While this may seem like a whole lot of “well, gee, duh…” let’s keep in mind the context. Marvel Studios Kevin Feige has stated several times when talking about any potential sequel as it being an “if” prospect, though there was plenty to support that it would happen unless the first movie bombed horribly. What he’s stated though is that they’re not intending to just barrel into another one without any real lead-up to it, which is what the first Avengers movie was. In recent interviews, especially after the first weekend of international box office returns came in, Feige was clear that their focus is on building towards anything by providing singular stories in Iron Man 3, Thor 2 and Captain America 2 while also weaving in elements to the broader context. So the news that a sequel for Avengers is an obvious, it’s placement isn’t. Speculation is that it could be a summer 2014 movie, but that’s tight and runs close to production for both Thor 2 and Captain America 2, as the latter has a May 2014 release date. The best guess is that we’ll get it in early 2015, which could make shareholders nervous in waiting that long, but they have Iron Man 3 in 2013 which will be of interest and the planned Hulk TV series as well to keep things moving along.
This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who sat through the credits of The Avengers, or who simply looked at the film’s record-breaking box office sales this past weekend. Still, fans (and investors) will be glad to hear that Disney CEO Bob Iger just announced that the company is developing a sequel. The film’s success “is a great illustration of why we like Marvel so much.” Demand for Avengers merchandise has been strong, he added./blockquote>
[Source: Deadline]
