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Joe & Anthony Russo On Why ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Started Filming Without A Finished Script: “We Like To See What Actors Bring To The Characters”
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
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.
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In short
- 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
How this story developed
- 2 months ago 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.
- 2 months ago Joe and Anthony Russo have explained why they began filming Avengers: Doomsday before finalising the script, saying they treat the screenplay as a "living organism" that evolves once actors are cast.
- 2 months ago 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.
Full account
Joe and Anthony Russo have defended their decision to begin production on Avengers: Doomsday before the screenplay was fully locked, telling the Associated Press that they regard a script as something that continues to evolve throughout filming rather than a fixed blueprint. Joe Russo said the pair work in an improvisational, rehearsal-heavy way, and that casting sometimes comes together only days or weeks before a scene is shot, which he described as often producing the film's best moments.
The comments mark the Russos' first major press round since returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for their first tentpole entry since 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Doomsday is scheduled for release on 18 December as part of Phase Six, and will bring together heroes from several corners of the franchise, including the Avengers, the Wakandans introduced in Black Panther, the Thunderbolts/New Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the classic X-Men line-up. Asked how the film would address a run of uneven MCU instalments, Anthony Russo said the directors did not see it as their job to account for the whole franchise, but to make sense of the specific point where their story intersects with it.
One outlet, Deadline, situated the remarks within wider debate about the state of the MCU, noting that Spider-Man: Brand New Day had recently drawn strong audiences and pushing back on claims of superhero fatigue, while also carrying reader pushback in its comments referencing productions such as Superman and The Fantastic Four as examples of how post-production time affects visual effects quality. Variety, meanwhile, focused more on the practical history behind Doomsday's development, recounting how the project was reshaped after Jonathan Majors was dropped from Marvel's plans amid legal troubles, scrapping the previously announced Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. That shake-up brought the Russo brothers back into the fold alongside Robert Downey Jr, who returns to the MCU not as Iron Man but in the villainous role of Doctor Doom.
Variety also placed the Russos' comments in a broader industry context, citing DC Studios chief James Gunn's past criticism of the practice of shooting films without finished scripts, which he has argued contributes to the film industry's struggles. Gunn told Rolling Stone that DC had scrapped an already greenlit project because its screenplay was not ready, and said he considers a completed script essential before moving into production, a philosophy the piece implicitly contrasted with the Russos' more fluid approach at Marvel.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
Deadline frames the story around wider fan and industry debate over MCU quality, citing Spider-Man: Brand New Day's box office as evidence against 'superhero fatigue' and including reader comments criticising unfinished-script production as harmful to VFX quality, citing Superman and The Fantastic Four as comparison points.
Variety instead emphasises the production history of Doomsday, detailing how Jonathan Majors' exit and legal troubles scuttled the planned Kang Dynasty film and led to Robert Downey Jr's casting as Doctor Doom.
Variety alone brings in James Gunn's contrasting comments about DC Studios' insistence on finished scripts before filming, framing the Russos' approach against a rival studio philosophy — a comparison Deadline does not make directly, though its reader comments raise similar concerns informally.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The directors' improvisational approach reflects a legitimate creative philosophy where scripts evolve through actor input and performance exploration, allowing talented performers to contribute authentically to their roles rather than being constrained by pre-written material. Their track record with Avengers: Endgame demonstrates this methodology can succeed at scale, and many celebrated filmmakers employ similar techniques to generate spontaneous, compelling performances that wouldn't emerge from rigid script adherence.
The case against
Beginning principal photography without a locked script compresses the post-production timeline substantially, placing acute pressure on visual effects supervisors and other technical departments who require clear directorial vision and finalized decisions to execute complex work properly. The inconsistent visual quality across recent MCU films raises legitimate questions about whether condensed schedules contributed to those outcomes, and responsible filmmaking involves respecting crew workflows and allowing adequate time for technical work to meet professional standards.
Explained simply
Avengers: Doomsday is an upcoming Marvel Studios superhero film, directed by brothers Joe and Anthony Russo, who previously directed 2019's Avengers: Endgame. It is set for release on 18 December and forms part of what Marvel calls Phase 6 of its ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film series, and is intended to bring together characters from several different strands of the franchise, including the Avengers, the Wakandans from Black Panther, the Thunderbolts, the Fantastic Four and the original X-Men.
The Russo brothers have a distinctive way of working, favouring rehearsal and improvisation over locking a script down before filming begins. This means the story can still be taking shape even after cameras start rolling, with actors' performances helping to influence how characters and scenes develop.
The film also carries added significance because it follows a period in which some recent MCU releases have received mixed reactions from audiences and critics. As a result, Doomsday is widely seen as an important test of whether the franchise can regain its earlier momentum.
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