Joss Whedon finally poured some cement on the wettest worst-kept secret in Hollywood this afternoon – he will indeed be writing and directing Marvel’s “The Avengers”.

“That is not an official thing because I think Marvel couldn’t afford a press release,” the “Dollhouse” creator said. “So can I just make that an official thing? I’m directing The Avengers.”

Whedon, appearing in a panel with J.J Abrams, wouldn’t divulge any details about the film though did say what a big fan (well, of course) of the comics he was – mentioning the “Death of Warlock” story to be a personal favourite.

“These people shouldn’t be in the same room let alone on the same team”, Whedon says of the titular hero band, “and that is the definition of family.”

Abrams touched briefly on his next big project, “Super 8″ but wasn’t able to show any footage from the film since it’s not due to lens until September.