The Avengers: A Movie That Will Surely Kill Me With Anticipation

...and speculation. Seriously. I have been speculating about and anticipating this movie since I first discovered it was coming out. So I am going to share with you what I know, what I think I know, and what I want.

What I Know: The Confirmed Information About The Avengers Movie
There are very few known things regarding what this movie will have in store. It is known that it is indeed in the works and that it is expected sometime in 2011. It is going to combine characters and plotlines from Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, as we have seen through the "secret scenes" after the end credits of both of these movies. The movie is also going to pull characters from at least four other movies that are still in pre-production stages. The first of these is Iron Man 2, scheduled to release in 2010. The only big news about this sequel are the facts that Don Cheadle is taking over the role of Rhodey and Tim Robbins will most likely be Howard Stark (Tony's father). The next Marvel movie in line for 2010 is Ant-Man, based on the Jack Kirby comic book. Edgar Wright (known mainly for Shaun of the Dead) will be directing this movie, but as for the cast, nothing is known for sure. If you are not familiar with Ant-Man, shame on you. But you can check him out here: http://www.marvel.com/universe/Ant-Man_(Scott_Lang)
The next movie leading up to The Avengers is Thor (scheduled for 2010 as well), directed by...drumroll please...KENNETH BRANAGH. Again, no casting decisions have been made official, but Kevin McKidd was at one point up for consideration for the role of Thor. If you are unfamiliar with Thor, again, shame on you. But here is some information: http://www.marvel.com/universe/Thor_(Thor_Odinson)
And now we come to 2011. And there is one more Marvel movie scheduled to release just before The Avengers. It is a Captain America movie called The First Avenger: Captain America. It will be directed by Joe Johnston, who directed October Sky, Jumangi, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, but more notably, worked on the visual effects for Star Wars Episodes IV-VI (original trilogy) and Raiders of the Lost Ark! So there is a lot expected of him for this Captain America film. Again, no casting decisions are official, but I will come back to this in the next section of this post.
Ok, here is what else is known. Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle are the only confirmed cast members of The Avengers according to imdb. And the director has not even been solidified yet. Marvel is just so indecisive. It does appear that the screenwriter is Zak Penn, which is a good choice in my opinion. He wrote X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, Fantastic Four, and the Incredible Hulk.
It is also known that The First Avenger: Captain America is going to have an extremely revealing flash back that is supposed to set up The Avengers perfectly. Details surrounding the flash back are unknown, but Howard Stark is going to play a significant role.
It is also known that the writers and masterminds behind The Avengers are intent on making S.H.I.E.L.D (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division) and it's hardcore director Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson. Now in reality, S.H.I.E.L.Dplays a minimal role in the start of the Ultimate Avengers and a nonexistant one afterwards. So all the purists out there are a little ticked. I, along with half of the Marvel comics fan population, would love a movie dedicated solely to S.H.I.E.L.D and Nick Fury. But enough of my opinions, that's for section three.

What I Think I Know: The Rumours Circulating Around The Avengers
Three Hollywood hunks are rumoured to be in the running for the Cpatain America role: Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Brad Pitt. Brad Pitt is also supposedly in the running for Thor. As I mentioned before, Gray's Anatomy's Kevin McKidd is also supposedly in the running for Thor. But Matthew Vaughn, who is working alongside Branagh on Thor, claims that he wants an unknown to be Thor.
Besides the Tim Robbins as Howard Stark speculation, the latest Avengers casting rumor was formulated when Eva Longoria was spotted exiting Marvel HQ with a stack of Ultimate Avengers comics in hand, woah! It is speculated that she will be The Wasp. Other characters besides Fury, Wasp, Iron Man, Hulk, Rhodey, Captain America, Thor, and Ant-Man who are rumored to be in the movie are Black Widow and Thunderstrike. And ss of now, Toby MacGuire is not supposed to show up in this movie. That is probably for the better. For more Avengers rumours, check out this blog: http://avengersnews.com/

What I Want: If I Were To Direct/Write/Produce/Call The Shots for The Avengers, This Is What I Would Do
First of all, I would cut S.H.I.E.L.D's role down significantly and make a separate movie dedicated to Nick Fury and his clan. Then, I would write in a bunch of the lesser known Ultimate Avenger characters such as Ms. Marvel, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Hellcat, Falcon, and Wolverine. As for casting, this is what I would want:
Nick Fury: Samuel L. Jackson
Iron Man: Robert Downey Jr.
Hulk: Ed Norton
Captain America: Matt Damon
Thor: Daniel Craig (no joke!)
The Wasp: Eva Longoria
Rhodey: Don Cheadle
Ant-Man: Matthew McConaughey
Ms. Marvel: Scarlett Johansson
Quicksilver: Oooo I don't know...somone with white-gray hair. If Anderson Cooper acted, he would be perfect. Hmmm maybe Mark Harmon or Pierce Brosnan
Scarlet Witch: Salma Hayek
Wolverine: Hugh Jackman
Hellcat: Marcia Cross (it's the red hair)
Falcon: Dennis Haysbert
Yep. That would be my star-studded Avengers cast. You have to admit, it would be pretty hardcore.
Well that is all for now. I will probably write more about this topic between now and 2011 because it is TWO WHOLE YEARS AWAY!!! How will I ever make it?