Joss Whedon talks Avengers 2 challenges

Joss Whedon recently gave an interview to Total Film magazine and only reaffirmed the fact that Marvel could not have made a better decision keeping him on board. (As if the billion dollars he generated last outing wasn't enough.) Comicbookmovie.com transcribed part of the article where he talks about the pressure of making an Avengers 2.

Via CBM: “The only pressure is the pressure that is there every time I do a new project,” the filmmaker recently admitted to Total Film magazine. “Is it going to be good? It is going to be different? Is there even a reason to make another one? Is there a reason for this to be my next thing? Can I pull it off? I am not going to try and match the box office of the first one because that would be bonkers. Yes, there is a certain level of safety [knowing there's a huge audience] - because now people know about The Avengers and they like the characters so it probably won't completely crash and burn. But you don't want to just get by and do something that is merely OK. If I am going to dedicate three years of my short life to this then I want to do something that I have never done before. So I think of The Avengers 2 as a glorious challenge - it is a sequel, yes, but how can it be different? Of course, the pressure that I don't feel, my body internalises. It happens all the time. I was comfortable making the first Avengers, but I didn't sleep during it.” 


What continues to impress me about Whedon, which you don't always see in tentpole directors, is the fact that he wants to legitimately make the very best movie he can. There's a commitment to quality that's supported by his deep appreciation for the genre as well as understanding of the subject matter. Not to mention the fact that in previous interviews, when people have asked him "How do you make a bigger movie than the Avengers?" And his response was simply, "You don't. You go smaller." I'm paraphrasing of course, since I can't find the actual quote, but he's said a variation of this a number of times. So many directors talk about their sequels being "bigger" and having "more action" and being "more exciting" than the last movie, which to me is a ridiculous endeavor. The number one goal for any movie is to make the best movie you possibly can. Never should the goal be "We have to top the last one!" because that's only going to end up in disappointment. 2015 cannot come fast enough.