Joss Whedon recently told MTV News that Marvel's first TV series on ABC S.H.I.E.L.D would feature new characters not seen in the film series.
The fictional espionage and secret military law-enforcement agency, has had a significant role in the "Avengers" movie universe. "The Avengers" film left Executive Director Nick Fury status with his superiors in flux.
So I think the new TV show should uses some S.H.I.E.L.D's comic book history. In the "Secret War mini-series," Fury effectively resigned as executive director, with international warrants out for his arrest. His first successor was not one of his closer associates but a relatively unknown newcomer to the S.H.I.E.L.D. hierarchy, Maria Hill. Cobie Smulders played the character in "The Avengers" movie.
She is the perfect starting point for the series. I would use the Samuel L. Jackson played Nick Fury as the focal point of international manhunt with Hill in charge of capturing him. Nick Fury is S.H.I.E.L.D, making him a fugitive means that Jackson will have limited appearances on the TV show and his absence is explained by a legitimate reason.
If they put Hill as the leader of the agency it creates so many storylines such as does she trust agents that have a history with Fury and is she actually working with Fury. Her relative inexperience as the executive director will also make her fallible and human TV lead. I think show should treat the Sci-fi elements of the Marvel universe like the "X-files." I would even think of doing the "Secret Invasion" storyline and use the shape-shifting Skrulls as villains.
So here is our list for who should be in the show and which actors should play these roles.....
Deputy Director Maria Hill: Cobie Smulders reprising her role will give the show some continuity with the film franchise. Smulders is currently ending her last season as Robin Scherbats on the television series "How I Met Your Mother." This means she is free to start a new series.
Nick Fury: Samuel L. Jackson will have to show his shiny baldhead in some capacity. I think having him, as a fugitive for his actions in the first film will be in the best interest of the show. I'd like to seem ideally in like three episodes, the season premier, mid-season and in the season finale.
Clay Quartermain: Clay Quartermain has appeared as an agent of the fictional espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D since the beginning. He is kind of smug fast-talking character. "Ghost Whisperer," actor David Conrad could pull off the role with dyed blond hair. He has been in films like "Men of Honor," and "Wedding Crashers." He is currently not on TV.
Jasper Sitwell: Young, crew cut, clean-cut Jasper Sitwell graduated at the top of his class at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, with particularly high marks in airborne jump school and underwater maneuvers.* Maximiliano Hernandez has portrayed the character in the Marvel film universe, but I feel he was miscast. I think the role would be better played by Smulders "How I met Your Mother," co-star Neil Patrick Harris. He has worked with Whedon on the musical web series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. In 2010, he provided the voice for the role of Nightwing in the animated film "Batman: Under the Red Hood," and voiced Peter Parker in 2003's "Spider-Man: The New Animated Series."
Sharon Carter: Sharon was said to be the younger sister of Peggy Carter, the wartime love interest of Captain America, but she was later reimagined as Peggy's niece because of the unaging nature of comic characters. I don't know if she will be appearing in the Captain America sequel, but the show would be a great way to introduce the character. Sharon bares a striking resemblance to Peggy, so ideally she should be played by someone Hayley Atwell the actress who played the role on the big screen. I could also see Rhona Mitra in the role of Sharon.
James "Jimmy" Woo: is an Asian-American FBI agent assigned primarily to investigate and apprehend the Chinese-national mandarin known as the Yellow Claw, a Fu Manchu manqué. I'd cast Ian Anthony Dale who previously portrayed Simon Lee on The Event, and was previously known for playing Davis Lee on Surface and his recurring role on Charmed as Avatar Gamma.
Watch Whedon's interview about the TV show here.
