Chapter 797: Director of The Avengers

"Iron Man Signs on for The Avengers, Superheroes Finally Assemble!"

Duke was taking a temporary break, but Marvel Pictures hadn't slowed its promotional machine. The moment they locked down Robert Downey Jr.'s acting contract, they immediately released the news, announcing to Marvel fans and moviegoers across North America that The Avengers was coming.

Marvel Comics CEO Avi Arad also accepted an exclusive interview with the New York Times.

"The Avengers will assemble all of Marvel Comics' classic superhero characters for the first time, including Iron Man, Black Widow, Captain America, Thor, and the Hulk. They will unite to fight a powerful enemy they have never faced before."

Who exactly this powerful enemy would be became the focus of intense public speculation. Marvel had previously leaked deliberate rumors claiming the "Hulk" might serve as the heroes' common foe, but this new statement squarely placed the Hulk among their ranks, meaning he likely wouldn't play the "villain."

In this era, any movie looking to attract a massive audience required marketing hype.

Even though the film's director was undoubtedly Duke, neither he nor Marvel Pictures had ever publicly confirmed it. As a result, the director's seat—much like the cast list—became another focal point for Marvel's promotional machine.

"New information has emerged regarding Marvel Pictures' blockbuster The Avengers. Firefly director Joss Whedon is currently negotiating with the Marvel Company and is expected to take the helm."

Throughout March, news regarding The Avengers was tossed to the public one piece after another.

"Sources claim the two sides have begun formal contact, making Joss Whedon a highly likely candidate for director. However, the director's only film to date, Firefly, suffered poor box office returns and reception, which may prove to be an obstacle in finalizing a contract."

Not long after Joss Whedon was exposed as Marvel Pictures' intended choice, rumors began circulating across the media and the internet claiming that Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau might take the reins of The Avengers instead.

Orchestrated by Marvel Pictures, Jon Favreau quickly stepped forward to dispel the rumors.

"Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Captain America are all paving the way for The Avengers, and every director will plant foreshadowing and easter eggs in their respective films. The Avengers will be incredibly difficult to shoot. 'Iron Man' is a superhero armed with high technology, while 'Thor' is a superhero wielding supernatural powers. Mixing these two completely unrelated things together without damaging their firmly established styles will take an enormous amount of thought, and I don't believe I have that capability."

Although Thor wouldn't hit theaters until the Summer Season, the preceding four films had already drawn massive attention to Marvel Pictures' superhero movies. It wasn't just Marvel Pictures and Marvel Comics utilizing every available method to drum up hype; many figures in Hollywood actively sought to align themselves with The Avengers to snatch up some of the spotlight.

Over the weekend, while promoting his new film, Clash of the Titans director Louis Leterrier revealed that he was one of the directorial candidates for the Marvel Comics film The Avengers.

Louis Leterrier boasted to the press:

"I am on their shortlist, and quite high up on it, too. I'm very sure of this. I don't know who the other candidates are, but I have a great relationship with Marvel Pictures. I can say bluntly to them, and to the other contenders, that I am the most suitable choice. I really enjoy working with Marvel. I love them. They are fantastic."

This successfully grabbed public attention, though the director was obviously just using the momentum for publicity. Then again, even if Duke had lost his mind, he would never hand the reins of The Avengers to a director who could turn an Ancient Greece mythological film into a road trip movie.

Directors weren't the only ones joining the frenzy. A fair number of actors were also exploiting the opportunity for self-promotion.

C-list actors like Eva Longoria leaped out of the woodwork, swearing up and down that they were on the casting shortlist for The Avengers.

As time went on, this massive wave of promotional hype only grew hotter, frequently splashing across the prominent pages of film and entertainment media.

As the first to sign a formal contract with Marvel Pictures, Robert Downey Jr. was also fulfilling his promotional obligations. When asked by reporters about the film's directorial candidates, he said:

"They need someone who is familiar with all the different character franchises and can integrate them together. Marvel Pictures' CEO Kevin Feige is exactly that kind of big-picture overseer. He is intimately familiar with every book and has been deeply involved in the production of every film, especially Thor and Captain America. He'll definitely choose the most suitable director for The Avengers. As for who that person will be, I have no idea. I'm only familiar with and in love with 'Iron Man'."

As time edged closer to April, news regarding The Avengers continued to flood every corner of the media.

"Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo reaches an agreement on salary and scheduling with Marvel Pictures, officially signing on to The Avengers."

"Scarlett Johansson explicitly confirmed while leaving ICM headquarters that she has officially signed the cast contract for The Avengers and will continue to portray Black Widow, Agent Natasha Romanoff."

"Captain America star Chris Evans completes contract renewal with Marvel Pictures, set to serve as the brain and commander of The Avengers!"

The ongoing negotiations between Marvel Pictures and its cast wrapped up one by one, with the primary actors essentially all locked in. The sheer volume of news surrounding The Avengers completely overshadowed the upcoming films slated for North America's new Summer Season.

In late April, a website leaked two pieces of concept art for The Avengers. The images depicted the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, and resting in the corner was an exceptionally clear creator's signature—Duke Rosenberg!

"Our special correspondent staked out Malibu's beachside villa district for a full week and managed to recover these two pieces of concept art from Duke Manor's exported trash. While they are merely two drawings, Duke Rosenberg's signature in the corner says everything. Hollywood's premier commercial director might just be the true candidate to helm The Avengers!"

The news spread through the internet and among moviegoers like a replicating virus. Almost everyone agreed that Duke was the most suitable director for The Avengers.

Duke and Marvel Pictures did not immediately respond, choosing instead to let their meticulously orchestrated promotional offensive fully ferment.

In reality, throughout the entirety of April, Duke had been in constant communication with Marvel Pictures. The film was ready to enter formal pre-production at any moment.

Before the Oscar Awards Ceremony, Marvel Comics had shoved a script into Duke's hands. Unlike in the past, however, this script contained nothing but a framework and an outline. The motivations and behaviors of each character had to be painstakingly filled in by Duke himself, and if necessary, he could even alter Marvel's overarching plot.

Over the course of more than three months, Duke essentially completed the script. Following the signing of the six main actors, he summoned them together multiple times to hear their thoughts on their respective roles and make appropriate adjustments. After reading it over, Scarlett Johansson commented that the script felt a bit chaotic because so many narrative threads were entangled together.

Duke brought in Anna Printz, instructing her to lead a team in breaking down the script and producing individual character scripts for all six heroes.

The script was based on the Marvel comic of the same name created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The very first issue of the Avengers was published in September 1963, featuring a lineup of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. Captain America joined in Issue 4, following his rescue from the ice of the South Pole.

Just as producer Kevin Feige had noted, The Avengers felt more akin to a disaster film. The overarching theme was incredibly straightforward: Earth suffers an unprecedented, devastating blow, S.H.I.E.L.D. is caught entirely off guard by a sudden evil force, and a single superhero can no longer handle the crisis. Thus, they step forward to convene the "Avengers," an alliance of numerous superheroes fighting side by side to defend the planet.

The story of the Avengers saving Earth was undeniably cliché, but it was exactly the genre the public adored, and Duke had no intention of needlessly complicating it.

While the setup made perfect sense from a narrative standpoint, the true reason behind it stemmed from commercial considerations.

Assembling multiple superheroes under the Marvel Comics banner not only increased the utilization rate of their A-list heroes but also conveniently propelled more B-list heroes into stardom. So long as the film's quality and marketing were guaranteed, hauling in attention and heaps of cash would be inevitable.

To draw both old and new fans into theaters, all six heroes in The Avengers were played by their original actors. Because of Duke, The Incredible Hulk hadn't used the notoriously difficult Edward Norton during production, directly casting Mark Ruffalo instead. The latter also readily signed his name onto the cast contract for The Avengers.

The film's initial investment was 200 million dollars. As Marvel Comics' largest shareholder, Duke was inevitably cautious as a director. When fleshing out the script, he adhered to the standard that slow, meticulous work yields fine results, which naturally meant his efficiency wasn't very high. Even now, he was still making appropriate adjustments to the script, simply hoping to have a finalized draft by the time the film was officially greenlit.

Of course, an ensemble cast of this scale involved many different aspects, and timely adjustments during shooting would certainly be needed. Duke wasn't a rigid person; once the project started, the script would undoubtedly see further changes.

On May 1st, Marvel Pictures and Duke simultaneously announced to the public that Duke Rosenberg would become the director of The Avengers.

At the same time, the film's official launch press conference was formally held at a hotel near the Marvel Pictures headquarters in Burbank.