Joss Whedon Hated the Avengers Script Marvel Gave Him

When Joss Whedon was hired to direct Marvel's The Avengers, the studio had already commissioned a [...]

When Joss Whedon was hired to direct Marvel's The Avengers, the studio had already commissioned a script from X-Men writer Zak Penn, which Whedon read prior to taking the job and then immediately abandoned once it was his movie to make.

According to an upcoming Joss Whedon biography by Amy Pascale (via Business Insider),Whedon's interview for the job included a moment of brutal honesty with studio head Kevin Feige.

"You don't have anything," Whedon reportedly said of the script. "You need to pretend this draft never happened."

Of course, they listened to Whedon. BI also resurrects a quote from an old GQ interview in which Penn, who shared a story credit with Whedon on the film, is fairly circumspect about getting the boot.

"We could have collaborated more, but that was not his choice. He wanted to do it his way, and I respect that," Penn said. "I mean, it's not like on the Hulk, where I got replaced by the lead actor. That was an unusual one. This was more normal."

Edward Norton's battles with Marvel over the Incredible Hulk script (and final cut of the film) will one day make their own interesting chapter in one or more biographies.

For Marvel's part, their in-house screenwriters reportedly did a pass on Ant-Man, which ultimately led to Edgar Wright's departure when he decided it was no longer a movie he wanted to make. Whedon tweeted the image at right, which many felt was silent solidarity with Wright, just after the Shaun of the Dead director and Marvel formally parted ways.

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