Marvel Studios started filming Avengers: Doomsday without a finished script (a process that's become the norm for many of its blockbusters), and several names have since been attached to the movie's screenplay.
Avengers: Endgame co-writer Stephen McFeely was first, with Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness scribe Michael Waldron—who was originally attached to pen Avengers: Secret Wars—later joining him. Now, the WGA (Writers Guild of America) has confirmed that they're the only two credited writers on Avengers: Doomsday.
It was previously reported that Spider-Man: Brand New Day writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers were enlisted to work on the movie, so this presumably means they'll be given a separate "Additional Literary Material" credit by the WGA.
Here's an interesting twist, though. Reliable runtime and trailer leaker @Cryptic4KQual has learned that "through their production companies, Ryan [Reynolds] and Hugh [Jackman] may get some form of screenwriting credits on Doomsday too." An "Additional Literary Material" credit may be heading their way, too.
It's previously been reported that Deadpool and Wolverine will appear during the movie's action-packed sequence. Reynolds and Jackman may have played a big role in figuring out how their respective characters would interact during those scenes. The Merc with a Mouth is expected to also factor into the battle between the Avengers and X-Men at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
Last year, Waldron addressed his Avengers journey and how involved he'd been with the two-part Multiverse Saga finale at that time.
"I was writing the movie after that but there wasn’t a filmmaker attached yet, I was just involved in all those conversations," he said. "When that movie went away, I was working on what would become 'Avengers: Doomsday' and 'Secret Wars' for a time, and then they brought in the Russos and Steve McFeely."
"As those guys got in and wrapped their hands around what these movies were going to be, and [then] there was an opportunity for me to to come back in and get to know Joe and Anthony and Steve and really just help however I could," Waldron added. "That’s what I’m trying to do is just support them."
In Avengers: Doomsday, beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered.
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Mabel Cadena, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, India Rose Hemsworth, and Wesley Holloway all make their Avengers franchise debuts.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn, joined by X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, and James Marsden, plus Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron has also been enlisted to refine the story, alongside Spider-Man: Brand New Day's Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.