Thursday, July 28, 2011

'Avengers' Star Clark Gregg Backs Marvel TV Show

Though you might not know him by name, if you've seen many of Marvel's recent superhero flicks, chances are you'll recognize Clark Gregg. The actor plays Agent Coulson in three Marvel movies — "Iron Man," "Iron Man 2" and "Thor" — and will reprise the role in next summer's "The Avengers." Coulson is one of the few prominent roles in Marvel's expanding cinematic universe that isn't based on a pre-existing comic book character. Appearing first in "Iron Man," Coulson is an agent of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, better known by the acronym S.H.I.E.L.D., and has been seen trying to wrangle both Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark as well as Chris Hemsworth's Thor, with a bureaucratic demeanor frequently played for laughs. In an interview with MTV News, Gregg discussed the future of his silver-screen character in regard to some future television appearances. "It's been revealed today that I'm already doing 'Ultimate [Spider-Man],' " the actor explained, "which is about Spider-Man and a couple other soon-to-be-released Marvel superheroes who are hiding out undercover in a high school in New York, and Agent Coulson is hiding out as their principal, keeping an eye on them and taking things way too seriously." Even more exciting, however, was the mention of a potential future television show focused on S.H.I.E.L.D., the premiere global peacekeeping force in the Marvel Universe — like an international "X-Files" for superheroes. While a S.H.I.E.L.D. series hasn't been formally announced, the idea clearly appeals to Gregg. "In a lot of ways, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Coulson really lend themselves to a TV show because it's normal people," Coulson said. "It's real people dealing with extraordinary things." Would you watch a S.H.I.E.L.D. television series? Tell us below! Check out everything we've got on "The Avengers." For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com. Clark Gregg Photo: Jim Spellman/ WireImage