Cheapskates?

Is Marvel making  Joss Whedon's superhero ensemble pic "The Avengers" on the cheap?

The folks over at Bleeding Cool claim that the studio is demanding the film be completed on a budget just under $140 million.

The site's unnamed sources claim some people have walked off the set, while others hope that once the production runs out of money then extra cash will be added to finish the project. In any case the staff changes have apparently delayed the pre-production process by weeks, maybe even months.

No word on how or if this will affect the shooting schedule or May 4 2012 release date...and there's no official comment as yet from either Marvel or Disney.

I find it hard to believe that Mighty Marvel would risk playing games with this one--considering how much is riding on the pic's success

Meanwhile speaking to  MTV “Iron Man” star Robert Downey Jr. said of Whedon's script “I just read the script, and it’s going to be fantastic.” Jokingly he added “Once I tear his script to smithereens and fix it we’ll have a great movie.”