With writer/director Joss Whedon already announcing on a fansite that The Avengers was going into production this week, Marvel Studios has issued their own official announcement about the start of production. Included is the first photo from the set which shows the chairs reserved for Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). The announcement also briefly describes the plot of the movie without revealing anything whatsoever.
Continuing the epic big-screen adventures started in Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel’s The Avengers is the super hero team up of a lifetime. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster.
The announcement did confirm at least one thing: Tom Hiddleston's return as Loki. Whether Loki is the "unexpected enemy" that brings the group together is unknown. In March, Hiddleston claimed that even he didn't know whether Loki was going to be in The Avengers.
Also co-starring in the The Avengers is Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Clark Gregg as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson, Stellan Skarsgård as Professor Erik Selvig, and Cobie Smulders as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill. Marvel president Kevin Feige is producing The Avengers, while co-creator Stan Lee and Iron Man director Jon Favreau will executive produce.
