Indeed, isn’t it astonishing how the shifting nature of Tinseltwion, sometimes, has the power to both launch and sink careers, frequently relying on the schemes of powerful personalities colliding behind the camera? Having said that, egos can clash & friendships can be tested in the entertainment industry. And, in the case of old friends, Joss Whedon and Zak Penn, their working relationship during the production of The Avengers was no exception.
Zak Penn, having valiantly written narratives for cinematic titans (Incident at Loch Ness & The Incredible Hulk), once found himself wrestling with Joss Whedon’s insatiable ego. Unknowingly, this clash resulted in a stark moment of humiliation during the making of the 2012 flick, an event that would live on in Hollywood lore.
Whedon surprised many when he announced he would direct The Avengers, but he rejected Penn’s initial screenplay, and the echoes of their heated exchanges can still reverberate today.
Revisiting The Avengers: How Joss Whedon Ignored the Original Writer
Initially, Marvel had enlisted Zak Penn to write a screenplay for the 2012 flick The Avenger (see MTV). Joss Whedon, however, assumed complete control over the film’s direction and screenplay as soon as he was brought on board as director.
Penn, 56, a seasoned screenwriter with both hits and misses under his belt, found himself facing humiliation when Whedon decided to toss out his screenplay and take over writing duties for the blockbuster superhero film. The arrogance Penn encountered from Whedon during this time left a bitter taste in his mouth as he reflected on the experience in the book, MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios (via ComicBookMovie)
All the other directors we had been talking about, Joss wasn’t on the list. I heard he was going to rewrite the script himself. He didn’t even want to meet with me – which, by the way, I always call the writer I’m replacing. I feel like that’s courtesy.
The fact that Whedon, a director who wasn’t even on the original list of potential helmers for The Avengers, took it upon himself to rewrite Penn’s hard work. The latter, who had poured years of his life into the project, was left feeling deflated and disrespected by Whedon’s dismissive behavior.
Continuing, Penn further recalled:
My kids have grown up while I’ve been working on it. They’ve all told their friends about it. What’s going to happen when their friends are like, ‘Your dad didn’t work on Avengers’? An unmoved Whedon fired back, ‘What’s going to happen when my kids think that you wrote half the story?’
Whedon’s scornful response to Penn’s concerns about his kids, as well as his blunt assessment of their relationship, further reinforced his negative opinion of the filmmaker. The fact that millions of dollars in bonuses were at stake for Penn, based on his screenwriting credit, only added insult to injury.
The Avengers: Zak Penn’s Unreserved Thoughts on Joss Whedon
Due to disagreements with The Avengers’ director, Joss Whedon, Zak Penn withdrew from the movie and requested that his name be taken out of the writing credits. The Incredible Hulk writer had nothing but criticism for Whedon, even though his name is still listed in the movie’s story credits.
Penn expressed his dissatisfaction with Whedon’s profiting from the ideas he spent years working on, calling Whedon a “bad person” (via MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios):
I think he’s a d*ck. I think he’s a bad person, and it was really surprising. Remember, my bonus is based on my credit. So literally millions and millions of dollars, which is not the issue here, but that just came out of my pocket and went into Joss’s pocket.
The end result was a tenuous shared credit situation between the two men, with neither feeling satisfied by the outcome. Both men received a ‘Story by’ credit, but Whedon was ultimately awarded a single ‘Written by’ credit.
Notwithstanding these behind-the-scenes dramas, the film went on to become a global box-office success for the studio and earned over $1.5 billion (Box Office Mojo). And, in the case of Joss Whedon & Zak Penn, it seems that the former’s insatiable ego may have cost him a valuable friendship!
Stream The Avengers on Disney+.
