What is currently pop culture’s most closely guarded secret? Is it whether J.J. Abrams will undo Rian Johnson’s reveal (or lack thereof) about Rey’s parents in The Rise of Skywalker? Or the end of Game of Thrones? Or how about anything beyond “sad superheroes are sad” in Avengers: Endgame? It might be that one, considering only a single cast member has read the entire script.
In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Endgame directors Anthony and Joe Russo revealed that of the film’s collection of superheroes and a single talking raccoon, Robert Downey, Jr. is “probably the only one to actually read the entire script.” Benedict Cumberbatch also had the opportunity, but his script “included his scenes only,” said Joe. The secrecy was to keep the pressure Aa href=”https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/joe-and-anthony-russo-go-deep-on-avengers-endgame-and-infinity-war/”>off the cast:
“Part of our motivation to do that is it just takes a lot of pressure off of people. It is hard to constantly censor yourself about what you’re saying, how you talk. These movies are your whole life, it’s everything you’re doing all day long. The inclination is to talk about it. So we take a lot of pressure off of people by just saying, OK, the less you know the less you have to mind yourself.”
Here’s the rest of the interview.
So while Endgame‘s plot has been kept under wraps, Marvel was more than happy to splash the film’s logo on literally anything. Deadline reports that the “Anthony and Joe Russo-directed feature is the biggest marketing promotional campaign in Marvel Studios history at well over an estimated $200 million.” That’s right: Marvel spent $200-plus million, or approximately the budget of Titanic, on making sure consumers associate Endgame with Cheerios.
Money well spent (for a movie that needs no promotion to break records).
(Via Rotten Tomatoes)