Will Joss Whedon return for The Avengers 3?

Joss Whedon is currently hammering away at the screenplay for 2015's hugely-anticipated sequel The Avengers: Age of Ultron ahead of production early next year, as well as serving as 'creative consultant' on Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But with his deal set to expire after the release of The Avengers sequel, can we expect the fanboy favourite director to return for the inevitable Avengers 3? Screen Rant put the question to Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige during a press junket for Thor: The Dark World:

"It’s still being determined. All of his efforts right now are in what he’s doing for us primarily, obviously, writing and prepping Age of Ultron but also in reading the drafts of the films in Phase Two, watching early cuts and a) to inform him where the characters are going to end up in the beginning of Age of Ultron and also to get his input and his wisdom into all of these. But right now it’s all about leading up to Age of Ultron."

Of course, given that The Avengers is the third-highest grossing film of all-time, and Age of Ultron is likely to put up a mighty challenge to that position, you'd have to imagine Marvel Studios would be keen to retain Whedon's services, but with everything the studio touches seemingly turning to gold these days it's not inconceivable that The Avengers 3 could find someone else occupying the director's chair. If so, who would you like to see taking on the job? Let us know in the comments below....