CHAPTER 7:
DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE CHRIS
After three IM and two Thor movies, it would make sense for therto be another Captain America film, with Chris Markus and Stephan McFeely returning to write. However, Joe Johnston would not return to direct. So Marvel was off to find a replacement director. They had three choices. Choice #1: Italian Job director, F. Gary Grey. Choice #2: Adjustment Bureau director, George Nolfi. Choice #3: You,Me, & Dupree directing team, Joe and Anthony Russo.
However, F.Gary Grey turned down the directing gig so he could direct Straight Outta Compton. A crazy motherf**er named Ice Cube from the gang called... Sorry, I got carried away. Anway, The Russo Bros got the gig, with many people scoffing at the very idea.
Markus and McFeely had two major ideas for the film. One was two include Black Widow as Cap's partner in the film, as they felt she was the perfect contrast to him (Hwakeye was also considered.) Another idea was to have the movie be similar to 70spolitical thrillers. They also would base the story of off the Winter Soldier arc. By the way, if you don't know who the Winter Soldier is, don't let me spoil it for you like HOW I SPOILED IT FOR MYSELF! I'm still pissed at myself for this. I saw the film's title and like a dumbass, I wanted to know who it was and I found out who it was and I'm still mad.
Now for casting. Anthony Mackie, who was a Marvel fan, read for Iron Man 3, but ended up getting a role in this film. Josh Holloway and Kevin Durand were considered for Crossbones, but the role went to Frank Grillo. Imogen Poots, Anna Kendrick, Felicity Jones, and Allison Brie were all considered for Agent 13 before Emily VanCamp. I guess Allison Brie was wanted because the Russoss directed episodes of Community. Speaking of which, Danny Pudi, who plays Abed on that show, makes a cameo as an agent in this film. Also, obscure Marvel villain Batroc appears in the opening and is portrayed by MMA fighter, Georges St-Pierre.
The film was supposed to come out on May 2, but was instead released in April because Sony set that date for TASM 2. When the film came out, it was amazing. Not only did the movie get great reviews, therefore proving the Russo haters wrong,, but the movie broke the record for highest opening weekend in April, a month previously thought to be a bad place to release a film. Everyone was so impressed by this movie, that when Joss Whedon said he wouldn't direct Avengers: Infinity War, the gig went to The Russo Bros, with Chris Markus & Stephen McFeely writing.
In 2011, Marvel set two mystery dates. One of them was revealed to be Captain America 2. But what about the other one? Was it Runaways, as IM3 writer Drew Pearce was at Marvel to write that? No. Was it Ant-Man, as Edgar Wright had been attached to the project for so many years? No. Was it the long awaited Captain Marvel or Black Panther films? No. Was it Doctor Strange, Cloak and Dagger, Nick Fury, or Shang-Chi because they were originally in development when the studio was with Paramount? No. In fact, it turned out to be the most unlikely of choices... The Guardians of the Galxay.
When Marvel announced this, people reacted the only way they could...
So Marvel made some odd choices with this one. First, they didn't use the original line-up, but the more recent team. Second, this movie is known as Marvel's first comedy. I don't mean Avengers or Iron Man, where it's an action film with a lot of one-liners. GotG was a straight action comedy.
For writing, Nicole Pearlman had this as her first screenwriting gig after enrolling in Marvel's screenwrtiting program. For directing, Peyton Reed was supposed to direct, but he didn't. But then he was all:
Anyway, Super and Slither director James Gunn got the directing job and he also rewrote the script. He added in elements like THE AWESOME MIX!!!! However, Gunn had a problem writing the Thanos scenes, as he wanted Thanos to appear as a huge major villain without making Ronan seem a minor theart. To solve this, Gunn had Ronan kill The Other.
Now for casting. JGL, Eddie Redmayne, and Joel Edgerton were wanted for Star-Lord before Chris Pratt (MORE CHRIS PEOPLE!) got the part. Lee Pace also auditioned for Star-Lord, but got cast as Ronan. Also, Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler were wanted for Ronan, but Bradely Cooper was cast. But Carrey could have done a good job. His voice from Kick-Ass 2 would fit well with Rocket. But I digress. Jason Momoa was the main choice for Drax and there was even official concept art of him as the character, but Dave Bautista got the part. Speaking of Bautista, when he found out he got the role, he started to cry and signed up for acting lessons just for the part. Djimon Honsou was also wanted for Drax, but was cast as Korath. Zoe Saldana got the role of Gamora after Olivia Wilde turned it down. Finally, Vin Diesil revealed that he was in talks with Marvel for a role. At first, this was a joke until Marvel realized "Oh crap! We still don't have a voice for Groot!"
When the film was released, it, too, did amazing. It got great reviews from critics for the action, comedy, and more. The film broke the record for biggest opening for an August release and was the highest grossing film of 2014 until another Bradley Cooper flick, American Sniper, took that title.
Due the success of the movie, it and James Gunn were rewarded with a sequel. Meanwhile, Nicole Pearlman was rewared with the writing gig on Captain Marvel, along with Inside Out writer, Meg LaFauve. Chris Pratt, meanwhile, got rewared by audiences, as the next year, he was in one of the most successful films ever made.
So 2014 was the year of the underdogs for Marvel with the Russo Bros and GotG. But enough about that as we move on to 2015, with Avengers 2, as well as Marvel teaming up with Edgar Wri... WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE LEFT?!?!?
TO BE CONTINUED...