With Marvel‘s insane level of secrecy we’re always eager to gobble up any little morsel they might give us about how they make their movies, but today they threw us the equivalent of a giant porterhouse steak by letting Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn share the script for Vol. 2 online. And if that wasn’t enough, he answered fans questions and shared some insight into how he cooked the whole thing from start to finish.
As promised, the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 script is now online. Read it here for free: https://t.co/xXGha4EhMH
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 21, 2017
Gunn shared on Twitter today the totally free-to-read script, which he wrote, and since he knew that would only lead to a bunch of the same questions, he addressed issues he knew would come up when people compared it to the movie they saw.
This was the last script of nine he turned in to the studio (and that doesn’t include the “dozens” he wrote for himself), and it was the one used during filming. However it doesn’t perfectly match the final movie both because of on-set improvisation from the cast and because some lines were cut. But this one script doesn’t even capture just how much time he spent working on it. And that work began the day the first film hit theaters.
6 I took a lot of notes on what would happen in Vol. 2 before ever starting Vol. 1. I actually started writing the treatment/story on the day the first film came out (Aug 1 2014) and the script was pretty much finished in October of 2015 a couple months before shooting.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 21, 2017
Of course the Guardians movies don’t exist in a vacuum, since they are a part of the larger MCU, but that doesn’t sound like it posed nearly the kind of problems or worries you might expect.
7 The studio suggested no changes to make it more amendable to Avengers 3 or 4. I did, however, give Markus & McFeely and the Russo Brothers the script in October 2015 so they knew where the Guardians ended up while they were writing.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 21, 2017
And while it wouldn’t be a Marvel movie without an end credits scene or two, this movie had way more than most with a whopping five, and Gunn talked about how only one of them wasn’t in the original script.
10 All of the post-credits scenes were included all the way back in the treatment – I didn't discuss therm with Marvel beforehand, but they liked them. EXCEPT the Stakar/Ravagers scene, which I wrote after we had completed primary filming.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 21, 2017
But what about that Adam Warlock tease, the one Gunn had to fight to have included? Was that a sign of what to expect from the next film? Actually it might not have been, because it turns out the character isn’t guaranteed to appear in Vol. 3 like we would have bet. And spoiler alert: he’s definitely not going to be fighting the Avengers any time soon.
12 And despite so many people thinking Adam will show up in Vol 3 that is something that we have never confirmed. Who knows how long it will take him to bake in that cocoon. That said, I love Adam. But the time must be right.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 21, 2017
He also explained how the soundtracks that are such a huge part of the movies are a big part of the writing process right from the start.
14 The songs are all chosen in the treatment phase – sometimes before I write the scene and sometimes after.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 21, 2017
If it doesn't affect plot, I'd keep it out.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 21, 2017
In addition to talking about the actual film, Gunn also shared some insights into the actual script writing process and how pages translate to screen.
The movie is two hours and fifteen minutes. I space out action to make it easier and more fun to read. The various Marvel screenplays have very little in common with each other.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 21, 2017
13 There are MANY things I do in the script that I would probably not do if I wasn't directing. I write a fair amount of camera moves & I write in the songs.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 21, 2017
For you aspiring screenwriters out there, don’t use this script as an exact guide for how to format yours. That’s because Gunn included camera movements that he would not have out there had someone else been set to direct the movie instead.
It's generally a camera direction. When you're not directing the film, it's probably wise to avoid.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 21, 2017
It's semi-rare on big budget films, especially when there's only one writer. It's common on lower budget films.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 21, 2017
You’ll want to check out his entire feed to get even more great insight into both the writing and filming of the movie, but don’t expect to see the script for the original movie anytime soon, because he said there are no plans to release it.
That’s a bummer, but we shouldn’t complain. Marvel serving us this much should hold us over until they finally satiate our desire for the Infinity War trailer.
We hope. We’re starving to get that.
What questions do you have for James Gunn about the script? What about how he filmed it? Tell us in the comments below what you would like to hear him answer.
Image: Marvel
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