Joss Whedon to write, direct Avengers 2

Los Angeles - Joss Whedon will write and direct The Avengers 2.

The filmmaker impressed Disney bosses so much with The Avengers - which brought together many characters from the Marvel comics - that they have signed him up for the sequel and also to develop a live action Marvel-themed TV show for ABC.

Disney said in a statement: "Joss Whedon has signed an exclusive deal with Marvel Studios for film and television through the end of June 2015. As part of that deal, Whedon will write and direct Marvel's The Avengers 2 as well as help develop a new live action series for Marvel Television at ABC. He will also contribute creatively to the next phase of Marvel's cinematic universe."

The Avengers sequel is likely to be released in 2015.

Robert Downey Jr - who portrayed Iron Man/Tony Stark in the comic book movie admitted even he was surprised at the success of The Avengers but cited Joss' involvement as one of the factors.

He said: "The Avengers even surprised us, to a certain extent. Looking back on it, you can dissect why it was the right movie with the right people and the right director, at the right time, and we feel the same."