seeing the concept developed by HBO, STARZ (imagine a combo of SPARTACUS and PUNISHER?) or SHOWTIME.

Idris Elba, the British star of LUTHER and the upcoming PROMETHEUS, is reprising his role as Heimdall for THOR 2. JoBlo reports that he’s on board and excited to learn more about his character, the gatekeeper of Asgard. Elba is a terrific actor who has Oscars in his future if he finds the right role, and he had some awesome moments in THOR despite limited screen time. More of him is definitely a good thing for the franchise.

What more can AVENGERS do at this point? Joss Whedon’s superhero ensemble has proven all naysayers wrong. Can you build a movie around so many characters successfully? Are people still excited for superheroes? Can Joss Whedon handle it? Can any movie not made by James Cameron break box office records? It looks like AVENGERS is on its way people, and is showing more legs than almost any blockbuster ever to this point. According to EW.com, Captain America and friends grossed $103.2 million in its second weekend since its release (when it broke the record for opening weekend gross at over $206 million cash money), the highest grossing second weekend in movie history. The 50% decline is the smallest drop off between 1st and 2nd weeks among the top 10 highest openers all-time (besting Dark Knight, which dropped 53%). AVENGERS is also doing gangbusters internationally, and Disney estimates it to pass $1 billion globally today. How much scrutiny will there be for the second round?

By the way, AVENGERS crushed Johnny Depp and Tim Burton’s DARK SHADOWS, which was a disappointment critically (41% on Rotten Tomatoes) and financially, opening at $28.2 million, finishing in a distant second place.

Joss Whedon is blowin’ up right now, but he ain’t changing. He’s still the down to earth, internet savvy, nice guy that made him so popular with his avid (and now growing) fanbase. Due to his high profile success with the billions of dollars AVENGERS is making worldwide, Whedon wrote an open letter to his fans and supporters over the years. It’s funny, poignant, and explains that he remains committed to DR. HORRIBLE 2 and WASTELANDERS, and is excited for the change and (financial) windfall that’s about to occur in his career. For the full letter, peep it here.

It wouldn’t have surprised me to have heard that Disney greenlit Avengers 2 the second they bought the company. But, as discussed by Slashfilm, CEO Bob Iger announced today that they have now got the ball rolling on a sequel, as the blockbuster steamrolls domestic and world wide box office mercilessly (above $700 million already). I’m glad they felt the need to announce it.

All of the stars (and stripes) are contractually obligated to suit up for the next decade, so now comes the rampant speculation on whether or not Joss Whedon will be retained as director for the second adventure after he hit the first one out of the park. Here’s hoping they do. Marvel will hardly rest on their laurels while the process takes place, as IRON MAN 3 and THOR 2 come out next year to expand the universe and CAPTAIN AMERICA 2 is set for 2014. We’ll see if Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye or Nick Fury will get in on the solo movie action, or if Ant Man (or my pick…Black Panther!) gets the spotlight.

So, the ticket stubs have been tallied and Marvel’s THE AVENGERS has broken HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 short lived reign atop the box office record board for highest opening weekend. According to EW.com, the massive Marvel Studios ensemble film reached an estimated gross of 200.3 million through its first days of release. It earned $80.5 million on Friday, which was behind the broomsticked Harry’s pace, but then earned $69.7 on Saturday and topped the weekend off with reports of a $50.1 million Sunday. Usually movies drop more precipitously as the weekend goes on, especially superhero films that tend to be very frontloaded, so this is a good sign for a long box office run that softens the blow of JOHN CARTER for Disney.

All in all, a pretty good weekend for Thor, Captain America, Iron Man and crew. I wonder if there’s gonna be a sequel?

Maybe you’ve heard of the Avengers. Oh sorry, Marvel’s The Avengers. The Avengers is the brainchild of Marvel Studios, the summer tentpole to end all tentpoles, the superhero fanboy’s wet dream, nerd perfection in movie form. Ever since 2008, when Robert Downey Jr. completed his comeback and became the star he rightfully should have always been with the release of IRON MAN, Marvel Studios (now in conjunction with Disney) has been carefully planning this moment. Each new movie (the end credits scenes in particular), from Thor to Captain America, progressed the movement of the Avengers Initiative, spearheaded by Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and loyal deadpan standby Agent Colson (Clark Gregg = absolutely terrific), spun a web between all of the various heroes of the Marvel universe for this massive event that had previously only existed in Saturday morning cartoons. To bring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes together as a team to fight the battles that just one hero could not. That moment, Gods bless Odin, is finally upon us!

Whenever a new stellar superhero film is added to the canon, fans – casual and basement dwellers alike – must debate the merits of the movie and place it amongst the other luminaries of the genre. So let me get this out of the way: Avengers is NOT the best comicbook movie ever made. But it is damn good, a helluva lot of fun, and comes close to the scope and content that most fans have been dreaming of.

First up, the massive cast. The Avengers are comprised of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and brought together by Nick Fury (the eye patch wearing aforementioned Samuel L. Jackson) in the face of a Norse demigod hellbent on vengeance and the cosmic cube (annoyingly called “The Tesseract”), the trickster Loki, played with mirth by Tom Hiddleston. Thrown in for good measure (and to add women to a male heavy cast), is loyal second in command Agent Maria Hill (HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER’S Cobie Smulders) and Tony Stark’s love interest Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).

Avengers is directed by Joss Whedon, the creator of BUFFY and a veteran writer of comic books with ASTONISHING X-MEN. He was deemed the fan’s choice, the perfect man (of the people) to rally the troops and corral this star studded ensemble into a cohesive movie as he did in TV with BUFFY and in film with SERENITY. And he does. Whedon gives each member of the team at least a few moments of awesome (some more than others) and does a admirable job of answering the question “Why?” Why these self obsessed, loner egomaniacs work together, and why, by the end, they thrive. In many interviews about the film, Whedon has emphasized that that was his primary obstacle, and he passes it with flying colors, with the help of Zak Penn (X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, ELEKTRA).

Now, the obligatory MINOR SPOILER ALERT. The following has vague (and in some places, not so vague) references to the plot of the movie. If you want to see the movie before knowing anything about it, then by all means go see it now and then come back to read this review!

The movie opens in space, with the ubiquitous “Chitauri” aliens discussing The Tesseract, the humans and the conquest of Earth with Loki. You know, a normal day. There are a few references to a leader of the alien race that is pulling the strings, the secret villain that Marvel and Whedon have kept under wraps. If you’re a dedicated fan of the comic books, you can make the right guess with the first try, but don’t hold your breath on figuring out the answer.

Loki strikes SHIELD – the government CIA/FBI/everything of the U.S. – and not only steals The Tesseract with the help of his glowing Tesseract-linked scepter, but blows the facility to the ground, and takes Hawkeye and Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard of THOR) with him, magically converting them to his side. It’s a nice nod to Hawkeye’s villainous roots, even if it puts the immensely talented Jeremy Renner on the sideline for most of the movie. Nick Fury, Agent Colson and Maria Hill narrowly escape disaster, and it’s that moment that spurs Jackson’s Fury’s decision to call in the Avengers Initiative. From there, it’s bickering, bouts and characterization, and we are introduced to every prospective member of the team.

We discover Natasha Romanoff (The Black Widow) – a knockout who’s trying desperately to make up for a dark past. We relish the opportunity to have a drink with Downey’s Iron Man, who’s as sarcastic and bombastic and dynamic as ever. Captain America – a beacon of a long distant patriotism – is a relic debating his place in present day NYC. Cap and Iron Man, predictably, have a lot of problems reaching common ground.  Thor, newly mature and in love with Earth despite its flaws, has to face the damage caused by his evil brother. Hawkeye must come to grips with what he does as a pawn in Loki’s machinations. Finally, Bruce Banner must avoid the ticking time bomb that is Hulk and attempt to make up for all the carnage he has caused. It’s an explosive and fascinating potion that mixes beautifully, even if it’s not always pretty.

Going into the movie, if I could’ve named three characters that probably didn’t need to be included and seemed thrown in, I would’ve said the Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye. Afterwards, it was clear that Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner and the Hulk absolutely STOLE the show, and Scarlett Johansson completely convinced me as the buxom spy with a dark side who can absolutely kick ass, something I seriously doubted would be the case. She absolutely shows off her action heroine chops and has justified a movie of her own to spotlight her origin. The Hulk’s previous movies have been busts, but in a supporting role bringing horror, comedy, and sweetness in equal measure, the Hulk is a star. Almost every scene that Mark Ruffalo is in, there’s that special kind of tension underneath it all, where we wonder to ourselves, when is the green guy coming out? And the rest of the actors play off of it fantastically, it’s as real as a gamma radiated human can get!

The action is intense and essentially nonstop, the 3-D kinda nice (as usual, it’s not necessary at all to one’s enjoyment), and the camraderie real. But there are indeed flaws. Hawkeye never really seems like one of the gang, Thor tends to be more of a side character, especially when you consider that it is his brother that unleashes this evil upon Earth, and a lot of the action could feel staged and forced.

Most of all, you could tell when Whedon and company were wrestling with the powers that be. How powerful are Loki and Thor, and what can they withstand or do? They are gods after all, and it seems silly to have them on the same battle field as a guy who can shoot a bow and arrow really well. Loki, historically, is the villain that brought the original Avengers together in the comicbook, and for that, it’s a nice nod and he works. At the same time, I never felt scared, or threatened by him. Thor had beaten him before, and yes, now he has this anonymous alien horde at his side, but there was never any doubt that Thor and company would (spoiler alert, but come on) beat him again.

I think introducing the overarching villain at the beginning would have rendered this point entirely moot. But, as Whedon suggested, the Avengers themselves were the real enemy here, their personalities and their unwillingness to work together was the real villain and obstacle, and Loki was just a figurehead to play their insecurities off of. The real challenge will be sustaining the level of tension and excitement of this “it’s all new, we’re a team” gusto into subsequent films. The origin story, or how these guys came together, was my favorite part of the movie. Now that that’s done, how do they keep our interest? How do they make it unlike every other superhero sequel? You can’t just rely on the villain, and I’m intrigued to see where the franchise goes from here.

That will be a question we will soon see the answer to, as I’m sure the box office receipts will automatically suggest a sequel. And regardless, Avengers is one of the most fun experiences you’ll have in theatres this year.