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Joss Whedon Called Out by Original Writer of The Avengers: ‘He’s a Terrible Person’
The Avengers movie faced drama behind the scenes, and the original writer, Zak Penn, isn’t holding back.
• Zak Penn, the original writer of The Avengers, has called out Joss Whedon for his negative and disrespectful behavior while working as a director.
Penn expressed shock at Whedon’s lack of courtesy and disregard for his personal life.
• As a result of Whedon’s attitude, Penn lost out on bonuses, and the story credit went to Whedon instead.
• Despite the setback, Zak Penn has created highly successful projects, including “Ready Player One, “Free Guy,” and “Alphas.” He is creating sci-fi thriller series “Beacon 23,” set to air in November 2021.
Zak Penn, the initial writer of The Avengers before Joss Whedon took over, has some honest words about their frustrating collaboration.
In 2012, The Avengers hit the big screen with Whedon credited as the writer and director. However, Zak Penn, who had worked on The Incredible Hulk, was initially hired to write the screenplay.
Everything changed in 2010 when Whedon was brought in as the director, immediately scrapping Penn’s script.
Penn doesn’t hold back in expressing his disappointment with Whedon’s rude and unpleasant behavior during the process.
Penn explained, “Joss wasn’t even on our radar as a potential director. I heard he wanted to rewrite the script himself. He didn’t even have the courtesy to meet with me, as is customary when a new writer comes in. When I reached out to him personally, he arrogantly replied, ‘No, it’s not awkward for me. I’m rewriting you.’ Clearly, he had zero interest in having me involved in the movie.”
The news of being replaced on such a high-profile project was devastating, especially regarding his children.
Unfortunately, Whedon allegedly didn’t care about Penn’s concerns.
Penn expressed, “My kids have grown up with me working on this project. They’ve bragged to their friends about it. What will their friends think when they find out their dad didn’t work on The Avengers? Whedon’s response was, ‘What will happen when my kids think you wrote half the story?'”
Penn concluded by stating, “I think he’s terrible and disrespectful. It was truly surprising. Not only did I lose millions of dollars in bonuses, but it all went into Joss’s pocket.”
Despite the setback, Zak Penn has contributed to successful projects like “Ready Player One,”” Free Guy,” and “Alphas.”
He also created the highly anticipated sci-fi thriller series “Beacon 23,” set to premiere on MGM+ in November and starring Lena Headey from “Game of Thrones.”