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"New details have emerged of Joss Whedon&amp;#039;s upcoming S.H.I.E.L.D. television pilot. The ABC drama - a loose spinoff from Whedon&amp;#039;s movie blockbuster The Avengers - will feature original characters not present in the Marvel films franchise. One of the new leads will be Skye, a &amp;quot;fun, smart&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;confident&amp;quot; woman in her late 20s, &amp;quot;with an ability to get the upper hand by using her wit and charm&amp;quot;, TVLine has reported. Other characters include the physically capable but socially awkward Agent Grant Ward and the &amp;quot;hardcore&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;damaged&amp;quot; weapons expert Agent Althea Rice. Technical whiz Agent Leo Fitz and scientific genius Agent Jemma Simmons will also feature as regular characters, with the pair said to share &amp;quot;a sibling relationship&amp;quot;.  Joss Whedon is expected to direct the S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot and will also work on the show&amp;#039;s writing team alongside his brother Jed (Spartacus) and Maurissa Tancharoen (Drop Dead Diva). Actress Lizzy Caplan - who appeared in Marvel&amp;#039;s short film Item 47 - recently ruled out a role on the series, citing her commitment to forthcoming Showtime drama Masters of Sex. &amp;gt; The Avengers star Clark Gregg: &amp;#039;I want to continue Marvel work&amp;#039; &amp;gt; Disney under fire after UK Avengers Assemble DVD, Blu-ray release Watch an alternative opening scene for The Avengers below:  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/the-avengers/news/a409637/joss-whedons-shield-tv-show-character-details-revealed/>