The Avengers : Age of Ultron

’Avengers 2’ Due Date: May 1, 2015?

MTV News talked to some industry insiders, and all signs point to May 2015 release date for the much-anticipated sequel.

When Marvel announced earlier this week that Joss Whedon would be back to helm the "Avengers" sequel it was the answer to many a fanboy’s prayers. Who else can we trust to continue the hugely successful and well-received blockbuster but the man who wrote and directed the first one? We’re still basking in the glow of the news, but we can’t help but wonder exactly when we might see this highly anticipated sequel. In speaking with several industry insiders, all signs lead us to believe that May 1, 2015 is the magic date for when we’ll see "Avengers 2."

Why May 1, 2015? First off, there is Marvel’s jam-packed sequel slate to consider. Several of our favorite Avengers won’t be available to assemble until after they finish filming their own standalone films and Marvel already has releases planned for those titles through 2014. Robert Downey Jr. is booked for "Iron Man 3," Chris Evans for "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," and Chris Hemsworth for "Thor: The Dark World", not to mention Samuel L. Jackson’s involvement in all three given his fancy nine-picture deal and the cameo potential for Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner as Jackson’s fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

It’s also important to point out that in announcing Whedon’s official involvement, the production is very likely further along in the development process than the studio is willing to announce. "Marvel has a very set agenda of what they want to do, they are already kind of ahead of the game [on the sequel] because they’ve got the guy that did it before doing it again and something tells me Joss already has the template [for the film]," an inside source told MTV News. "In terms of the time frame, I think that it is well in the works. ... It looks like the release date might be May 1, 2015, but that can change depending on people’s schedules. The beauty of ’The Avengers’ is that you’ve got so many people in this that even during the shoot if someone has to do another film they can just focus on [other characters]."

When MTV News reached out to Marvel for comment on the rumored release date, the studio said it had no other information on the film at this time other than the initial statement regarding Whedon’s new deal.