Zak Penn's Avengers Script

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  • Zak Penn's Avengers Script

    Has anyone read this, I am curious what his storyline was. Wheddon has been somewhat ungenerous towards Penn in interviews.
    It's the eye of the Tiger, it's the thrill of the fight

  • #2
    Re: Zak Penn's Avengers Script

    A lot of people have been pretty ungenerous towards Penn in interviews. But I guess that's okay, because he tends to return the favor.

    There's a "Creative Screenwriting Magazine" podcast for X-MEN: THE LAST STAND that's about an hour and a half, maybe more. He seems to take criticism pretty poorly, especially when people would talk favorably about the previous, X2. Penn takes credit for a great deal of what eventually became the second X-MEN film, which seemed counter to the documentaries and commentaries on that film's home video release.

    I had the opportunity to talk to someone involved with the writing of X2, and asked about Penn's contribution in relation to the comments he'd made. I was told "Do you want to see a Zak Penn script? Watch THE LAST STAND. That's a Zak Penn script."

    In regards to Penn's storyline for THE AVENGERS, I assume (and that's all this is - an assumption) that the broad strokes were probably similar. The team is assembled, Loki is the villain, the helicarrier makes an appearance, etc. etc.

    But as someone who has been actively following Joss Whedon since season one of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, it's pretty clear that the finished film is a Joss Whedon product. From dialog to characterization (particularly Black Widow and her function beyond just looking pretty in a skintight black suit) to the running gag that every time Loki pontificates it opens him up for immediate (and sometimes painful) failure, it's textbook Whedon through and through.

    Just so it doesn't seem like I'm ragging on Zak Penn, I will say this: LAST ACTION HERO is a ton of fun.

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    • #3
      Re: Zak Penn's Avengers Script

      He's Marvel's favorite screenwriter - his fingerprints are on all of the scripts. X-MEN 3 probably isn't a good example, since Simon Kinberg was on that - but (except for the uncredited) he's the only writer on the Ed Norton HULK (well, I'm sure Ed Norton did his pass).

      My guess is that Penn did all of the early drafts before they hired the director... who did his draft. Because Weadon didn't get a co-story credit as well, the story beats probably remained exactly the same.

      And why should Penn kiss Whedon's butt in interviews when Whedon trashes Penn in every interview? This is standard director trashing original writer stuff so that more of the spotlight is on him. Wait until someone does this to your script...

      Short answer: No, don't have it.

      - Bill
      Last edited by wcmartell; 05-27-2012, 01:36 PM.
      Free Script Tips:
      http://www.scriptsecrets.net

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      • #4
        Re: Zak Penn's Avengers Script

        Originally posted by wcmartell View Post
        My guess is that Penn did all of the early drafts before they hired the director... who did his draft. Because Weadon didn't get a co-story credit as well, the story beats probably remained exactly the same.
        This is false. Whedon does have a story credit. And of course the sole writing credit. It seems more likely, given that everyone acknowledges Whedon started fresh with a page-one rewrite, that Penn's shared story credit is little more than a sop.

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        • #5
          Re: Zak Penn's Avengers Script

          According to reports, when Norton rewrote Penn's script he wasn't allowed to change certain things, as sets were already being built and locations finalized. However, Louis Leterrier has even said that he wrote much of, if not all, of the dialog and the dramatic emphasis of the film is all his.

          But evidently Norton didn't change enough to fight off arbitration.

          As for his "fingerprints" being on all the movies, they're not - he got THE AVENGERS because X-MEN: THE LAST STAND made a lot of money. He was promptly rewritten completely by Whedon. He has no involvement in the rest of the Marvel Studios movies, beyond the aforementioned INCREDIBLE HULK.

          Originally posted by wcmartell View Post
          And why should Penn kiss Whedon's butt in interviews when Whedon trashes Penn in every interview?
          Nobody is saying he should. What I, personally, am saying is that he has a long history of doing the same thing. Search for interviews where he's trashed basically everyone who has ever replaced him on anything. Shane Black on LAST ACTION HERO. Bryan Singer and David Hayter on X2. Norton on THE INCREDIBLE HULK. The list goes on.

          Even with only a "Story by" credit on AVENGERS he's making a ton of movie as it breaks record after record. So, seriously - good for him.
          Last edited by SteveLilley; 05-27-2012, 06:29 PM.

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          • #6
            Re: Zak Penn's Avengers Script

            Do you get residuals/points if you only have story credit?
            It's the eye of the Tiger, it's the thrill of the fight

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            • #7
              Re: Zak Penn's Avengers Script

              I thought you did. Not as much as a sole writing credit or even a co writing credit, but I was pretty sure you got something.

              Don't you? Now you're making me doubt myself

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              • #8
                Re: Zak Penn's Avengers Script

                Martell will chime in.
                It's the eye of the Tiger, it's the thrill of the fight

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                • #9
                  Re: Zak Penn's Avengers Script

                  I want to say I read it in Lennon and Garant's book. Full disclosure - that's going off of memory, so I could totally be wrong about that.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Zak Penn's Avengers Script

                    Originally posted by Jules View Post
                    Do you get residuals/points if you only have story credit?
                    Yup. You sure do. I think it's like 25 percent of total writer residuals credited.

                    Nice tidy sum for sure! But remember that 25 percent of residuals is then only 25 percent of 1.2 percent of the gross producer profit for all profits after first run.

                    But it should add up to seriously big money over time.

                    D.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Zak Penn's Avengers Script

                      After the first run... what are you saying exactly?
                      It's the eye of the Tiger, it's the thrill of the fight

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                      • #12
                        Re: Zak Penn's Avengers Script

                        Originally posted by dmatthew View Post
                        Yup. You sure do. I think it's like 25 percent of total writer residuals credited.

                        Nice tidy sum for sure! But remember that 25 percent of residuals is then only 25 percent of 1.2 percent of the gross producer profit for all profits after first run.
                        You're confusing residuals with points. They're two different things.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Zak Penn's Avengers Script

                          Originally posted by wcmartell View Post
                          He's Marvel's favorite screenwriter - his fingerprints are on all of the scripts. X-MEN 3 probably isn't a good example, since Simon Kinberg was on that - but (except for the uncredited) he's the only writer on the Ed Norton HULK (well, I'm sure Ed Norton did his pass).

                          My guess is that Penn did all of the early drafts before they hired the director... who did his draft. Because Weadon didn't get a co-story credit as well, the story beats probably remained exactly the same.

                          And why should Penn kiss Whedon's butt in interviews when Whedon trashes Penn in every interview? This is standard director trashing original writer stuff so that more of the spotlight is on him. Wait until someone does this to your script...

                          - Bill
                          Joss did get co story credit, and sole screenplay credit.

                          Looks like Whedon is Marvel's favourite screenwriter now, since they hired him to write/direct Avengers 2 and mastermind all the movies that will lead up to it, as well as develop a Marvel TV series.

                          And I suspect the elements that stayed the same were the ones dictated by Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Hulk in their set ups for Avengers. Whedon came on board long after they had been released so he had to keep his script consistent with them, and therefore Penn's script. Loki as villain, cosmic cube, alien attack, Hulk being able to focus his rage, Cap being new to this era etc.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Zak Penn's Avengers Script

                            As JCGary said, "Points" and "Residuals" are two different things. Any profit participation is beyond WGA control and separately negotiated...

                            Residuals are a WGA requirement and there are so many different ways they are figured: Foreign distribution fees, copyrights, cable and broadcast TV airings, VOD, DVDs, etc... etc... -- Basically every different platform triggers a residual of some kind.

                            It doesn't matter how many writers worked on a project -- only those who receive story or screenplay credit get them. Which is why credits are so important. It breaks down thusly:

                            70% of resids go toward screenplay (to the individual credited or shared equally among all credited)
                            30% go toward story (again, divided by however many have credit)
                            So in the case of Avengers, we can figure that Joss is getting 85% of the residuals and Penn is getting 15%

                            Again those percentages are of the total residuals generated from all the various distribution platforms. They have nothing to do with points or initial payments for writing services.

                            First writers on a WGA contract are always guaranteed a minimum of shared story credit (see Aaron Sorkin's views on this -- they're hilarious). So even if subsequent writers change 100% of everything in the script, the original writer will still get shared story --

                            (see Low Dweller/ Out of the Furnace as an example) -- even the title and character names are different and yet Ingelsby will still get shared story because the script evolved from his original into something that has nothing left from the original... Not a word, not a comma, nothing. Would be awesome if it won an Oscar. Technically, Ingelsby would be granted a statue and allowed on stage for something he didn't write a single word of. (see Reitman's bitterness re: sharing the stage with Sheldon Turner)

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                            • #15
                              Re: Zak Penn's Avengers Script

                              Originally posted by JJBones View Post
                              (see Low Dweller/ Out of the Furnace as an example) -- even the title and character names are different and yet Ingelsby will still get shared story because the script evolved from his original into something that has nothing left from the original... Not a word, not a comma, nothing. Would be awesome if it won an Oscar. Technically, Ingelsby would be granted a statue and allowed on stage for something he didn't write a single word of. (see Reitman's bitterness re: sharing the stage with Sheldon Turner)
                              He'd be okay with it. Same as Ring Lardner, Jr. getting his Oscar for MASH.

                              HH

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