We have seen a lot of headlines over the years about how extreme Marvel Studios can be when it comes to security (like Tom Holland not being given an Avengers: Endgame script during production), but what has to be taken into consideration in judgement is a history of leaks and mistakes – be it Mark Ruffalo accidentally live-streaming the Thor: Ragnarok premiere or Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania secrets making their way online early. Marvel takes protection of its property seriously, and that's very much evident in a story recently shared by Samuel L. Jackson regarding a stolen copy of his Avengers screenplay.
The Nick Fury actor shared the tale during a recent Secret Invasion roundtable hosted by Entertainment Weekly. The subject got on to spoilers and leaks when Emilia Clarke discussed drones flying over the Game Of Thrones set, and Jackson explains that Marvel productions have had to deal with bigger issues. He reflected on a time more than a decade ago when his copy of The Avengers script was stolen and was posted for sale online. Said the actor,
I remember when we got ready to do Avengers, someone printed out a copy of my Avengers script that had my watermark on it, and put it online for sale. I was shooting in Canada and Marvel came to Canada. It had been printed in the production office… They found out who it was, dude quit, left the country. They set up a fake buy for the script, dude didn't show up. It was crazy.
Perhaps its a good thing that Samuel L. Jackson isn't a method actor a la Succession star Jeremy Strong, as getting too into the role of Nick Fury may have led the actor to try and hunt down the mole himself and bring them to justice.
It's unclear from Jackson's story if Marvel ended up ever finding the person who tried to sell the Avengers script, but at the very least we know that the situation didn't end up impacting the star's relationship with the studio. After The Avengers, Fury has continued to be a major presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, up to and including his new streaming series and the upcoming The Marvels (which will be hitting theaters toward the end of the year).
Presently, Nick Fury is at the center of his very own project with Secret Invasion, which boasts a stellar supporting cast that includes Olivia Colman, Ben Mendelsohn, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Martin Freeman, Colbie Smulders, and Emilia Clarke. The very first episode of the six-part series – featuring Fury working to stop an extraterrestrial takeover of Earth – premiered this past Wednesday and is available to stream with a Disney+ subscription.
Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all of the latest updates out of the world of Marvel (perhaps including news that will provide a conclusion to Samuel L. Jackson's stolen Avengers script story), and keep on top of everything that is in the works from the franchise with our Upcoming Marvel Movies and Upcoming Marvel TV guides.
