Avengers: Doomsday’s script took a long time to take shape. The movie’s directors, the Russo Brothers, have confirmed that they began production with a screenplay that was far from complete.
In a recent interview with AP News, Anthony and Joe Russo revealed that they began filming Avengers: Doomsday with an unfinished script. The movie was originally not supposed to revolve around Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr. The fifth movie was initially titled “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.”
The film was supposed to feature Jonathan Majors, who played Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. However, Marvel dropped the actor from the franchise after he was convicted of assaulting his girlfriend.
Later, the Russo brothers joined the project, and production eventually began without a concrete script.
Why the Russo Brothers believe an evolving script produces better results
The Russo Brothers have shed light on their creative process, explaining why they believe in improvisation. Speaking with AP News, Joe Russo said, “We always view the script as a living organism.”
The filmmaker went on to explain, “We’re improvisation-based, rehearsal-based directors. We like to see what the actors bring to the characters, and sometimes you don’t get the actors until a few days or few weeks before you shoot them. And a lot of the time, that’s when the magic happens.”
Sebastian Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes in the MCU, had also previously spoken about working without a script on Doomsday. In a recent interview with Le Journal du Dimanche, the actor confirmed, “We didn’t even have a script.”
He added, “We were just shooting scattered scenes. It’s a different way of working, continuous, constantly evolving. The producers didn’t want us to read it in its entirety, to avoid journalists asking us questions.”
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on December 18, 2026. It will feature a large ensemble cast of returning MCU stars. They include Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Pedro Pascal, Paul Rudd, Florence Pugh, and Tom Hiddleston, to name only a few.
