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It’s hardly a secret at this point that Avengers: Infinity War is being well and truly kept under wraps. But we never knew just how protective (and silly) the precautions had gotten. Thankfully, I had a chance to sit down with the Infinity War directors the Russo Brothers, as well as cast members Paul Bettany (Vision) and Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), and they revealed just how secretive everything was.
“We put a lot of effort into making sure nobody knows the true story of the film. All the actors were given fake scripts… very few people have seen the actual film itself,” says Joe Russo, confirming that only a lucky few have seen the final, finished product.
Obscuring spoilers didn’t just come from stopping people from seeing the whole movie, though. Oh no. The actors all had to spend their precious time rehearsing scripts “that had fake scenes in it, fake twists in it, fake storylines,” according to Paul Bettany.
When the Russos say “we don’t want the ending spoiled,” they mean it. Elizabeth Olsen reveals the cast were even given “fake endings” to make sure no one, least of all Tom Holland, could spill the beans.
Were they told these were fake? Well, uh… nope. “And you get on set and they say ‘All of that stuff you read? That’s not what happens!’ and then they give us the real deal and we kind of deal with it there and then,” says Paul Bettany. Marvel are leaving no Infinity Stone unturned when it comes to leaks, it appears.
There’s a very good reason for that, however – the actors’ sanity: “We can’t trust anybody – at least of all Tom Holland! – with the truth,” teases Joe Russo. “It’s a burden to bear for them. It’s probably easier to have read a fake script and a fake ending because they don’t have the pressure of knowing what happens in the movie and then they have to hide it.”
But, ultimately, these fake final acts, scripts and whatever else Marvel threw out there (is this Thanos-themed birthday cake fake too?!) was all for the fans who turned the MCU into what it is today. “It’s important that all that time and energy that people have spent investing in the Marvel Universe over the last decade, all the passion and the emotion, all the conversations that they’ve had online – we don’t want the ending spoiled.”
So, yeah: #ThanosDemandsYourSilence – and every scene you may (or may not) have heard of might be fake. Watch your step.
I can tell you what isn’t a secret: this great, big list of new Marvel movies. Get them in your calendar before Marvel change how many days there are in a year, or something.
