# Joe & Anthony Russo On Why ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Started Filming Without A Finished Script: “We Like To See What Actors Bring To The Characters”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/joe-anthony-russo-on-why-avengers-doomsday-started-filming-without-a-finished-script-we-like-to-see-what-actors-bring-to-the-characters/
- Published: 2026-09-02T22:13:31+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-03T04:29:51+00:00
- Original publisher: Deadline
- Original article: https://deadline.com/2026/09/joe-anthony-russo-avengers-doomsday-filming-unfinished-script-1237065860/
- Topics: Art, Avengers: Doomsday, Culture, Entertainment, Film

## Key points

- Russo brothers defend filming Avengers: Doomsday before script was finished
- They say improvisation with cast produces "magic" once actors join
- Film out 18 December; critics question impact on VFX and quality

## Summary

Joe and Anthony Russo have explained why they began filming Avengers: Doomsday before the script was finished, saying they treat the screenplay as a "living organism" that evolves once actors are cast. Speaking to the Associated Press, Joe Russo said their improvisation- and rehearsal-based approach means they prefer to see what actors bring to a role, even when cast members are only confirmed days or weeks before shooting begins, calling this "when the magic happens." Anthony Russo also addressed the film's task of restoring order to the MCU after several recent misfires, saying the directors' role is not to answer for the whole franchise but to make sense of it at the specific point where their story intersects it. The remarks drew criticism online, with some questioning whether shooting without a finished script squeezes visual effects teams' post-production time, pointing to differing finished quality across recent Marvel-adjacent releases as evidence.

Avengers: Doomsday is due for release on 18 December as part of Phase 6 of the MCU, following on from 2019's Avengers: Endgame, which the Russos also directed. The film will bring together heroes from multiple universes, including the Avengers, the Wakandans from Black Panther, the Thunderbolts (New Avengers) from Earth-616, the Fantastic Four from Earth-828, and the original X-Men. It arrives amid wider debate about superhero fatigue at the box office, though the recent success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been cited as evidence that audiences remain willing to turn out for Marvel films.

## Coverage

- [Deadline: Joe & Anthony Russo On Why ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Started Filming Without A Finished Script: “We Like To See What Actors Bring To The Characters”](https://deadline.com/2026/09/joe-anthony-russo-avengers-doomsday-filming-unfinished-script-1237065860/)
- [Variety: ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Shot Without a Finished Script, but Co-Director Joe Russo Says ‘We Always View’ the Screenplay as a ‘Living Organism’](https://variety.com/2026/film/news/avengers-doomsday-shot-without-finished-script-russo-bros-defend-1236849564/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.