You ever been so enamored with a film that you had to know every tiny thing about it? I sure have. One of the best feelings is to have seen a film, fallen in love with it, and then be able to dive into the script to see things like stage direction and settings. Back in July, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 writer/director James Gunnsaid he'd be dropping the script for the acclaimed film for the public, and today he's done just that.
As promised, the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 script is now online. Read it here for free: https://t.co/xXGha4EhMH
While we've not been able to pour through the 139-page PDF file in full as of yet, Gunn did offer some insight on what was contained, primarily because he was inundated with questions after tweeting the link. He noted that the script "was written without improvisation," which means that some lines might be different from the final film, or were even "cut from the film." He also said he wrote "9 drafts of the screenplay," and did "at least 4 drafts of the treatment." That said, he explained he did "dozens of drafts for myself in-between those, trying to make the script the best I could."
2 Some lines are different. These are the lines that were actually written without including any of the improvisation by the actors on set. And some lines were cut from the film.
3 I wrote 9 drafts of the screenplay I turned into the studio, along with at least 4 drafts of the treatment. But I wrote dozens of drafts for myself in-between those, trying to make the script the best I could.
Gunn also said he took "a lot of notes on what would happen in Vol. 2 before ever starting Vol. 1." It took him from Aug. 1, 2014 to October of 2015 to finish the script.
6 I took a lot of notes on what would happen in Vol. 2 before ever starting Vol. 1. I actually started writing the treatment/story on the day the first film came out (Aug 1 2014) and the script was pretty much finished in October of 2015 a couple months before shooting.
Gunn does point out that while Marvel Studios didn't ask for anything in Vol. 2 to be changed because of the third and fourth Avengers films, he did share the script so "they knew where the Guardians ended up while they were writing."
7 The studio suggested no changes to make it more amendable to Avengers 3 or 4. I did, however, give Markus & McFeely and the Russo Brothers the script in October 2015 so they knew where the Guardians ended up while they were writing.
For those who love their post-credits scenes, know that there was an extended version that was cut, because "it is funnier to read than it was to watch."
9 The extended post credits scene with Adolescent Groot and Quill was cut because it is funnier to read than it was to watch. It just happens that way sometimes, who knows why. I thought it was funny on set.
Gunn also shared more insight on the film's post-credits scenes.
10 All of the post-credits scenes were included all the way back in the treatment - I didn't discuss therm with Marvel beforehand, but they liked them. EXCEPT the Stakar/Ravagers scene, which I wrote after we had completed primary filming.
11 I awoke with a vision of the Stakar Ravagers scene in my head and couldn't stop thinking about it for days. We almost didn't include the Adam Warlock scene because he was definitely not in Avengers 3 or 4 and we had no plans for him in general.
12 And despite so many people thinking Adam will show up in Vol 3 that is something that we have never confirmed. Who knows how long it will take him to bake in that cocoon. That said, I love Adam. But the time must be right.
There's a lot to unpack, and with everyone traveling for the holidays, the script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 might make the best plane/train/automobile reading.
