It's tough to argue that anyone in the movie business had a better year than Joss Whedon. Between directing the top box office draw Marvel's The Avengers and writing The Cabin in the Woods, he even found time to make Much Ado About Nothing, set for release next year. The filmmaker, dubbed one of Entertainment Weekly's Entertainers of the Year, is also on board to write and direct The Avengers 2, and he already has the story mapped out, turning in an outline for the 2015 sequel to Marvel Studios. Of course, no story details have been revealed yet.

He also has the ABC TV series Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D. in the offing, which he co-created with his brother Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen. If the pilot gets picked up to series, Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, and Jeffrey Bell will serve as showrunners, with Joss Whedon serving as executive producer. He is also attached to direct the pilot episode, which will begin shooting in January 2013.

As for The Avengers 2, the main cast of Marvel's The Avengers are expected to return, including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, and Samuel L. Jackson.