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Forget the forthcoming 'A-Team' and Sylvester Stallone’s 'The Expendables' – the most eagerly-awaited team-up movie is 'The Avengers'.

Robert Downey Jr and Samuel L Jackson have already signed up to reprise their Iron Man and Nick Fury characters. Factor in that Ed Norton could return as The Hulk, as could Scarlett Johansson (who plays the Black Widow in 'Iron Man 2') and it means we could have possibly one of the best A-list ensemble casts in years. (And we have no idea who the villains are at this point, either.)

It also means that it could be the most ego-fuelled set of all time.

As much as the comic book fanboys must be yelping with excitement at the prospect of all this superhero action, is it possible to give the actors the screen time that they will undoubtedly crave? After all, Hollywood is littered with stories about actors rewriting their scripts to give themselves better lines and more scenes.

The other aspect is the studio itself. When the third 'X-Men' movie was in the works, Halle Berry and Hugh Jackman were the biggest stars of the franchise, and so they were pushed to the forefront of the film, leaving the other characters either killed off or left very much in the background.

Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth, who are playing Captain America and Thor respectively, aren’t exactly household names. So does that mean they will be supporting characters – when, in fact, Captain America is the team’s unofficial leader?

The unenviable task of not only satisfying all the actors, but also trying to make a movie that doesn’t feel bloated, has gone to director Joss Whedon. The mastermind behind ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ is reportedly in final talks to direct the movie. He certainly knows how to work with ensemble casts (as proved by his TV work and screenwriting duties on the first 'X-Men' film), but he’s never worked with a heavyweight cast like this, or handled a budget that could run into hundreds of millions of pounds.

So, will ’The Avengers’ be as good as everyone at Marvel hopes it is? It’s certainly been something they’ve planned for a while, with Jackson’s Nick Fury and Downey Jr's Tony Stark appearing in previous Marvel films hoping to recruit members. Or will it be a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth?

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