Back in October, The Long Island Business News reported that Marvel was planning to set up their biggest film to date, The Avengers, in Bethpage, New York. Stretching across seven soundstages, the film will be only the second movie filmed at Grumman Studios, the first being the Angelina Jolie spy thriller Salt. Well, apparently the project is too big to be contained by one state.

Variety reports that The Avengers is now scheduled to also shoot in New Mexico, making it the biggest film to ever film in the area. In announcing the news, Governor Bill Richardson called it "a Christmas present of sorts" to the state, as the production will likely create hundreds of jobs. New Mexico, thanks to its tax breaks, has been a hot spot for major productions in the last few years, recently playing host to Thor and Cowboys & Aliens. In addition to filming in New York and New Mexico, some of principle photography is also scheduled to take place in Michigan. The film will be directed by Joss Whedon and is planned to be in production from April until September.

Considering that most of the film will likely take place in closed-off soundstages, don't expect to see a lot of the New Mexico landscape find its way into the film (though, considering how awesome Santa Fe is, that's kind of a shame). The real good news is this: The Avengers is almost here!