IESB reports that a leading contender in line to direct “The Avengers” is none other than Joss Whedon, explicitly assuring that this is no April Fools Day joke.

“The Avengers” is set to be the culmination of everything Marvel Entertainment has been working towards which would bring several of their major franchise characters together that includes Iron Man, Thor, Hulk and Captain America, into one film.

Although director Louis Leterrier has expressed tremendous interesting in helming this epic project, a new contender has emerged. IESB’s anonymous source has revealed that the other contender on that short list is the legendary cult hero, Joss Whedon.

Ideally, Whedon (Firefly, Dollhouse, Buffy, Dr. Horrible) makes an ideal fit especially with his past experiences rooted heavily in the comic lore. From his work on Astonishing X-Men which ended up becoming one of Marvel’s best selling series and was nominated for several Eisner Awards; to his inheritance in penning The Runaways.

Currently Whedon is writing and producing “Cabin in the Woods” along site Thor’s Chris Hemsworth.

“The Avengers” has a tentative release date of May 4, 2012 with Zak Penn penning the screenplay.

Source: IESB