Despite Joss Whedon's initial hesitation at tackling the follow-up to The Avengers, Disney was (thankfully) able to convince him to reevaluate his desire to pursue other projects instead of continuing with the Marvel project.

Considering the fact that the superhero film took in more than $1.4 billion worldwide at the box office, there was no question as to whether or not Disney was going to ask the director - who also penned the script - to return for the sequel.

Disney Chariman Bob Iger not only confirmed Whedon's sequel gig but also revealed that Whedon will work on developing a "Marvel-based" television show for ABC, which would mark the first time a Whedon series would air on the network. There's no word yet as to when the project is expected to debut.

The Avengers 2 is expected to begin production after the release of the superheroes' individual films, which includes Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).