Should Marvel Studios Consult with Fan Favorite Writers on Scripts and Screenplays?

[Gamma Ra]

Marvel Studio has been using "Think-Tanks"; a group of creators from their comic book division; to consult with for many of their movies.

Do you all feel that these creators should be more or less involved?

How do you feel they should go about choosing which creator should be consulted on a given film?

Should MS start looking more toward the writers of their comics to become writers of their films if they qualify?

[Oberon sexton]

They seem to be doing a bang up job the way things are at the moment, I see no reason to change that.

[DrCosmic]

Yeah, consulting Fan Favorite creators is what sunk Green Lantern. It's a different kind of storytelling, that most comic writers aren't good at. Reading the comics should be fine.

[The Morningstar]

Marvel does consult with the writers already. JMS and Simonson consulted on Thor. Fraction and Bendis consulted on Iron Man. Brubaker consulted on Captain America.

It's a good thing, as long as it doesn't end up like Green Lantern where Geoff Johns had way too much power during the scripts developments and re-writes.

[Gamma Ra]

Originally Posted by DrCosmic

Yeah, consulting Fan Favorite creators is what sunk Green Lantern. It's a different kind of storytelling, that most comic writers aren't good at. Reading the comics should be fine.

We're not sure to what extent Johns was involved; and as Morningstar said above Marvel already does it. I just want to know if anyone thinks that they should take it some steps further? and should specific writers be targeted for a certain character?

[DrCosmic]

Morningstar, you're right. Consulting is fine, as long as they don't have any real power. Imho, those are the right writers, because they have written recent successful versions of the characters. I don't see any helpful way of taking it further.

[KangConquers]

Look at Green Lantern; let's avoid that, please.

As Joss Whedon pointed out, pandering to fans can be just a detrimental to a film as ignoring them.

[cherokeesam]

It sounds more like script-by-committee anyway. In a very recent interview about Thor 2, Hemsworth said that he hasn't seen a script yet (but *has* seen a rough outline) and that the typical approach so far has been that they give him a script on the first day of shooting and say, "Here, learn your lines." Given some infamous script leaks for Avengers in recent years, it's possible that Marvel does a lot of the writing on the fly and even allows for improv (definitely the case for RDJ).

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

I think comic writers should be around for punch-up and not anything higher than that.

[S. Grundy]

Originally Posted by DrCosmic

Yeah, consulting Fan Favorite creators is what sunk Green Lantern. It's a different kind of storytelling, that most comic writers aren't good at. Reading the comics should be fine.

I don't think writing was the big problem with Green Lantern, it was the direction and editing stuff from the script that sunk it.

[Artistsean]

I have heard that many writers like James Robinson, Peter David, and others, have written scripts for TV shows and movies. And some TV/movie writers have written for comics too. I also think that the reason the Avengers did so well is because of Joss Whedon. Without his direction I don't know how close to the comics the movie would have kept.
I think consulting with comic creators is a good idea, they have even used comic artists to do concept art and storyboards for the movies too. Cartoons lately have had comic artists design characters, turn arounds, concept art, for the cartoon shows too.
I think using the writers and artists to help with the movies and tv shows works and is a good idea.

I don't think they should be the only ones working on that stuff, maybe the scene a writer writes would work better as a comic but not as a movie so someone could retool the scene to make it work but keep the basic scene, or a character's design is too busy for a cartoon so another designer simplifies it. So I think yes they should be part of the process but keep non comic artists and writers too.

Using comic artists and writers also helps keep things connected to the comics I think.

[Gamma Ra]

Originally Posted by Artistsean

I have heard that many writers like James Robinson, Peter David, and others, have written scripts for TV shows and movies. And some TV/movie writers have written for comics too. I also think that the reason the Avengers did so well is because of Joss Whedon. Without his direction I don't know how close to the comics the movie would have kept.
I think consulting with comic creators is a good idea, they have even used comic artists to do concept art and storyboards for the movies too. Cartoons lately have had comic artists design characters, turn arounds, concept art, for the cartoon shows too.
I think using the writers and artists to help with the movies and tv shows works and is a good idea.

I don't think they should be the only ones working on that stuff, maybe the scene a writer writes would work better as a comic but not as a movie so someone could retool the scene to make it work but keep the basic scene, or a character's design is too busy for a cartoon so another designer simplifies it. So I think yes they should be part of the process but keep non comic artists and writers too.

Using comic artists and writers also helps keep things connected to the comics I think.

You bring up good points. Joss Whedon was experienced as a Comic Book writer as well as Screenplay and Script writer, which brings us to a point that I made in the initial post...if they are qualified. Peter David, James Robinson , Greg Pak are among those that fit the bill.

I think these writers are smart enough to distinguish what works in a movie as opposed to that which could only work in a Comic Book. I'm sure that they are talented enough to follow the movieverses storyline and stay within its context.

And to all about Green Lantern...it stunk for many reasons.

[TheVileOne]

What you guys don't get is that Marvel already has a creative committee that includes comic writers. Check out IMDB and the credits of movies like Avengers. A lot of comic writers are actually listed in the credits. Not saying they took stabs at the script but they might've done some e-mails or sat in meetings and gave a couple notes or things like that.

[Silvermoth]

Consulting is fine, I just want someone other than Zack Penn writing every single Marvel film.

[xeno000]

Originally Posted by Silvermoth

Consulting is fine, I just want someone other than Zack Penn writing every single Marvel film.

It's okay if Penn writes scripts as long as someone more talented comes along and throws them out.

[Gamma Ra]

Originally Posted by TheVileOne

What you guys don't get is that Marvel already has a creative committee that includes comic writers. Check out IMDB and the credits of movies like Avengers. A lot of comic writers are actually listed in the credits. Not saying they took stabs at the script but they might've done some e-mails or sat in meetings and gave a couple notes or things like that.

I don't think I was clear enough, but I stated in the initial post that Marvel already does this to some extent. I'm asking, among other things, should they go a step further by allowing these Comic Book creators more involvement, as done in the case with Whedon, writing and possibly directing their movies...if they are qualified...and have some experience in the field.

[R_Hythlodeus]

Originally Posted by Gamma Ra

I don't think I was clear enough, but I stated in the initial post that Marvel already does this to some extent. I'm asking, among other things, should they go a step further by allowing these Comic Book creators more involvement, as done in the case with Whedon.

No. Definatly no. Imagine a Bendis or Fraction written movie *shudders*.
Let them have their say in meetings and in a commitee, but please ignore them afterwards.

[Gamma Ra]

Originally Posted by R_Hythlodeus

No. Definatly no. Imagine a Bendis or Fraction written movie *shudders*.
Let them have their say in meetings and in a commitee, but please ignore them afterwards.

LMAO!!!

Not so much from them because they are the soup of the day....but imagine a Hulk script written by Peter David and Greg Pak; an Iron Man Script by Bob Layton and David Michelinie; Captain America by Ed Brubaker; Daredevil by Frank Miller; X-Men by Chris Claremont; etc....

Imagine them being involved in the casting...

[TheVileOne]

Gamma Ra, actually they are already doing this. Marvel Studios/Entertainment has been promoting people from within to work on the live action movies.

Chris Yost and Craig Kyle were writers and producers on the animated shows and movies. They both got moved up to the live action division. Kyle became like a producer on Thor. Yost and Kyle wrote the X-Force comics and Yost has done a lot of other cartoons and comics as well. However, I think Kyle had a heavy background in animation as well.

[Gamma Ra]

Which MS movie has a comic writer written...not consulted on...but written?

J. Michael Straczynski is the only one that comes to mind.

[TheVileOne]

Well comic writer Craig Kyle was co-producer on Thor, but not writer.

[Gamma Ra]

^ Right...but I'm asking should they do more than that. I'm asking would you like to see a Thor movie script written by Walt Simonson? not just produced by or consulted with on?

[TheVileOne]

Not necessarily. I think if they have credibility or some burgeoning experience in writing for TV or film maybe give them a shot.

[S. Grundy]

Ultimately it wouldn't matter that much anyway, because they'll just end up getting rewritten by new writers or script doctors. I mean look at Iron Man, there are 2 teams of screenwriters credited for that, on top uncredited work by John August and whatever stuff Downey and Faverau felt like changing themselves.

[Gamma Ra]

Originally Posted by TheVileOne

Not necessarily. I think if they have credibility or some burgeoning experience in writing for TV or film maybe give them a shot.

Experience was a prerequisite in my posts.