Last year ABC gave writer-director Joss Whedon the go-ahead to shoot a pilot for a television show set in The Avengers universe, and Deadline reports that the network has picked up the show to series. Entitled Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, the show will focus on — to no surprise — a group of agents from the fictional global law-enforcement agency SHIELD. The show will star Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, a character that has appeared in several of Marvel's films up until this point. The character of Agent Coulson died in The Avengers (or so it seemed), but it's not exactly clear how Whedon and his team plan to get around that particular hurdle.

Long before the global box-office success of The Avengers, Whedon made his name in television by creating shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly. While SHIELD won't be all Whedon himself — Dollhouse veterans Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon will be running the show — his influence will no doubt be felt. It will be Marvel's first series on ABC, and it appears that the network wants to get going as soon as possible: it's going to provide an early look at the show during the season finale of Once Upon A Time this Sunday.