HOLLYWOOD, CA - Call it "Avengers Reassembled!"

Marvel Comics today announced that even though their new all-star superhero movie The Avengers won't debut in theaters until 2012, they will reboot it for 2013.

Said Avengers executive producer Avi Arad, "It's important to get an early jump and stake out our release dates." He added that the easiest way to do that and guarantee another hit movie for for the company is to remake a movie that's almost certain to be a hit.

Marvel's rationale is borne out by the facts of movie production and audience tracking. "Word of mouth on the first Avengers movie is Snakes On A Plane huge," Arad said. "But we've got superheroes."

Arad added that by the time the first Avengers film debuts in theaters and appears on DVD, enough people will have seen it that they will be clamoring for something new. But they'll also want something that's familiar and reliable so they don't feel like they've wasted the price of a movie ticket.

That's where the new Marvel strategy comes into play.

According to executive producer Louis D'Esposito, rapid advances in CG technology plus the increasing popularity of 3-D will transform the look of the reboot so it'll feel like a different experience. "It's like asking your wife to wear a blonde wig and stiletto heels for a special Saturday night. It's the same woman, but she looks brand new."

Stan Lee, who has a cameo in the upcoming first Avengers is looking forward to repeating it in the remake. Said the Smilin' One, "I'm hoping for a couple more lines of dialogue! Excelsior!"

When asked why Marvel would want to remake a movie that hasn't been released yet, Arad, who has also lent his touch to the Bratz franchise, said, "Creating a new superhero experience is hard work, and when you find one that works, it's better to just go back and reboot the original."

Arad cited George Lucas as someone who "cleared the path for all of us" with his multiple versions of the original Star Wars, and Ridley Scott who did the same with his alternate versions of Blade Runner.

Anticipating criticism from all corners, Producer Kevin Feige encouraged critics to be honest with themselves. "What would you rather see? An Avengers reboot or a brand new (ugh) Ka-Zar movie?"

According to Arad, Marvel executives first got the idea to remake The Avengers movie during post-production on the second Iron Man movie. "There's nothing wrong with Iron Man 2 that couldn't have been solved by just remaking the first one instead."

Remaking The Avengers also gives Marvel a chance to fix problems in the original script. Feige said, "We'd like to pass the Bechdel Test with at least one of our movies and an Avengers reboot gives us that chance." The "Bechdel" is the standardized entertainment test to determine if there are more than two women in a movie who talk to each other about something other than men.

Mark Ruffalo, the new Hulk, is excited about bringing additional nuance to his character in the remake. "I get tired of playing the good boyfriend in movies no one sees. Now I can play the same character differently twice. You used to only be able to do that onstage."

Ghost Rider's star Nicolas Cage was equally enthusiastic. "New, old, reboot, remake, sequel, 3-D, whatever. I think it's clear I'll do anything."

Joss Whedon (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Firefly) is currently directing The Avengers. No director has been announced for the history-making reboot, but according to Arad, "the blueprint for the film will already there from Joss. We won't need anyone so high-powered or expensive for the new version."

A reboot of The Avengers would also be a boost to the movie's toy line. Arad said, "Sales start to drop shortly after a movie's release, but between the first movie, the DVD and the reboot and the DVD of the reboot, we should be able to hold sales steady over two Christmases."

The Avengers will debut in 2012. The Avengers remake is set for May 31, 2013. But those release dates may be swapped, Arad said. "It all depends on focus group testing. If it goes well, I could easily see a scenario where the reboot is released first."

[Artwork: The Avengers, © Marvel Comics]