OK, did you take that all in?  Good.

According to Deadline, Buffy the Vampire Slayer–Dollhouse–Firefly–Serenity–Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog creator Joss Whedon is in “final negotiations” to direct Marvel Studio’s mega-sequel The Avengers!  Whedon has been rumored to helm the massive superhero flick for some time now, and I can’t believe the stars are aligning.  The Avengers will bring together Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), The Hulk (Edward Norton), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), SHIELD leader.  Others are expected to join, too.  Thor and Captain America will be introduced in their own movies sometime next year.  The Avengers is on track to hit theatres May 2012.

[Via Deadline]