Despite ABC's earlier reticence to confirm any kind of official pick-up for the forthcoming Joss Whedon-directed Marvel's 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' TV series, industry insiders remain confident the project will go to series. Yet even with its well-documented cast roster, relatively little is known about the 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' premise, and how precisely it will incorporate the super-heroics and villainy of its big-screen counterparts. So what does Joss Whedon himself have to say about what the series will focus on?

Even with its pilot episode soon to shoot, and its core cast made public knowledge, ABC and Joss Whedon are keeping specifics of Marvel's live-action 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' TV series under wraps for the time being. We know that that the series won't (often) feature the big-screen superheroes of 'The Avengers,' but will the effort introduce other super-powered heroes and villains into the cinematic Marvel universe?

Speaking to MTV, Whedon himself clarified a few points about the focus of the series, specifically what will set the 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' TV series apart from its more spectacle-laden counterparts:

You've got bring a bit of spectacle to it. It's got to be bigger than your average cop show. But at the end of the day, it's about the peripheral people. It's about the people on the edges of the grand adventures. The whole point of the show is that even with all these big things, the little things matter. It's about people who don't have super powers.

There will be some people with powers, there will be FX, and there will be the spectacle of science-fiction storytelling, but all played on a very human, small level. That's the appeal of the thing.

Imminently shooting for a likely fall premiere, Marvel’s ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.' TV series features a cast that also includes Clark Gregg’s resurrected Agent Phil Coulson, as well as ‘ER’ vet Ming-Na, Chloe Bennet, Brett Dalton, Elizabeth Henstridge and Iain De Caestecker as the other agents of the team. Nick Fury himself, Samuel L. Jackson also recently stated that he expected to be involved in some small capacity.

Well, what say you? Do you think the smaller scale of the 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' TV series will prevent it from reaching the heights of 'The Avengers,' or will Joss' trademark TV charms make it worth your while all the same? Who would you like to see portrayed in Marvel's 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' TV series? Check out the full interview below, and sound off in the comments!

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