Joss Whedon Says “The Avengers” Script Was a Disaster

Joss Whedon made the move from “the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer” to “important Marvel hot-shot” when he agreed to direct and pen the script for “The Avengers,” which came out in 2012. Well, actually, the only condition on which he agreed to direct it was if he would also be allowed to write the script.

In the book “Joss Whedon: The Biography” by Amy Pascale, arriving in stores on August 1, Whedon says that he was terribly displeased by Zak Penn’s first draft: so displeased that he would not have agreed to direct the film if Marvel had wanted to stick with it.

“I don't think you have anything,” Whedon told Marvel President Kevin Feige after reading the draft. “You need to pretend this draft never happened.”

In a later interview, Whedon admitted that the draft had been an actual script, but not one by which he wanted to direct. Still, Penn received credit for the story, but not for the screenplay, which went entirely to Whedon.

Not that Penn minded it all that much, even though you might think those are some harsh words Whedon is going on the record with. In 2012, GQ contacted him for his side of the story, to be included in a Whedon profile they were working on, and he stressed that he understood that this was the way the game was played.

Not all ideas can come to fruition, no matter how long or hard you work on them, especially in Hollywood.

“We could have collaborated more, but that was not his choice. He wanted to do it his way, and I respect that. 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,” Penn said.

On “The Incredible Hulk” (2008), Penn was virtually replaced by leading actor Edward Norton, who kept trying to change the script as the movie progressed. This earned Norton quite a diva reputation and is believed to have ultimately ruined the movie, because the leading man overstepped all boundaries, made a mess of things, and last but not least, failed to do his job, which was to act.

Fans of Whedon’s work are anxious to see his latest effort on the big screen: “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is scheduled for release in May 2015. However, Marvel will premiere a trailer and more artwork for it at San Diego Comic-Con 2014, kicking off later this week. So keep your eyes peeled.