Zak Penn Talks 'The Avengers' and Working Directly for Marvel Studios!

Zak Penn Talks 'The Avengers' and Working Directly for Marvel Studios!

Penn talked with CraveOnline about The Avengers, continuity and what he thought about X-Men Origins: Wolverine's rating...

By JoshWilding - Jul 08, 2009 04:07 PM EST
Filed Under: Avengers
Source: CraveOnline

Here's an excerpt (to read the FULL interview click the link below):

CraveOnline: How is working for autonomous Marvel different from working under the studio collaborations?

Zak Penn: Pretty much night and day. Marvel, everyone there has read every comic. They’re big fans of it. We’ve kind of moved past the normal fights that you have and just talk about what would make a cool movie. Here’s the thing though. Once you get into the process of making a movie, compromise is like your life. Everything is a compromise. Even if everyone has the best intentions setting out on a movie, you can make a total piece of sh*t. I’ve learned this the hard way. It is really damn hard to make a good movie. If you ever manage it, be proud of yourself. It’s so damn hard. Even though we all have the best intentions, it still might suck but it is at least a relief to not be fighting with people as much. We’re all kind of on the same page.

CraveOnline: How do you start writing The Avengers before Captain America and Thor are done?

Zak Penn: My job is to kind of shuttle between the different movies and make sure that finally we’re mimicking that comic book structure where all of these movies are connected. It used to drive me crazy at Fox not being able to interweave. Why couldn’t we have Fantastic Four in this movie? Why couldn’t we do this? Now we will. Thor and Captain America will lead right into the Avengers movie, and Iron Man 2 as well.

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CraveOnline: Do they give you a place to start or do you have to wait to find out where you pick up?

Zak Penn: We are learning it as we go and it’s pretty complicated. I have a meeting at Marvel this week to catch up on continuity. There’s just a board that tracks “Here’s where everything that happens in this movie overlaps with that movie.” It’s just what they do in the comic books. Think how complicated it is when you’ve got all the titles those companies do. Someone’s got to keep track of all that. What’s Wolverine wearing this week? Are his claws bone or adamantium? Yeah, it’s going to be really difficult. The only thing I can say is I’m pushing them to do as many animatics as possible to animate the movie, to draw boards so that we’re all working off the same visual ideas. But the exigencies of production take first priority.

CraveOnline: Should Wolverine have been R?

Zak Penn: That was our frustration. He’s got razor sharp claws and you can’t show blood. So what does he do? In every scene, he’s running around blocking, hitting you with the claws and not cutting you. Where do you go with that? There’s no way to do it.

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So, sounds like Penn is actually pretty excited about writing the script for this movie and connecting the character together! Do you think he's the right guy for the job and would Wolverine have been a better film with a higher rating?

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LEEE777
LEEE777 - 7/8/2009, 4:46 PM
PENN LIKES PEGG! ; )

Nice article @ JOSH!
TheMyth
TheMyth - 7/8/2009, 4:51 PM
He sounds alright to me. I do think an R rating and about 30 more minutes developing the story would have made an incredible improvement on the Wolverine movie.

LEEE, you actually skipped a chance to smash the Wolverine movie again, your losing your edge. tsk tsk.
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 7/8/2009, 4:53 PM
I was busy with Cameron Diaz lol! ; D

W*NKERINE BORIGINS! Heh heh.

An JOSH @ We all know WOLVIE would've been a better picture with a R-Rating??? Hey did you just copy and paste???

Damn, JOSH @ You could've used a different picture than Crave on Line atleast! GEEZUZ! : D
dinkleberry
dinkleberry - 7/8/2009, 4:55 PM
dingle dangle.
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 7/8/2009, 5:01 PM
LEE: why would i? thats a damn good Avengers pic LEE compared to the rest when you google 'The Avengers'! oh and as you said that im not a real comic book fan on a different post then maybe you could tell me where that panel of Wolverine is from as you're such a REAL fan after all? (though im guessing you'll have no idea ;)
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 7/8/2009, 5:05 PM
Do i look like a geek???? Its from a comic book lol? ; D

Yeah its a good AVENGERS pic, i'll give ya that dude! ; )

Alex Ross is God! Heh heh.
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 7/8/2009, 5:21 PM
Anil @ Fingers crossed dude! ; )
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 7/8/2009, 5:29 PM
LEE: you should have known thats its from Wolverine #70 - 'Old Man Logan Part 5', lol! bit of a trick question i know, lol! you should definitely pick up Wolverine #66-#72 though-its an amazing arc! google it and have a looka t some of the preview art and info!
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 7/8/2009, 5:35 PM
Lol cool! I reckon i will!

But dude you should try some dc titles, it might surprise you! ; )
superdog
superdog - 7/8/2009, 5:40 PM
josh i have decided to watch supernatural based on you always praising it. you should at least check out some DC titles based on lee777 rec.:)
mounted88
mounted88 - 7/8/2009, 7:30 PM
LEEE@ here ya go. im keeping my word
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LEEE777
LEEE777 - 7/9/2009, 4:46 PM
MOUNTED @ Lmao! THE AVENGERS ARE EVERYWHERE!!! : D

Superdog @ ; )
longbowhunter
longbowhunter - 7/10/2009, 6:53 AM
It really suprises me when comic book fans give their allegiance to either DC or Marvel exclusively. Guys, your just missing out on good stories.
SirJediFrank
SirJediFrank - 7/10/2009, 7:52 AM
THIS article is interesting. i don´t know why it took so long to appear in Main.

J Ackles for Bucky!! J Lewis for Baron Zemo!! (WITH the mask on!!) -That was for both of you guys (you know who you are!) ;-]
McStitch
McStitch - 7/10/2009, 5:31 PM
Lee dude give up marvel is not only superior in EVERY way shape and for to dc (Deadend Comics) but the Justice league are a total pack of tosspots who would shit there pants at the site of the avengers!
McStitch
McStitch - 7/10/2009, 5:33 PM
btw josh is right suppernatural is a badass show! that being said im not connvinced on ackels to play the Cap
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 7/10/2009, 7:13 PM
McStitch: I agree man, Marvel is superior with their characters, storytelling and writers/artists! supernatural is a great show-if you ciick on my name above and then scroll through my articles you'll find one about Ackles for Cap that has an awesome sketch by SHAMAN of Ackles as Cap that might just change your mind!
McStitch
McStitch - 7/11/2009, 2:55 AM
yeah josh read ur article way back when it was published. i'm a silent reader dude and have kept tabs on the site for a few years now i do enjoy watching you and leee go at it but dude im totally with you marvel pisses on dc from a great height the storys are original and interesting and not bought from a newspaper comic strip (like some). back to ackels i think the dude defenitly has untapped acting potenial and if he brings a bit of dean to the cap it would make him a bit more acceptable to the general population give him something to do a bit of banter with tony during the avengers. thats just me though. but im still on the fence
SpideyFan1982
SpideyFan1982 - 7/13/2009, 9:47 PM
I hope Ultron or Kang will be the main villian in the sequel, if they make a sequel.
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