Joss Whedon bringing ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ to ABC

Joss Whedon’s Marvel-related TV series has a name, and it’s “S.H.I.E.L.D.”

The top-secret government organization headed by Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) is the subject of an upcoming ABC TV pilot, which received a green light from the network on Tuesday, according to multiple reports.

This series would be Whedon’s return to series television after the cancellation of his last two series on Fox, “Firefly” and “Dollhouse.” Though Whedon is co-writing the pilot, he won’t be the showrunner.

Whedon’s collaborators on this series are his brother, Jed Whedon, and Jed’s wife, Maurissa Tancharoen. If those names aren’t immediately familiar, they carry great significance for Whedonites. They are two of the three writers of the fan-favorite Web series “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.”

S.H.I.E.L.D., for those who aren’t readers of the Marvel comic, stands for Strategic Hazard Intervention Logistic Directorate. Those who saw Whedon’s blockbuster summer movie, “The Avengers,” know it as the group that got Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk together and uses a giant helicarrier as its base of operations.

No word if the big names will make appearances in “S.H.I.E.L.D.,” but Variety has reported that Whedon told an audience that the series would be “autonomous” from the “Avengers” sequel, which is due to hit theaters in 2015. Though Whedon is writing and directing the sequel, he could also direct the pilot if his schedule permits.

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Join Patrick Kevin Day on Google+ or Twitter. Email: patrick.day@latimes.com

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