1994 год
Жанр: Боевик, триллер, драма, криминал
Режиссер: Люк Бессон
Сценарий: Люк Бессон
В главных ролях: Жан Рено, Гэри Олдмен, Натали Портман, Дэнни Айелло, Эллен Грин и другие
2019 год
Жанр: Драма
Режиссер: Педро Альмодовар
Сценарий: Педро Альмодовар
В главных ролях: Антонио Бандерас, Пенелопа Крус, Асьер Эчеандиа, Леонардо Сбаралья и другие
2019 год
Жанр: Биография, драма, история, комедия
Режиссер: Фернанду Мейреллиш
Сценарий: Энтони МакКартен
В главных ролях: Антонио Бандерас, Пенелопа Крус, Асьер Эчеандиа, Леонардо Сбаралья и другие
2019 год
Жанр: Драма, биография
Режиссер: Клинт Иствуд
Сценарий: Билли Рэй, Мари Бреннер, Кент Александер
В главных ролях: Пол Уолтер Хаузер, Сэм Рокуэлл, Кэти Бейтс, Джон Хэмм и другие
2019 год
Жанр: Детектив, комедия, драма, криминал
Режиссер: Райан Джонсон
Сценарий: Райан Джонсон
В главных ролях: Дэниэл Крэйг, Ана де Армас, Крис Эванс, Джейми Ли Кёртис, Майкл Шеннон и другие
2019 год
Жанр: Мультфильм, фэнтези, боевик, приключения, семейный
Режиссер: Дин ДеБлуа
Сценарий: Дин ДеБлуа, Крессида Коуэлл
Роли озвучивали: Джей Барушель, Джерард Батлер, Крэйг Фергюсон, Америка Феррера, Джона Хилл и другие
2019 год
Жанр: Ужасы, фэнтези, драма
Режиссер: Роберт Эггерс
Сценарий: Роберт Эггерс, Макс Эггерс
В главных ролях: Роберт Паттинсон, Уиллем Дефо,
Валерия Караман, Логан Хоукс и другие
2019 год
Жанр: Фантастика, боевик, драма, приключения
Режиссер: Энтони Руссо, Джо Руссо
Сценарий: Кристофер Маркус, Стивен МакФили, Стэн Ли
В главных ролях: Роберт Дауни мл., Крис Эванс, Марк Руффало, Крис Хемсворт, Скарлетт Йоханссон и другие
2019 год
Жанр: Триллер, драма, комедия
Режиссер: Пон Джун-хо
Сценарий: Пон Джун-хо, Хан Джин-вон
В главных ролях: Сон Кан-хо, Ли Сон-гюн, Чо Ё-джон, Чхве У-щик, Пак Со-дам и другие
2019 год
Жанр: Драма, биография
Режиссер: Мариэль Хеллер
Сценарий: Мика Фитцерман-Блю, Ной Харпстер, Том Жюно
В главных ролях: Мэттью Риз, Том Хэнкс, Крис Купер, Сьюзэн Келечи Уотсон, Марианн Планкетт и другие.
2019 год
Жанр: Мультфильм, фэнтези, комедия, приключения, семейный
Режиссер: Джош Кули
Сценарий: Эндрю Стэнтон, Джош Кули, Стефани Фольсом
Роли озвучивали: Том Хэнкс, Тим Аллен, Энни Поттс, Тони Хейл и другие
1998 год
Жанр: фантастика, драма, комедия
Режиссер: Питер Уир
Сценарий: Эндрю Никкол
В главных ролях: Джим Керри, Лора Линни, Ноа Эммерих, Наташа МакЭлхоун, Эд Харрис и другие
2003 год
Жанр: Боевик, триллер, криминал
Режиссер: Квентин Тарантино
Сценарий: Квентин Тарантино, Ума Турман
В главных ролях: Ума Турман, Дэвид Кэрредин, Люси Лью, Вивика А. Фокс, Майкл Мэдсен и другие
2019 год
Жанр: Криминал, драма, биография
Режиссер: Мартин Скорсезе
Сценарий: Стивен Зеллиан, Чарльз Брандт
В главных ролях: Роберт Де Ниро, Аль Пачино, Джо Пеши, Рэй Романо и другие
2019 год
Жанр: Драма, комедия, военный, история
Режиссер: Тайка Вайтити
Сценарий: Тайка Вайтити, Кристин Люнес
В главных ролях: Роман Гриффин Дэвис, Томасин МакКензи, Скарлетт Йоханссон, Тайка Вайтити, Сэм Рокуэлл и другие
2018 год
Жанр: Боевик, триллер, драма, приключения
Режиссер: Дэймон Томас
Сценарий: Фиби Уоллер-Бридж
В главных ролях: Сандра О, Джоди Комер, Фиона Шоу, Ким Бодния, Оуэн МакДоннелл и другие
2011 год
Жанр: Фэнтези, драма, боевик, мелодрама, приключения
Режиссер: Дэвид Наттер
Сценарий: Д.Б. Уайсс, Дэвид Бениофф
В главных ролях: Питер Динклэйдж, Лина Хиди, Эмилия Кларк, Кит Харингтон, Софи Тёрнер и другие
2019 год
Жанр: Драма, история
Режиссер: Йохан Ренк
Сценарий: Крэйг Мэйзин
В главных ролях: Эмили Уотсон, Стеллан Скарсгард, Джаред Харрис, Пол Риттер, Джесси Бакли и другие
2011 год
Жанр: Триллер, драма, криминал, детектив
Режиссер: Лесли Линка Глаттер, Майкл Куэста, Дэниэл Эттиэс и другие
Сценарий: Алекс Ганса, Ховард Гордон, Гидеон Рафф
В главных ролях: Клэр Дэйнс, Мэнди Пэтинкин, Руперт Френд, Мори Стерлинг и другие
2014 год
Жанр: Триллер, драма, криминал
Режиссер: Кит Гордон, Майкл Аппендаль, Рэндолл Айнхорн и другие
Сценарий: Ноа Хоули
В главных ролях: Мартин Фриман, Билли Боб Торнтон, Эллисон Толман, Колин Хэнкс и другие
2017 год
Жанр: Триллер, драма, криминал
Режиссер: Джейсон Бейтман, Алик Сахаров, Эндрю Бернштейн и другие
Сценарий: Билл Дюбюк, Марк Уильямс
В главных ролях: Джейсон Бейтман, Лора Линни, София Хьюблиц, Скайлар Гертнер и другие
2010 год
Жанр: Фантастика, боевик, триллер, драма, детектив
Режиссер: Кристофер Нолан
Сценарий: Кристофер Нолан
В главных ролях: Леонардо ДиКаприо, Джозеф Гордон-Левитт, Эллиот Пейдж, Том Харди и другие
2013 год
Жанр: Драма, мелодрама
Режиссер: Баз Лурман
Сценарий: Баз Лурман, Крэйг Пирс, Фрэнсис Скотт Фицджеральд
В главных ролях: Леонардо ДиКаприо, Тоби Магуайр, Кэри Маллиган, Джоэл Эдгертон и другие
2013 год
Жанр: Драма, криминал, биография, комедия
Режиссер: Мартин Скорсезе
Сценарий: Теренс Уинтер, Джордан Белфорт
В главных ролях: Леонардо ДиКаприо, Джона Хилл, Марго Робби, Кайл Чандлер и другие
2019 год
Жанр: Фантастика, боевик, комедия, криминал
Режиссер: Филип Сгриккиа, Дэниэл Эттиэс, Эрик Крипкес и другие
Сценарий: Эрик Крипке
В главных ролях: Карл Урбан, Джек Куэйд, Энтони Старр, Эрин Мориарти и другие
2011 год
Жанр: Драма, комедия
Режиссер: Марк Майлод, Иэн Б. МакДональд, Джон Уэллс и другие
Сценарий: Пол Эбботт
В главных ролях: Уильям Х. Мэйси, Итан Каткоски, Джереми Аллен Уайт, Шанола Хэмптон, Стив Хоуи и другие
2018 год
Жанр: Драма, комедия
Режиссер: Мишель Гондри, Джейк Шрейер, Минки Спиро и другие
Сценарий: Дэйв Холстейн
В главных ролях: Джим Керри, Фрэнк Ланджелла, Джуди Грир, Коул Аллен и другие
2014 год
Жанр: драма
Режиссер: Ричард Линклейтер
Сценарий: Ричард Линклейтер
В главных ролях: Эллар Колтрейн, Итан Хоук, Патриша Аркетт, Лорелей Линклейтер и другие
2017 год
Жанр: Триллер, ужасы, детектив
Режиссер: Джордан Пил
Сценарий: Джордан Пил
В главных ролях: Дэниэл Калуя, Эллисон Уильямс, Кэтрин Кинер, Брэдли Уитфорд и другие
1997 год
Жанр: Фантастика, боевик, комедия, приключения
Режиссер: Барри Зонненфельд
Сценарий: Эд Соломон, Лоуэлл Каннингем
В главных ролях: Томми Ли Джонс, Уилл Смит, Линда Фиорентино, Винсент Д’Онофрио и другие
2020 год
Жанр: Мультфильм, фентези, комедия
Режиссер: Пит Доктер, Кемп Пауэрс
Сценарий: Пит Доктер, Майк Джонс, Кемп Пауэрс
роли озвучивали: Джейми Фокс, Тина Фей, Грэм Нортон, Рэйчел Хаус и другие
2020 год
Жанр: Триллер, биография, драма, история
Режиссер: Аарон Соркин
Сценарий: Аарон Соркин
В главных ролях: Марк Райлэнс, Саша Барон Коэн, Эдди Редмэйн, Фрэнк Ланджелла и другие
2020 год
Жанр: Триллер, драма, криминал
Режиссер: Эмиральд Феннел
Сценарий: Эмиральд Феннел
В главных ролях: Кэри Маллиган, Бо Бёрнэм, Элисон Бри, Клэнси Браун и другие
2014 год
Жанр: Фантастика, драма, приключения
Режиссер: Кристофер Нолан
Сценарий: Джонатан нолан, Кристофер Нолан
В главных ролях: Мэттью МакКонахи, Энн Хэтэуэй, Джессика Честейн, Маккензи Фой и другие
2017 год
Жанр: военный, драма, история
Режиссер: Кристофер Нолан
Сценарий: Кристофер Нолан
В главных ролях: Финн Уайтхед, Том Глинн-Карни, Джек Лауден, Гарри Стайлс и другие
2020 год
Жанр: Фантастика, боевик, триллер
Режиссер: Кристофер Нолан
Сценарий: Кристофер Нолан
В главных ролях: Джон Дэвид Вашингтон, Роберт Паттинсон, Элизабет Дебики, Кеннет Брана и другие
2006 год
Жанр: Фантастика, триллер, драма, детектив
Режиссер: Кристофер Нолан
Сценарий: Джонатан Нолан, Кристофер Нолан, Кристофер Прист
В главных ролях: Хью Джекман, Кристиан Бэйл, Майкл Кейн, Пайпер Перабо и другие
2009 год
Жанр: Мелодрама, комедия
Режиссер: Марк Уэбб
Сценарий: Скотт Нойстедтер, Майкл Х. Уэбер
В главных ролях: Джозеф Гордон-Левитт, Зои Дешанель, Джеффри Аренд, Хлоя Грейс Морец и другие
2015 год
Жанр: Фантастика, приключения
Режиссер: ридли скотт
Сценарий: Дрю Годдард, Энди Уир
В главных ролях: Мэтт Дэймон, Джессика Честейн, Чиветель Эджиофор, Кристен Уиг и другие
2020 год
Жанр: Драма, мелодрама, комедия
Режиссер: Эндрю Флеминг, Зои Р. Кассаветис, Питер Лоэр
Сценарий: Мэтт Уайтакер, Даррен Стар, Сара Чхве и другие
В главных ролях: Лили Коллинз, Филиппин Леруа-Больё, Эшли Парк, Лукас Браво и другие
2020 год
Жанр: детектив, комедия
Режиссер: Сюзанна Фогель, Маркос Сига, Себастьян Сильва
Сценарий: Стив Йокей, Кара Кортон, Райан Дженнифер Джонс и другие
В главных ролях: Кейли Куоко, Михиль Хаусман, Заша Мэмет, Т.Р. Найт и другие
2020 год
Жанр: комедия, спорт
Режиссер: Том Маршалл, М.Дж. Делани, Эллиот Хегарти
Сценарий: Брендан Хант, Джо Келли, Билл Лоуренс
В главных ролях: Джейсон Судейкис, Ханна Уэддингхэм, Брендан Хант, Джереми Свифт и другие
2021 год
Жанр: Биография, Драма, история, криминал
Режиссер: Шака Кинг
Сценарий: Уилл Берсон, Шака Кинг, Кеннет Лукас
В главных ролях: Лакит Стэнфилд, Дэниэл Калуя, Джесси Племонс, Доминик Фишбэк и другие
2020 год
Жанр: драма
Режиссер: Ли Айзек Чун
Сценарий: Ли Айзек Чун
В главных ролях: Стивен Ян, Хан Е-ри, Юн Ё-джон, Алан С. Ким и другие
2019 год
Жанр: Драма, музыка
Режиссер: Дариус Мардер
Сценарий: Дариус Мардер, Абрахам Мардер, Дерек Сиенфрэнс
В главных ролях: Риз Ахмед, Оливия Кук, Пол Раджи, Матьё Амальрик и другие
202о год
Жанр: Драма, криминал
Режиссер: Рамин Бахрани
Сценарий: Рамин Бахрани, Аравинд Адига
В главных ролях: Адарш Гурав, Раджкумар Рао, Приянка Чопра Джонас, Ведант Синха и другие
2020 год
Жанр: комедия
Режиссер: Джейсон Уолинер
Сценарий: Саша Барон Коэн, Энтони Хайнс, Дэн Суимер
В главных ролях: Саша Барон Коэн, Мария Бакалова, Том Хэнкс, Дани Попеску и другие
2020год
Жанр: Драма
Режиссер: Хлоя Чжао
Сценарий: Хлоя Чжао, Джессика Брудер
В главных ролях: Фрэнсис МакДорманд, Гэй ДеФорест, Патриша Грайр, Линда Мэй и другие
202о год
Жанр: Биография, Драма
Режиссер: Дэвид Финчер
Сценарий: Джек Финчер
В главных ролях: Гари Олдман, Аманда Сайфред, Лили Коллинз, Том Пелфри и другие
2020 год
Жанр: Вестерн, драма, приключения
Режиссер: Пол Гринграсс
Сценарий: Пол Гринграсс, Люк Дейвис, Полетт Джилс
В главных ролях: Том Хэнкс, Хелена Ценгель, Рэй Маккиннон, Майкл Анджело Ковино и другие
2020 год
Жанр: мультфильм, фэнтези, комедия, приключения
Режиссер: Дэн Скэнлон
Сценарий: Дэн Скэнлон, Кит Бьюнин, Джейсон Хэдли
роли озвучивали: Том Холланд, Крис Пратт, Джулия Луис-Дрейфус, Октавия Спенсер и другие
1986 год
Жанр: Триллер, драма, детектив
Режиссер: Дэвид Линч
Сценарий: Дэвид Линч
В главных ролях: Изабелла Росселлини, Кайл МакЛоклен, Деннис Хоппер, Лора Дерн и другие
1990 — 1991 год
Жанр: триллер, драма, криминал, детектив, фантастика
Режиссер: Дэвид Линч
Сценарий: Дэвид Линч
В главных ролях: Кайл МакЛоклен, Майкл Онткин, Шерил Ли, Лара Флинн Бойл и другие
1996 год
Жанр: Триллер, детектив
Режиссер: Дэвид Линч
Сценарий: Дэвид Линч, Бэрри Гиффорд
В главных ролях: Билл Пуллман, Патриша Аркетт, Бальтазар Гетти, Роберт Лоджа и другие
202о год
Жанр: Драма
Режиссер: Кемп Пауэрс
Сценарий: Реджина Кинг, Пол Оливер Дэвис, Джоди Клейн
В главных ролях: Кингсли Бен-Адир, Эли Гори, Элдис Ходж, Лесли Одом мл. и другие
2020 год
Жанр: драма
Режиссер: Флориан Зеллер
Сценарий: Флориан Зеллер, Кристофер Хэмптон
В главных ролях: Энтони Хопкинс, Оливия Колман, Марк Гэтисс, Оливия Уильямс и другие
2017 год
Жанр: фантастика, триллер, драма
Режиссер: Майк Баркер, Кари Скогланд, Даина Рейд
Сценарий: Брюс Миллер
В главных ролях: Элизабет Мосс, Ивонн Страховски, Джозеф Файнс, Энн Дауд и другие
2021 год
Жанр: фантастика, боевик, Драма, приключения
Режиссер: Дени Вильнёв
Сценарий: Джон Спэйтс, Дени Вильнёв, Эрик Рот
В главных ролях: Тимоти Шаламе, Ребекка Фергюсон, Оскар Айзек, Джош Бролин и другие
2021 год
Жанр: биография, история, драма
Режиссер: Уилл Шарп
Сценарий: Саймон Стефенсон, Уилл Шарп
В главных ролях: Бенедикт Камбербэтч, Клэр Фой, Джэми Деметриу, Андреа Райзборо и другие
2021 год
Жанр: фантастика, боевик, комедия, мелодрама
Режиссер: Шон Леви
Сценарий: Мэтт Либерман, Зак Пенн
В главных ролях: Лил Рел Ховери, Джо Кири, Уткарш Амбудкар, Тайка Вайтити и другие
2021 год
Жанр: Драма, фантастика, комедия
Режиссер: Адам МакКей
Сценарий: Адам МакКей
В главных ролях: Леонардо ДиКаприо, Дженнифер Лоуренс, Мэрил Стрип, Джона Хилл и другие
2021 год
Жанр: Драма, вестерн
Режиссер: Джейн Кэмпион
Сценарий: Джейн Кэмпион, Томас Сэвидж
В главных ролях: Бенедикт Камбербэтч, Кирстен Данст, Джесси Племонс, Коди Смит-Макфи и другие
2009 год
Жанр: фантастика, боевик, драма приключения
Режиссер: Джеймс Кэмерон
Сценарий: Джеймс Кэмерон
В главных ролях: Сэм Уортингтон, Зои Салдана, Сигурни Уивер, Стивен Лэнг и другие
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ДРАМАТУРГИИ И НАПИШИТЕ ВМЕСТЕ С ПРОФЕССИОНАЛАМИ СЦЕНАРИЙ КОРОТКОМЕТРАЖНОГО ФИЛЬМА
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ИП Комиссарук Вадим Витальевич
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Наташа и Клинт выбирают того, кто из них пожертвует собой ради Камня Души
Natasha
If we don’t get that stone, billions of people stay dead.
Если мы не получим этот камень, миллиарды людей останутся мертвыми.
Barton
Then I guess we both know who it’s gotta be.
Тогда, полагаю, мы оба знаем, кто это будет.
Natasha
I guess we do.
Думаю, да, знаем.
Barton
I’m starting to think we mean different people here, Natasha.
Я начинаю думать, что у каждого из нас разные кандидатуры.
Наташа и Клинт выбирают того, кто из них пожертвует собой ради Камня Души
Natasha
For the last five years I’ve been trying to do one thing, get to right here. That’s all it’s been about. Bringing everybody back.
За последние пять лет я пыталась сделать одну вещь, попасть именно сюда. Все к этому и вело. Вернуть всех назад.
Barton
Oh, don’t you get all decent on me now.
Только не надо сейчас принижать мою роль.
Natasha
What, you think I want to do it? I’m trying to save your life, you idiot.
Ты что, думаешь я сама этого хочу? Я пытаюсь твою жизнь спасти, идиот.
Barton
Yeah, well, I don’t want you to, how’s that? Natasha, you know what I’ve done. You know what I’ve become.
Да, а может я не хочу, чтобы ты спасала, как тебе такое? Наташа, ты знаешь, что я сделал. Кем я стал.
Natasha
Well, I don’t judge people on their worst mistakes.
Я не сужу людей по их худшим ошибкам.
Barton
Maybe you should.
Может, стоило бы.
Про Наташу (Черную Вдову)
Tony Stark
Did she have any family?
У нее была семья?
Тони Старк решил проблему с перемещением во времени
Pepper
We got really lucky.
Нам очень повезло.
Tony Stark
Yeah, I know.
Да, я знаю.
Pepper
A lot of people didn’t.
А многим нет.
Tony Stark
Nope. And I can’t help everybody.
Нет. И я не в силах помочь каждому.
Pepper
Sorta seems like you can.
Похоже, что можешь.
Tony Stark
Not if I stop. I can put a pin in it right now and stop.
Нет, если остановлюсь. Я могу все оставить как есть и остановиться.
Pepper
Tony, trying to get you to stop has been one of the few failures of my entire life.
Тони, попытки тебя остановить, у меня всегда оборачивались провалом.
Tony Stark
Honestly, until this exact second I thought you were a Build-a-Bear.
Ой, прости, ровно до этого момента я думал, что ты плюшевый.
Rogers
You know, I saw a pod of whales when I was coming in, over the bridge.
Представляешь, я видел стаю китов, пока шел сюда по мосту.
Natasha
In the Hudson?
В Гудзоне?
Rogers
Fewer ships, cleaner water…
Меньше кораблей, чище вода…
Natasha
You know, if you’re about to tell me to look on the bright side — I’m about to hit you in the head with a peanut butter sandwich.
Если ты собираешься сказать мне, чтобы я смотрела на все с положительной стороны — я запущу в тебя арахисовым сендвичем.
Rogers
Sorry, force of habit.
Прости, сила привычки.
Rocket
Quill said he stole the Power Stone from Morag.
Квилл сказал, что украл Камень Силы с Морага.
Banner
Is that a person?
Это человек?
Rocket
Morag’s a planet, Quill was a person.
Мораг — планета. Квилл — человек.
Scott Lang
A planet? Like in outer space?
Планета? Прямо в космосе?
Rocket
Oh, look, it’s like a little puppy, all happy and everything. Do you wanna go to space, puppy? I’ll take you to space!
Ой, гляньте ка, ты прям как маленький щеночек, всему всегда радуешься. Хочешь в космос, щеночек? Я отведу тебя в космос.
Rocket
Who here hasn’t been to space?
И так, кто тут у нас в первый раз в космосе?
[Rhodey, Romanoff and Rogers raise their hand]
[Воитель, Вдова и Стив поднимают руки]
Rocket
You better not throw up on my ship!
Облюете мне корабль, не прощу.
Перед тем, как Роджерс отправляется возвращать камни бесконечности
Rogers
Don’t do anything stupid till I get back.
Глупостей не наделай, пока я не вернусь.
Bucky Barnes
How can I? You’re taking all the stupid with you.
Как я смогу? Все глупости ты забираешь с собой.
Barton
You shouldn’t be here.
Тебя здесь быть не должно.
Natasha
Neither should you.
Как и тебя.
Barton
I’ve got a job to do.
Я делаю свою работу.
Natasha
Is that what you’re calling this? Killing all these people isn’t going to bring your family back.
Так ты это называешь? Убийство всех этих людей не вернет тебе твою семью.
[long pause]
[долгая пауза]
Natasha
We found something. A chance — maybe…
Мы нашли кое-что. Шанс, возможно…
Barton
Don’t give me hope.
Давать мне надежду.
Natasha
I’m sorry I couldn’t give it to you sooner.
Мне жаль, что не смогла тебе ее дать раньше.
Про Тора
Tony Stark
What’s wrong with him?
Что это с ним?
Rocket
He’s pissed. He thinks he failed. Which, of course, he did, but there’s a lot of that going around, ain’t there?
Хандрит, мол, что всех подвел. Ну подвел, но опять же, покажи мне того, кто не подвел.
Rhodey
Look, he’s still got the Stones, so…
Слушайте, камни все еще у него, так что…
Carol Danvers
So, let’s get them. Use them to bring everyone back.
Так что заберем их. Используем их, чтобы вернуть все назад.
Banner
Just like that?
Что, так просто?
Rogers
Yeah, just like that.
Да, именно так.
Natasha
Even if there’s a small chance that we can undo this, I mean, we owe it to everyone who is not in this room, to try.
Даже если есть хоть малейший шанс все отменить, мы обязаны попытаться ради тех, кого сейчас с нами нет.
Мстители обнаружили Таноса и обсуждают план атаки
Banner
If we do this, how do we know it’s going to end any differently than it did before?
Если мы решимся на это, откуда мы можем знать, что на этот раз все кончится по другому, не так, как раньше?
Carol Danvers
Because before, you didn’t have me.
Раньше у вас не было меня.
Rhodey
Hey, new girl? Everybody in this room is about that superhero life. And, if you don’t mind my asking, where the hell have you been all this time?
Эй, ты ведь новенькая? Здесь любой, кого не возьми, супергерой со стажем. А тебя, прости за вопрос, где носило все это время?
Carol Danvers
There are a lot of other planets in the universe, and, unfortunately, they didn’t have you guys.
Во вселенной полно других планет и вас, ребят, к сожалению, там не водится.
Тони Старк говорит про своего отца из своего времени
Tony Stark
I thought my dad was tough on me. And now, looking back on it, I just remember the good stuff. You know? He did drop the odd pearl.
Я думал, что мой отец был слишком груб со мной. А сейчас, оглядываясь назад, я помню лишь хорошее. Видите ли. Он заложил очень странное зерно.
Howard Stark
Yeah? Like what?
Да? И какое же?
Tony Stark
No amount of money ever bought a second of time.
Ни за какие деньги не купить и секунды времени.
Banner
Time doesn’t work that way. Changing the past doesn’t change the future.
Время так не работает. Изменение прошлого не изменит будущее.
Scott Lang
We go back, we get the stones before Thanos gets them, Thanos doesn’t have the stones! Problem solved!
Мы отправимся назад, заберем камни до того, как Танос до них доберется, Танос останентся без камней. Проблема решена!
Nebula
That’s not how it works!
Это так не работает!
Barton
Well, that’s what I heard.
Ну, я слышал, что так.
Banner
Wait, but who? Who told you that?
Погоди, от кого? Кто тебе это сказал?
Rhodey
Star Trek, Terminator, Timecop, Time After Time…
Звездный путь, Терминатор, Патруль времени, Путешествие в машине времени…
Rhodey
… basically any movie that deals with time travel!
…практически каждый фильм про путешествие во времени.
Banner
I don’t know why everyone believes that, but that isn’t true. Think about it. If you go into the past, that past becomes your future, and your former present becomes the past, which can’t now be changed by your new future!
Я не понимаю, почему все в это верят, так как это не правда. Подумай сам. Если ты отправишься в прошлое, то это прошлое станет твоим будущим, а твое прежнее настоящее станет прошлым, которое уже не может быть изменено твоим новым будущим.
Scott Lang
So, Back to the Future’s a bunch of bullshit?
Так что же, Назад в будущее это все бред собачий?
Тессеракт пробудился.
Тессеракт пробудился.
Он в маленьком мире, мире людей.
Они завладели бы его силой,
но им никогда не узнать его так, как знает его наш союзник.
Он готов стать во главе,
и наши силы, наши Читаури, пойдут за ним.
Мир будет принадлежать ему.
Вселенная — тебе.
А люди — что они могут? Только гореть.
Внимание персоналу,
порядок эвакуации подтверждён.
ОБЪЕДИНЁННАЯ МИССИЯ ТЁМНОЙ ЭНЕРГИИ
Насколько всё плохо?
В том-то и дело, сэр. Мы не знаем.
Д-р Селвиг отметил прилив энергии на Тессеракте четыре часа назад.
НАСА запретило Селвигу начинать тестовую фазу.
Он ничего не тестировал. Его даже в комнате не было.
Спонтанное явление.
Он сам включился?
Что с уровнем энергии?
Растёт. Селвиг не смог его остановить, и мы начали эвакуацию.
Сколько времени на это уйдёт?
Кампус будет освобождён за полчаса.
Постарайтесь быстрее.
Сэр, эвакуация может оказаться бесполезной.
Сказать всем, чтобы спали дальше?
Если не взять под контроль энергию Тессеракта,
то у нас не останется минимального безопасного расстояния.
Убедитесь,
что прототипы «Фазы-2» вывозятся.
Сэр, неужели это сейчас самое главное?
Пока конец света не наступил,
мы будем вести себя так, будто его никогда не будет.
Вывезти оборудование.
Всё, связанное с «Фазой-2» — на грузовики и вывезти.
Есть, сэр.
За мной.
Я слушаю, доктор.
Директор.
Есть что-нибудь, в чём мы уверены?
Тессеракт шалит.
— Это что, смешно?
— Нет, совсем не смешно.
Тессеракт не только активен, у него есть характер.
Полагаю, вы выдернули провод из розетки.
Источник энергии — он.
Мы отключаем питание — он его включает.
Если он достигнет пикового уровня…
Мы готовы к этому, доктор. Обуздать энергию из космоса.
Но у нас нет средств.
Я ещё не закончил расчёты.
А он излучает помехи, радиацию.
Ничего вредного, уровень гамма-излучения низок.
Это может быть вредно.
Где агент Бартон?
Сокол?
В гнезде, как обычно.
Агент Бартон, приём.
Я поручил тебе это дело,
ты должен за всем следить.
Я лучше вижу на расстоянии.
Заметил что-нибудь, что могло расстроить эту штуку?
Доктор, опять растёт.
Никто не заходил и не уходил.
А Селвиг чист.
Никаких звонков, сообщений.
Если и было какое-то вмешательство, сэр, то не отсюда.
«Отсюда»?
Да, куб — это дверь на другую сторону космоса, понимаете?
Двери открываются с обеих сторон.
Ещё нет.
Сэр, пожалуйста, опустите копьё.
У вас добрые намерения.
Пожалуйста, не надо.
Мне это ещё нужно.
Хуже быть уже не может.
Конечно, может.
Я проделал долгий путь не ради этого.
Я Локи, из Асгарда,
и я преследую благородную цель.
Локи,
брат Тора.
У нас нет разногласий с твоим народом.
Муравей не спорит с сапогом.
Вы планируете наступить на нас?
Я принёс радостные вести
из свободного
«Marvel’s The Avengers» redirects here. For the original comic book characters, see Avengers (comics).
Marvel’s The Avengers[5] (classified under the name Marvel Avengers Assemble in the United Kingdom and Ireland),[1][6] or simply The Avengers, is a 2012 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures,[a] it is the sixth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Written and directed by Joss Whedon, the film features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner as the Avengers, alongside Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, and Samuel L. Jackson. In the film, Nick Fury and the spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Thor, Natasha Romanoff, and Clint Barton to form a team capable of stopping Thor’s brother Loki from subjugating Earth.
The Avengers | |
---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
|
Directed by | Joss Whedon |
Screenplay by | Joss Whedon |
Story by |
|
Based on |
Avengers
|
Produced by | Kevin Feige |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Seamus McGarvey |
Edited by |
|
Music by | Alan Silvestri |
Production |
Marvel Studios |
Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures[a] |
Release dates |
|
Running time |
143 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $220–225 million[2][3] |
Box office | $1.519 billion[4] |
The film’s development began when Marvel Studios received a loan from Merrill Lynch in April 2005. After the success of the film Iron Man in May 2008, Marvel announced that The Avengers would be released in July 2011 and would bring together Tony Stark (Downey), Steve Rogers (Evans), Bruce Banner (Ruffalo), and Thor (Hemsworth) from Marvel’s previous films. With the signing of Johansson as Natasha Romanoff in March 2009 and Renner as Clint Barton in June 2010, the film was pushed back for a 2012 release. Whedon was brought on board in April 2010 and rewrote the original screenplay by Zak Penn. Production began in April 2011 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before moving to Cleveland, Ohio in August and New York City in September. The film has more than 2,200 visual effects shots.
The Avengers premiered in Los Angeles on April 11, 2012, and was released in the United States on May 4, as the final film in Phase One of the MCU. The film received praise for Whedon’s direction and screenplay, visual effects, action sequences, acting, and musical score. The film grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide, setting numerous box office records and becoming the third-highest-grossing film of all time at the time of its release and the highest-grossing film of 2012, as well as the first Marvel production to generate $1 billion in ticket sales. In 2017, The Avengers was featured as one of the 100 greatest films of all time in an Empire magazine poll. It received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 85th Academy Awards, among numerous other accolades. Three sequels have been released: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Plot
The Asgardian Loki encounters the Other, the leader of an extraterrestrial race known as the Chitauri. In exchange for retrieving the Tesseract,[b] a powerful energy source of unknown potential, the Other promises Loki an army with which he can subjugate Earth. Nick Fury, director of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D., arrives at a remote research facility, where physicist Dr. Erik Selvig is leading a team experimenting on the Tesseract. The Tesseract suddenly activates and opens a wormhole, allowing Loki to reach Earth. Loki steals the Tesseract and uses his scepter to enslave Selvig and other agents, including Clint Barton, to aid him.
In response, Fury reactivates the «Avengers Initiative». Agent Natasha Romanoff heads to Kolkata to recruit Dr. Bruce Banner to trace the Tesseract through its gamma radiation emissions. Fury approaches Steve Rogers to retrieve the Tesseract, and Agent Phil Coulson visits Tony Stark to have him check Selvig’s research. Loki is in Stuttgart, where Barton steals the iridium needed to stabilize the Tesseract’s power, leading to a confrontation with Rogers, Stark, and Romanoff that ends with Loki’s surrender. While Loki gets escorted to S.H.I.E.L.D., his adoptive brother Thor arrives and frees him, hoping to convince him to abandon his plan and return to Asgard. Stark and Rogers intervene and Loki is taken to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s flying aircraft carrier, the Helicarrier, where he is imprisoned.
The Avengers become divided over how to approach Loki and the revelation that S.H.I.E.L.D. plans to harness the Tesseract to develop powerful weapons as a deterrent against hostile extraterrestrials. As they argue, Loki’s agents attack the Helicarrier, and the stress causes Banner to transform into the Hulk. Stark and Rogers work to restart the damaged engine, and Thor attempts to stop the Hulk’s rampage. Romanoff knocks Barton unconscious, breaking Loki’s mind control. Loki escapes after killing Coulson and Fury uses Coulson’s death to motivate the Avengers into working as a team. Loki uses the Tesseract and a wormhole generator Selvig built to open a wormhole above Stark Tower to the Chitauri fleet in space, launching his invasion.
Rogers, Stark, Romanoff, Barton, Thor, and the Hulk rally in defense of New York City, and together the Avengers battle the Chitauri. The Hulk beats Loki into submission. Romanoff makes her way to the generator, where Selvig, freed from Loki’s mind control, reveals that Loki’s scepter can shut down the generator. Fury’s superiors from the World Security Council attempt to end the invasion by launching a nuclear missile at Midtown Manhattan. Stark intercepts the missile and takes it through the wormhole toward the Chitauri fleet. The missile detonates, destroying the Chitauri mothership and disabling their forces on Earth. Stark’s suit loses power, and he goes into freefall, but the Hulk saves him. In the aftermath, Thor returns with Loki and the Tesseract to Asgard, where Loki will face their justice.
In a mid-credits scene, the Other confers with his master[c] about the failed attack on Earth.
Cast
- Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man:
A self-described genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist with an electromechanical suit of armor of his own invention. Downey was cast as part of his four-picture deal with Marvel Studios, which included Iron Man 2 (2010) and The Avengers.[12] He said he initially pushed Whedon to make Stark the lead: «Well, I said, ‘I need to be in the opening sequence. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but Tony needs to drive this thing.’ He was like, ‘Okay, let’s try that.’ We tried it and it didn’t work, because this is a different sort of thing, the story and the idea and the theme is the theme, and everybody is just an arm of the octopus.»[13] About the character’s evolution from previous films, Downey said, «In Iron Man, which was an origin story, he was his own epiphany and redemption of sorts. Iron Man 2 is all about not being an island, dealing with legacy issues and making space for others. . . In The Avengers, he’s throwing it down with the others».[14] Downey earned $50 million from the film, «once box-office bonuses and backend compensation [were] factored in».[15] - Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America:
A World War II veteran who was enhanced to the peak of human physicality by an experimental serum and frozen in suspended animation before waking up in the modern world. Evans was cast as part of a deal to star in three Marvel films, in addition to The Avengers.[16] Evans said that Steve Rogers is much darker in The Avengers: «It’s just about him trying to come to terms with the modern world. You’ve got to imagine, it’s enough of a shock to accept the fact that you’re in a completely different time, but everybody you know is dead. Everybody you cared about. . . He was a soldier, obviously, everybody he went to battle with, all of his brothers in arms, they’re all dead. He’s just lonely. I think in the beginning it’s a fish-out-of-water scene, and it’s tough. It’s a tough pill for him to swallow. Then comes trying to find a balance with the modern world.»[13] Regarding the dynamic between Rogers and Tony Stark, Evans said, «I think there’s certainly a dichotomy—this kind of friction between myself and Tony Stark, they’re polar opposites. One guy is flash and spotlight and smooth, and the other guy is selfless and in the shadows and kind of quiet and they have to get along. They explore that, and it’s pretty fun.»[17] Evans earned $2–3 million for the film.[15] - Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk:
A genius scientist who, because of exposure to gamma radiation, transforms into a monster when enraged or agitated. Ruffalo, who was considered to play Banner in The Incredible Hulk (2008) before Edward Norton took the role,[18] was cast after negotiations between Marvel and Norton broke down.[19] About replacing Norton, Ruffalo said, «I’m a friend of Ed’s, and yeah, that wasn’t a great way for all that to go down. But the way I see it is that Ed has bequeathed this part to me. I look at it as my generation’s Hamlet.» About the character, he said, «He’s a guy struggling with two sides of himself—the dark and the light—and everything he does in his life is filtered through issues of control. I grew up on the Bill Bixby TV series, which I thought was a really nuanced and real human way to look at the Hulk. I like that the part has those qualities».[20] Regarding the Hulk’s place on the team, Ruffalo said, «He’s like the teammate none of them are sure they want on their team. He’s a loose cannon. It’s like, ‘Just throw a grenade in the middle of the group and let’s hope it turns out well!»[21] This is the first production in which the actor playing Banner also plays the Hulk. Ruffalo told New York magazine, «I’m really excited. No one’s ever played the Hulk exactly; they’ve always done CGI. They’re going to do the Avatar stop-action, stop-motion capture. So I’ll actually play the Hulk. That’ll be fun».[22] The 3D model used to create the Hulk’s body was modeled after Long Island bodybuilder and male stripper Steve Romm, while the Hulk’s face was modeled after Ruffalo.[23] To create the Hulk’s voice, Ruffalo’s voice was blended with those of Lou Ferrigno and others;[24] however, the Hulk’s only speaking line («Puny god.») was provided solely by Ruffalo.[25] Ruffalo earned $2–3 million for the film.[15] - Chris Hemsworth as Thor:
The crown prince of Asgard, based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name. Hemsworth was cast as part of a multiple movie deal.[26] He had previously worked with Joss Whedon on The Cabin in the Woods (2011).[27] Hemsworth said that he was able to maintain the strength he built up for Thor (2011) by increasing his food intake, consisting of chicken breasts, fish, steak, and eggs every day. When asked exactly how much, Hemsworth said, «My body weight in protein pretty much!»[28] He remarked that Thor’s motivation «is much more of a personal one, in the sense that it’s his brother that is stirring things up. Whereas everyone else, it’s some bad guy who they’ve gotta take down. It’s a different approach for me, or for Thor. He’s constantly having to battle the greater good and what he should do vs. it’s his little brother there. . . I’ve been frustrated with my brothers at times, or family, but I’m the only one who is allowed to be angry at them. There’s a bit of that.»[13] Hemsworth earned $2–3 million for the film.[15] - Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow:
A highly trained spy working for S.H.I.E.L.D.[29] About the character and her relationship with Hawkeye, Johansson said, «Our characters have a long history. They’ve fought together for a long time in a lot of battles in many different countries. We’re the two members of this avenging group who are skilled warriors – we have no superpowers. Black Widow is definitely one of the team, though. She’s not in the cast simply to be a romantic foil or eye candy. She’s there to fight, so I never felt like I was the only girl. We all have our various skills and it feels equal».[14] Regarding her training, Johansson said, «Even though Iron Man 2 was ‘one-for-them,’ I’d never done anything like that before. I’d never been physically driven in something, or a part of something so big. For The Avengers, I’ve spent so many months training with our stunt team, and fighting all the other actors, it’s crazy. I do nothing but fight—all the time.»[30] Johansson earned $4–6 million for the film.[15] - Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye:
A master archer working as an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D.[31][32] Renner said it was a very physical role and that he trained physically and practiced archery as much as possible in preparation.[33] About the role, Renner said, «When I saw Iron Man, I thought that was a really kick-ass approach to superheroes. Then they told me about this Hawkeye character, and I liked how he wasn’t really a superhero; he’s just a guy with a high skill set. I could connect to that.»[14] Regarding Hawkeye’s sniper mentality, Renner said, «It’s a lonely game. He’s an outcast. His only connection is to Scarlett’s character, Natasha. It’s like a left hand/right hand thing. They coexist, and you need them both, especially when it comes to a physical mission.»[14] Renner said Hawkeye is not insecure about his humanity. «Quite the opposite, he’s the only one who can really take down the Hulk with his [tranquilizer-tipped] arrows. He knows his limitations. But when it comes down to it, there has to be a sense of confidence in any superhero.»[13] Renner earned $2–3 million for the film.[15] - Tom Hiddleston as Loki:
Thor’s adoptive brother and nemesis, based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name.[26] About his character’s evolution from the film Thor, Hiddleston said, «I think the Loki we see in The Avengers is further advanced. You have to ask yourself the question: How pleasant an experience is it disappearing into a wormhole that has been created by some kind of super nuclear explosion of his own making? So I think by the time Loki shows up in The Avengers, he’s seen a few things.»[34] About Loki’s motivations, Hiddleston said, «At the beginning of The Avengers, he comes to Earth to subjugate it and his idea is to rule the human race as their king. And like all the delusional autocrats of human history, he thinks this is a great idea because if everyone is busy worshipping him, there will be no wars so he will create some kind of world peace by ruling them as a tyrant. But he is also kind of deluded in the fact that he thinks unlimited power will give him self-respect, so I haven’t let go of the fact that he is still motivated by this terrible jealousy and kind of spiritual desolation.»[35] - Stellan Skarsgård as Erik Selvig:
An astrophysicist and friend of Thor under Loki’s control who is studying the Tesseract’s power.[36][37] Regarding Loki’s control over Selvig, Skarsgård said, «Well with the scene we did in Thor, it was like Loki, one way or the other, entered Erik’s mind. And in Avengers, you will see more clarity in how Loki is using Erik’s mind.»[37] About his role, he said, «[My character] is of importance but the size of the role is not big.»[37] - Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury:
The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. who was revealed in previous films to be coordinating the «Avengers Initiative». Jackson was brought to the project with a deal containing an option to play the character in up to nine Marvel films.[38] Jackson said he does more in The Avengers than in any of the previous films: «You don’t have to wait until the end of the movie to see me». About the role, Jackson said, «It’s always good to play somebody [who] is a positive in society as opposed to somebody who is a negative. . . I tried to make him as honest to the story and as honest to what real-life would seem.» Jackson compared the character to Ordell Robbie in Jackie Brown, calling him «a nice guy to hang out with. You just don’t want to cross him».[39] Jackson earned $4–6 million for the film.[15]
Clark Gregg appears as Phil Coulson, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who oversees many of the division’s field operations.[40] Gregg was cast as part of a multi-picture deal with Marvel.[41] Gregg said his role was expanded in The Avengers: «[What] Agent Coulson had become in terms of the import of this particular story, and how important his job is in bringing the Avengers together, it kind of felt a little surreal, like somebody was playing a prank and that wasn’t the real script. But it wasn’t, it was the real thing, I got to show up and do that stuff, and it felt like such an amazing payoff to what the journey had been and the fact I had been doing it for five years.»[42] Gregg said Whedon provided insight into his character’s backstory, particularly about Coulson being a fan of Captain America.[42] Cobie Smulders appears as Maria Hill, a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who works closely with Nick Fury.[43] Smulders, whom Joss Whedon once considered for his unproduced live-action Wonder Woman film, was selected from a short list of potential actresses including Morena Baccarin. Smulders’ deal would integrate her into nine films.[44][45] Regarding her preparation, Smulders said, «I hired this amazing black-ops trainer to teach me how to hold a gun, take me to a shooting range, how to hit, how to hold myself, how to walk and basically how to look. I don’t do a ton of fighting in the movie, which is why I wasn’t offered a trainer, but I wanted to look like I had the ability to.»[46] On relating to the character, Smulders said, «I can relate to her being a mom and being a businesswoman and trying to work full-time and raising a family and having a career. We’re asked to do a lot of things these days. I feel she is just all about her job and keeping things going.»[47]
Gwyneth Paltrow and Maximiliano Hernández reprise their roles from previous MCU films as Pepper Potts and Jasper Sitwell, respectively.[48] Paul Bettany returns to voice J.A.R.V.I.S.[48] Frequent Whedon collaborator Alexis Denisof portrays «the Other», and Damion Poitier portrays his master, Thanos (unnamed in the film), in a post-credits scene.[49] Powers Boothe and Jenny Agutter appear as members of the World Security Council later revealed to be Gideon Malick and Councilwoman Hawley.[50][51] Avengers co-creator Stan Lee has a cameo appearance in a news report.[52] Harry Dean Stanton cameos as a security guard, and Polish film director Jerzy Skolimowski appears as Georgi Luchkov, Romanoff’s interrogator.[53] Warren Kole has a brief role as a S.H.I.E.L.D. bridge tech who is caught playing Galaga.[54] Enver Gjokaj, who later went on to play Daniel Sousa in the series Agent Carter, appears as a police officer.[55]
Production
Development
«It goes back to the very first incarnation of The Avengers, it goes to The Ultimates, it goes to everything about it. It makes no sense, it’s ridiculous. There’s a thunder god, there’s a green ‘id’ giant rage monster, there’s Captain America from the 40s, there’s Tony Stark who definitely doesn’t get along with anybody. Ultimately these people don’t belong together and the whole movie is about finding yourself from community. And finding that you not only belong together but you need each other, very much. Obviously this will be expressed through punching but it will be the heart of the film.»
—Joss Whedon, director of The Avengers, about the film.[56]
Ideas for a film based on the Avengers began in 2003,[57] with Avi Arad, the CEO of Marvel Studios, first announcing plans to develop the film in April 2005, after Marvel Enterprises declared independence by allying with Merrill Lynch to produce a slate of films that would be distributed by Paramount Pictures.[58] Marvel discussed their plans in a brief presentation to Wall Street analysts; the studio’s intention was to release individual films for the main characters—to establish their identities and familiarize audiences with them—before merging the characters together in a crossover film.[59] Screenwriter Zak Penn, who wrote The Incredible Hulk, became attached to the film in 2006,[57] and was hired by Marvel Studios to write the film in June 2007.[60] In the wake of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, Marvel negotiated with the Writers Guild of America to ensure that it could create films based on its comic book counterparts, including Captain America, Ant-Man and The Avengers.[61] After the successful release of Iron Man (2008) in May, the company set a July 2011 release date for The Avengers.[62] In September 2008, Marvel Studios reached an agreement with Paramount—an extension of a previous partnership—which gave the company distribution rights for five future Marvel films.[63]
Casting began in October 2008 with Downey’s signing.[12] Though Don Cheadle was also reported to be reprising his Iron Man 2 role of War Machine for The Avengers, he later stated that he did not think the character would appear in the film.[12][64] At the same time, two major prospects occurred for Marvel: Jon Favreau was brought in as an executive producer for the film,[12] and the company signed a long-term lease with Raleigh Studios to produce three other big-budget films—Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)—at their Manhattan Beach, California complex.[65] In February 2009, Samuel L. Jackson signed a nine-picture deal with Marvel Entertainment to play Nick Fury in Iron Man 2 and other films.[38] In September 2009, Edward Norton, who played Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk stated that he was open to returning in the film.[66] The next month, executive producer Jon Favreau stated that he would not direct the film, but would «definitely have input and a say». Favreau also expressed concerns, stating, «It’s going to be hard, because I was so involved in creating the world of Iron Man, and Iron Man is very much a tech-based hero, and then with Avengers you’re going to be introducing some supernatural aspects because of Thor […] [Mixing] the two of those works very well in the comic books, but it’s going to take a lot of thoughtfulness to make that all work and not blow the reality that we’ve created».[67] In March 2009, actress Scarlett Johansson replaced Emily Blunt in portraying Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2, a deal that subsequently attached her to The Avengers.[29] The following day, Marvel announced that the film’s release date had been pushed back to May 4, 2012, almost a full year later.[68] Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston joined the film’s cast in June, returning as Thor and Loki, respectively.[26]
In July 2009, Penn talked about the crossover process, stating, «My job is to kind of shuttle between the different movies and make sure that finally we’re mimicking that comic book structure where all of these movies are connected. . . There’s just a board that tracks ‘Here’s where everything that happens in this movie overlaps with that movie’. . . I’m pushing them to do as many animatics as possible to animate the movie, to draw boards so that we’re all working off the same visual ideas. But the exigencies of production take first priority».[69] At first, Penn tried to reduce Thor’s role in the script because he had doubts about the character’s ability to succeed on film. He changed his mind once Hemsworth was cast as Thor.[70] The film had always intended to use Loki as its villain, but Penn noted that early discussion had considered using Red Skull.[71]
In January 2010, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige was asked if it would be difficult to meld the fantasy of Thor with the high-tech science fiction in Iron Man and The Avengers. «No,» he said, «because we’re doing the Jack Kirby/Stan Lee/Walt Simonson/J. Michael Straczynski Thor. We’re not doing the blow-the-dust-off-of-the-old-Norse-book-in-your-library Thor. And in the Thor of the Marvel Universe, there’s a race called the Asgardians. And we’re linked through this Tree of Life that we’re unaware of. It’s real science, but we don’t know about it yet. The ‘Thor’ movie is about teaching people that».[72] In March, it was reported that Penn had completed the first draft of the script, and that Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada and Avengers comic-book writer Brian Michael Bendis had received copies.[73] Also in March, Chris Evans accepted an offer to play Captain America in three films including The Avengers.[16]
Pre-production
«People forget that we started filming Avengers before either Thor or Captain America were released. What if people hated Thor? What if people thought Loki was ridiculous? What if people didn’t buy this super soldier frozen in ice? We were in the first quarter of production on a giant movie at that time, and we weren’t going to stop. It was sort of all in at that point.»
—Kevin Feige, President of Production for Marvel Studios, on the challenges of producing the first Avengers film.[74]
By April 2010, Joss Whedon was close to completing a deal to direct the film and to rework Penn’s script,[75] and was officially announced in July 2010.[76] On the hiring, Arad stated: «My personal opinion is that Joss will do a fantastic job. He loves these characters and is a fantastic writer […] It’s part of his life so you know he is going to protect it […] I expect someone like him is going to make the script even better».[77] Feige added, «I’ve known Joss for many years. We were looking for the right thing and he came in and met on it […] we want[ed] to find a director that’s on the verge of doing something great, as we think Joss is.»[78] Whedon stated at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International, that what drew him to the film is that he loves how «these people shouldn’t be in the same room let alone on the same team—and that is the definition of family».[79]
When Whedon received Penn’s draft, he told Feige he felt the studio did not «have anything» and they should «pretend this draft never happened».[80] Part of Whedon’s issue was the lack of character connections in Penn’s draft, which necessitated Whedon to begin «at square one».[57] Whedon went on to write a five-page treatment of his plan for the film, and created the tagline «Avengers: Some Assembly Required», riffing on the «Avengers Assemble» slogan from the comic books. Marvel quickly began working to sign Whedon to write and direct, only stipulating that he include the Avengers against Loki, a battle among the heroes in the middle, a battle against the villains at the end, and he get the film done for its May 2012 release.[80] The script would go through «a lot of insane iterations of what might be» according to Whedon. Whedon explained there was a point when it was not certain Johansson would star in the film, so he «wrote a huge bunch of pages starring The Wasp»,[57] and wanted Zooey Deschanel to play the character.[81] He also was «worried that one British character actor [(Hiddleston)] was not enough to take on Earth’s mightiest heroes, and that we’d feel like we were rooting for the overdog. So I wrote a huge draft with Ezekiel Stane, Obadiah Stane’s son, in it.» Once all of the actors were «locked in place the movie stayed on mission.» Whedon noted that the characters used do not have the same issue, unlike the X-Men. He felt «these guys just don’t belong together» before realizing their interactions could be like The Dirty Dozen (1967). Whedon also referenced Dr. Strangelove (1964), The Abyss (1989), His Girl Friday (1940), and Black Hawk Down (2001). Whedon would ultimately share final screenplay credit with Penn, though Whedon noted he «fought» for sole credit and was «very upset about it.» Penn felt the two «could have collaborated more, but that was not his choice. He wanted to do it his way, and I respect that.»[57]
The casting process continued into much of 2010, with the additions of Jeremy Renner,[31] Mark Ruffalo,[19] and Clark Gregg.[40] Ruffalo replaced Edward Norton, whom Marvel declined to have back.[82] «We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers,» stated Feige. «Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members. The Avengers demands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert, Chris H, Chris E, Samuel, Scarlett, and all of our talented casts. We are looking to announce a name actor who fulfills these requirements, and is passionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks.»[83] In response, Norton’s agent Brian Swardstrom decried Feige’s statement, calling it «purposefully misleading» and an «inappropriate attempt to paint our client in a negative light».[84] In October 2014, Norton claimed it was his own decision never to play Hulk again because he «wanted more diversity» with his career, and did not want to be associated with only one character.[85]
In August 2010, it was reported that Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios were planning to start shooting in February.[86] In October 2010, Grumman Studios in Bethpage, New York[87] and the Steiner Studios in Brooklyn, New York City, were announced as filming locations,[88] with set construction slated to begin in November,[87] but as Whedon later explained, «Originally we were supposed to be in Los Angeles, then for a short period we were supposed to be in New York, and then somehow we ended up in Albuquerque.»[5] Also that October, Walt Disney Studios agreed to pay Paramount at least $115 million for the worldwide distribution rights to Iron Man 3 (2013) and The Avengers.[89] The deal also allowed Paramount to continue to collect the 8 percent box office fee it would have earned for distributing the film and a marquee credit—placement of the company’s production logo on marketing materials and the film’s opening titles. As a result, the onscreen production credit reads «Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures» though the film is solely owned, distributed, financed, and marketed by Disney. Paramount’s Epix retained pay TV rights.[7]
In December 2010, Governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson and Marvel Studios Co-president Louis D’Esposito announced The Avengers would film primarily in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with principal photography scheduled for April through September 2011. Parts of the film were also scheduled to be shot in Michigan,[90] but a plan to film in Detroit ended after Governor Rick Snyder issued a budget proposal that would eliminate a film tax incentive.[91] Three months later in March, Governor of Ohio John Kasich announced before Mayor Frank G. Jackson’s State of the City address that The Avengers would film in Cleveland.[92]
Concept illustrator and designer of Iron Man’s Mark VII armor Phil Saunders stated that «Joss Whedon was looking for something that had the ‘cool’ factor of the suitcase suit [from Iron Man 2], while still being a fully armored, heavy duty suit that could take on an army in the final battle.» To that end, Saunders borrowed ideas that had been proposed in Iron Man 2 as well as some ideas that had been abandoned in Iron Man and merged them together in a modular suit that has big ammo packets on the arms and a backpack.[93] The Science & Entertainment Exchange also provided science consultation for the film.[94]
Casting reached its final stages the following year. In February 2011, Cobie Smulders was cast in the role of Maria Hill,[45] after participating in screen tests conducted by Marvel for the role of a key S.H.I.E.L.D. member, who Samuel L. Jackson described as Nick Fury’s sidekick.[44] Over the successive months, the film’s cast expanded to include Stellan Skarsgård,[36] Paul Bettany,[95] and Gwyneth Paltrow.[96] Paltrow was cast at Downey’s insistence; prior to this, Whedon had not intended the film to include supporting characters from the heroes’ individual films, commenting, «You need to separate the characters from their support systems in order to create the isolation you need for a team.»[97]
Filming
Part of The Avengers film set on East 9th Street in Cleveland, Ohio
Part of The Avengers film set on Park Avenue in New York City
Principal photography began on April 25, 2011, in Albuquerque, New Mexico at Albuquerque Studios,[98][90] with the working title Group Hug.[99] In June 2011, stuntman Jeremy Fitzgerald injured his head while attempting a stunt involving a 30-foot fall from a building after getting hit by an arrow. A Marvel spokesperson later told TMZ that despite the injury, Fitzgerald recovered and continued working on set.[100] The following month, secondary filming took place about an hour outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the Butler area.[101] A chase sequence was also shot in Worthington, Pennsylvania at Creekside Mushroom Farms, the world’s largest single-site mushroom farm, which provided 150 miles of abandoned limestone tunnels 300 feet below the ground for filming.[102]
Production relocated to Cleveland, Ohio in August 2011, where filming took place over a period of four weeks. The city’s East 9th Street was chosen as a double for New York City’s 42nd Street to be used in climactic battle scenes.[103] Army Reserve soldiers assigned to the Columbus, Ohio-based 391st Military Police Battalion provided background action during the battle scenes in Cleveland. Staff Sergeant Michael T. Landis stated the use of real soldiers made the scenes more realistic and helped portray the military in a more positive light, explaining that, «It’s easy for us to make on-the-spot corrections to tactics and uniforms. The director actually took our recommendation on one scene and let us all engage the enemy as opposed to only the gunners in the trucks engaging».[104] Filming also took place in the large vacuum chamber at the NASA Plum Brook Station near Sandusky, Ohio. The station’s Space Power Facility was used to portray a S.H.I.E.L.D. research facility.[105] A series of explosions were filmed at the Chevrolet powertrain plant in Parma, Ohio as part of the battle sequence that began in Cleveland.[106] Scenes from the film were also shot on Public Square and the Detroit–Superior Bridge.[107] Public Square’s southwest quadrant was turned into Stuttgart, Germany for filming.[108]
Principal photography concluded in New York City, where filming occurred over two days.[109] Locations there included Park Avenue and Central Park.[110][111] For scenes taking place in Manhattan, visual effects supervisor Jake Morrison shot aerial footage for over three days to use as background plates, elaborating that his main objective was to «get as much aerial work in as possible for the audience to see the big expanses, the wide establishing shots, while also making sure that the effects work doesn’t look too computer-generated». «We’re getting much better at making entirely computer-generated environments,» Morrison explained, «but there is no substitute for starting with a real image and adding what you need.»[112]
Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey stated that he composed the frame with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio to cope with the main characters’ varying heights, explaining, «shooting 1.85:1 is kind of unusual for an epic film like this, but we needed the height in the screen to be able to frame in all the characters like Hulk, Captain America and Black Widow, who is much smaller. We had to give them all precedence and width within the frame. Also, Joss [Whedon] knew the final battle sequence was going to be this extravaganza in Manhattan, so the height and vertical scale of the buildings was going to be really important.» The film was McGarvey’s first venture with a digital camera, the Arri Alexa.[113] The Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon EOS 7D digital SLR cameras were used for some shots,[114][115][116] and high-speed shots were captured on 35 mm film with the Arriflex 435. About his visual approach, McGarvey remarked, «Joss and I were keen on having a very visceral and naturalistic quality to the image. We wanted this to feel immersive and did not want a ‘comic book look’ that might distance an audience with the engagement of the film. We moved the camera a lot on Steadicam, cranes and on dollies to create kinetic images; and we chose angles that were dramatic, like low angles for heroic imagery.»[113]
Post-production
In December 2011, Disney announced that the film would be converted to 3D.[117] Said Whedon, «I’m not a big fan of extreme long lens, talky movies – I like to see the space I’m in and relate to it, so 3D kinda fits my aesthetic anyway. And the technology has advanced so far in the past couple years.» Whedon also said that «there definitely are movies that shouldn’t be in 3D» but «The Avengers isn’t obnoxiously 3D. There’s no, ‘Oh look, we’re going to spend 20 minutes going through this tunnel because it’s in 3D!’ And no one is pointing at the screen the entire time. But it’s an action movie. Things tend to hurtle toward the screen anyway».[118] In January 2012, it was reported that the film would be digitally remastered for IMAX 3D and would open in IMAX theaters on May 4, 2012, the same day it opened in regular theaters. The IMAX release followed Marvel’s IMAX releases of Iron Man 2 and Thor.[119]
In a May 2012 interview, Whedon said that it was his decision to include Thanos in a post-credits scene, although the character is not identified in the film. «He for me is the most powerful and fascinating Marvel villain. He’s the great grand daddy of the badasses and he’s in love with Death and I just think that’s so cute. For me, the greatest Avengers [comic book] was Avengers Annual #7 (1977) that Jim Starlin did followed by Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 (1977) that contained the death of Adam Warlock. Those were some of the most important texts and I think underrated milestones in Marvel history and Thanos is all over that, so somebody had to be in control and had to be behind Loki’s work and I was like ‘It’s got to be Thanos.’ And they said ‘Okay’ and I’m like ‘Oh my God!'»[120] An additional coda involving the Avengers eating shawarma was shot on April 12, 2012, a day after the world premiere. Evans wore a prosthetic jaw while filming the scene to cover the beard he had grown.[121] Shawarma sales in Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Boston reportedly skyrocketed in the days following the film’s release.[122][123][124] Whedon stated the inspiration for the shawarma scene came from the events surrounding the filming of the scene where Fred dies in Wesley’s arms in the Angel episode, «A Hole in the World». After filming the scene, Whedon and actors Amy Acker and Denisof, who portrayed Fred and Wesley, respectively, «went out for drinks and ended up just sitting around quietly, exhausted from the day’s events,» which Whedon then mimicked in the scene for the film.[125]
Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk (bottom) wearing a motion capture suit and prosthetics on his upper half to simulate the Hulk’s size[126]
The film contains more than 2,200 visual effects shots completed by 14 companies: Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Weta Digital, Scanline VFX, Hydraulx, Fuel VFX, Evil Eye Pictures, Luma Pictures, Cantina Creative, Trixter, Modus FX, Whiskytree, Digital Domain, The Third Floor, and Method Design. ILM was the lead vendor and shared responsibility for creating many of the film’s key effects, including the Helicarrier, the New York cityscape, digital body doubles, Iron Man and the Hulk. To create the on-screen Hulk, Ruffalo performed in a motion-capture suit on set with the other actors while four motion-capture HD cameras (two full body, two focused on his face) captured his face and body movements.[127] Jeff White, ILM’s visual effects supervisor, aimed for a «less cartoony» depiction of the Hulk compared to the one the firm created for Ang Lee’s 2003 film, stating, «We really wanted to utilize everything we’ve developed the last 10 years and make it a pretty spectacular Hulk. One of the great design decisions was to incorporate Mark Ruffalo into the look of him. So, much of Hulk is based on Ruffalo and his performance, not only in motion capture and on set, but down to his eyes, his teeth, and his tongue.»[128]
ILM digitally recreated the vast majority of the New York cityscape used in the film. In total, ILM artists rendered an area of about ten city blocks by about four city blocks. To do this, ILM sent out a team of four photographers to take pictures of the area in a shoot that lasted eight weeks.[127] Tyson Bidner, the New York location manager on the film, helped by securing the rights to almost every building’s likeness in the area ILM needed.[57] Disney and Sony Pictures agreed for OsCorp Tower from The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) to be included in the film, but the idea was dropped because much of the skyline had already been completed.[129]
Weta Digital took over duties for animating Iron Man during the forest duel from ILM. Guy Williams, Weta’s visual effects supervisor, said, «We shared assets back and forth with ILM, but our pipelines are unique and it’s hard for other assets to plug into it. But in this case, we got their models and we had to redo the texture spaces because the way we texture maps is different.»[128] Williams said the most difficult part was re-creating Iron Man’s reflective metal surfaces.[127]
Scanline VFX completed the reveal shots of the Helicarrier, from the moment Black Widow and Captain America arrive on the carrier deck to the point where it lifts off. Evil Eye Pictures composited digital backgrounds into shots filmed against a greenscreen for scenes taking place inside the Helicarrier. Colin Strause of Hydraulx said, «We did the opening ten minutes of the movie, other than the opening set-up in space» including Loki’s arrival on Earth and subsequent escape from the S.H.I.E.L.D. base. Luma Pictures worked on shots featuring the Helicarrier’s bridge and incorporated the graphic monitor displays that were developed by Cantina Creative. Fuel VFX completed shots taking place in and around Tony Stark’s penthouse at Stark Tower. Digital Domain created the asteroid environment, where Loki encounters The Other.[127] Method Design in Los Angeles created the film’s closing credits. Steve Viola, creative director at Method Design, said, «This piece was a two-minute, self-contained main on end sequence created entirely in CG. For each of the shots in the sequence, we designed, modeled, textured, and lit all of the environments and many of the foreground objects. We received assets from Marvel to include in the piece, then heavily re-modeled and re-surfaced them to create a post-battle macro sequence. We also designed a custom typeface for the Main Title of The Avengers as well as 30 credits set in-scene.»[128]
Music
In November 2011, Marvel announced that Alan Silvestri, who scored Captain America: The First Avenger, would write and compose the score for The Avengers. Silvestri said, «I’ve worked on films where there have been a number of stars and certainly worked on films where there have been characters of equal weight in terms of their level of importance and profile in the film, but this one is somewhat extreme in that regard because each of these characters has their own world and it’s a very different situation. It’s very challenging to look for a way to give everyone the weight and consideration they need, but at the same time the film is really about the coming together of these characters, which implies that there is this entity called the Avengers which really has to be representative of all of them together.»[130] Silvestri developed the score with the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London, England.[131] Whedon said, «The score is very old-fashioned, which is why [Silvestri] was letter-perfect for this movie because he can give you the heightened emotion, the [Hans Zimmer] school of ‘I’m just feeling a lot right now!’ but he can also be extraordinarily cue and character specific, which I love.»[131]
In March 2012, the Indian rock band Agnee released a music video for its single «Hello Andheron», which serves as the theme song for the film’s Indian release.[132] Hollywood Records released the soundtrack concept album inspired by the film, Avengers Assemble, on May 1, 2012, the same day as the score.[133]
Marketing
Trailers
The film was promoted at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International, during which a teaser trailer narrated by Samuel L. Jackson was shown followed by an introduction of the cast.[40] In June 2011, Marvel Studios announced that it would not hold a panel at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con International after studio executives decided it was not prepared to compete with its own past and fan expectations with filming still in production.[134] In July 2011, a teaser trailer that was meant to be the post-credits scene of Captain America: The First Avenger was briefly leaked online. Entertainment Weekly speculated it came from a preview screening and described the footage as «shaky, fuzzy, flickering and obviously filmed on a cell phone».[135]
Chris Evans, Tom Hiddleston, Cobie Smulders, and Clark Gregg promoting the film at the 2011 New York Comic Con
In August 2011, Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios and Marvel Studios presented a look at Walt Disney Studios’ upcoming film slate, which included The Avengers, at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California. The presentation featured footage from the film and appearances by the cast members.[136] Later in August, Disney dismissed Marvel’s executive vice president of worldwide marketing, vice president of worldwide marketing, and manager of worldwide marketing to bring their functions in-house.[137]
In October 2011, Marvel Studios held a presentation at the New York Comic Con that featured new footage and a panel discussion including producer Kevin Feige and several cast members.[138] The first full-length trailer was also released in October. Comic Book Resources said, «The two-minute teaser handily establishes the movie’s premise» and is «heavy on the assembling, but fans are also treated to plenty of action, as well glimpses [sic] of Iron Man’s new armor and, best of all, the new take on the Incredible Hulk. Naturally, Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark gets the best lines».[139] However, The Hollywood Reporter called it, «Awesome. Or it would be if we hadn’t seen all of this before and expected every single thing that we saw in the trailer».[140] The trailer, which debuted exclusively on iTunes Movie Trailers, was downloaded over 10 million times in its first 24 hours, breaking the website’s record for the most-viewed trailer.[141] This record was surpassed by the trailer for The Dark Knight Rises (2012), which was downloaded more than 12.5 million times in its first 24 hours.[142] A second full-length trailer was released on iTunes in February 2012, reaching a record 13.7 million downloads in 24 hours.[143] The theatrical trailers of The Avengers appeared with many films, including Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), 21 Jump Street (2012), and The Hunger Games (2012).[144]
In January 2012, Marvel Studios held a global Twitter chat. The 30-minute live tweeting event featured writer/director Joss Whedon, cast members Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, and Clark Gregg and a 10-second tease of the 30-second Super Bowl commercial that would air during Super Bowl XLVI in February.[145] According to the Los Angeles Times, Disney paid an estimated $4 million for the 30-second spot.[146] On May 1, 2012, executives from Marvel Studios, along with actors Tom Hiddleston and Clark Gregg, rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange in honor of the film’s theatrical release.[147]
Tie-in comics
In December 2011, Marvel announced that an eight-issue comic-book prelude to the film, written by Christopher Yost and Eric Pearson with art by Luke Ross and Daniel HDR, would be released in March 2012.[148] In February 2012, Marvel announced the release of a second limited series comic book tie-in, Black Widow Strikes written by Fred Van Lente, who wrote Captain America: First Vengeance, the comic-book prequel to Captain America: The First Avenger. The story is set between Iron Man 2 and The Avengers and follows Black Widow as she runs down some loose ends from Iron Man 2.[149] Additionally, the title Avengers Assemble was launched in March 2012, written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Mark Bagley and features the same Avengers lineup as the film battling a new incarnation of the supervillain team Zodiac.[150]
Promotional partners
Paul Gitter, Marvel Entertainment’s president of consumer products, commented that the build-up to the film helped strengthen retail partnerships: «Retailers have been less tolerant with [intellectual property] films, so we decided that if we started on this coordinated strategy several years ago, retailers would give us shelf space throughout the years and we would have a more sustainable position in the marketplace».[151]
In September 2011, set photos of Robert Downey Jr. driving a new model Acura were published online. An Acura spokesperson later released a statement confirming the company’s involvement with the film, «As you may know, Acura has been in the Marvel Comics Universe films as the official car of their fictional law enforcement agency called S.H.I.E.L.D. That relationship continues for The Avengers. The open-top sports car that was photographed yesterday is a one-off, fictional car that was made just for the movie and will not be produced. That said, as you may also know, our CEO has said publicly that we are studying the development of a new sportscar, but we can’t say any more about it at this time.»[152] In December 2011, Acura announced that a new NSX styled along the lines of the concept built for The Avengers would be unveiled at the 2012 North American International Auto Show.[153] A series of 10 S.H.I.E.L.D. SUVs, based on the Acura MDX with modifications by Cinema Vehicle Services, were also made for the film.[154]
In February 2012, it was announced that Marvel has partnered with fragrance company JADS to promote The Avengers with character-based fragrances. The announcement was just ahead of the Toy Industry Association’s annual February exhibition, where representatives held a sampling booth of the products.[155] Other promotional partners include bracelet-maker Colantotte, Dr Pepper, Farmers Insurance, Harley-Davidson, Hershey, Land O’Frost lunchmeats, Oracle, Red Baron pizza, Symantec, Visa, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. In total, Marvel and its parent-company Disney secured an estimated $100 million in worldwide marketing support for the film. Notable exclusions include Baskin-Robbins, Burger King, and Dunkin’ Donuts, who had partnered with Marvel in the past when their films were distributed by Paramount; Disney does not generally promote through fast food outlets.[156]
Video game
A video game based on the film was planned for concurrent release. The game was to be a first-person shooter/brawler for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and Microsoft Windows and published by THQ, with THQ Studio Australia developing the console versions and Blue Tongue Entertainment the PC version. After THQ closed both studios, the game was canceled.[157] Intellectual property rights for an Avengers video game reverted to Marvel, which said it was exploring potential publishing and licensing opportunities.[158]
In May 2012, Ubisoft and Marvel Entertainment announced that they were partnering to develop a motion-controlled game titled Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth for the Wii U and Xbox 360 Kinect. The game was inspired by the «Secret Invasion» storyline and features 20 different characters.[159] Marvel also announced a four-chapter mobile game titled Avengers Initiative, with one chapter focusing on each of Hulk, Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man.[160]
Release
Theatrical
In February 2012, Disney announced that the film’s title would be changed in the United Kingdom to avoid confusion with the British TV series of the same name, as well as its 1998 film adaptation. This led to confusion over the film’s actual title. Empire magazine reported that the film would be titled Marvel Avengers Assemble[161] while The Hollywood Reporter said that it would be called simply Avengers Assemble.[162] Marvel’s UK website refers to the film as Marvel’s Avengers Assemble,[163] although David Cox of The Guardian, in arguing that it was one of the worst film titles ever, considered this to be an error in the production notes, albeit grammatically clearer.[164] According to the British Board of Film Classification and the Irish Film Classification Office, the title is Marvel Avengers Assemble.[1][6] Frank Lovece in FilmFestivalTraveler.com addressed the discrepancy, writing, «The Avengers — formally titled Marvel’s The Avengers onscreen, though no apostrophe-s appears on [the posters]».[5] Producer Kevin Feige said there are only two words in the UK title, one more than in the U.S. title, and stated that «decisions like that aren’t made lightly and there are lots of marketing research, lawyers and things that get into the mix on it».[165]
The film’s world premiere was April 11, 2012, at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre.[166] The Avengers closed the 11th Annual Tribeca Film Festival with a screening on April 28.[167] The film received an expanded one-week theatrical push for the 2012 U.S. Labor Day weekend, increasing the number of theaters from 123 to 1,700.[168] The Avengers was the last film released in Phase One of the MCU.[169]
Home media
The film was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment[170][171] on Blu-ray Disc, Blu-ray 3D, DVD, and digital download on September 25 in the United States and as early as August 29 in various international markets.[172][173] Producer Kevin Feige said the Blu-ray features a new Marvel One-Shot titled Item 47 (2012) and «a number of deleted scenes and a few storylines that fell by the wayside during the editing process» including «a few more scenes with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill, played by Cobie Smulders» and «some slightly different versions of Maria Hill and Nick Fury’s interaction with the World Security Council».[174]
The film was also collected in a 10-disc box set titled «Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled» which includes all of the Phase One films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[175] It was released on April 2, 2013.[176][177] Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the film on Ultra HD Blu-ray on August 14, 2018.[178]
Some fans have criticized the UK DVD and Blu-ray release for omitting Joss Whedon’s audio commentary, and for altering the scene involving Phil Coulson’s death from the film’s theatrical version.[179] Disney’s UK division said the «less graphic depiction of Agent Coulson’s confrontation with Loki» occurred because «[e]ach country has its own compliance issues relative to depictions of violence. Unfortunately, another region’s elements were inadvertently used to create the UK in-home release».[179]
Upon its first week of release on home media in the U.S., the film topped the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert chart, which tracks overall disc sales, as well as the dedicated Blu-ray Disc sales chart with 72% of unit sales coming from Blu-ray, a record for a new release in which both the DVD and Blu-ray formats were released simultaneously.[171]
Reception
Box office
The Avengers grossed $623.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $895.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.519 billion,[4] becoming the third-highest-grossing film of all time,[180] the highest-grossing film of 2012, the highest-grossing comic book adaptation, the highest-grossing superhero film, and the highest-grossing film ever released by Walt Disney Studios, at the time of its release.[181] The film’s worldwide opening of $392.5 million was the fourth-largest.[182] The Avengers also became the fifth film distributed by Disney and the twelfth film overall to earn more than $1 billion. It reached this milestone in 19 days, matching the record previously set by Avatar (2009) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011).[183][184][185] Its grosses exceeded its estimated $220 million production cost 12 days after its release.[186] It was the first Marvel production to generate $1 billion in ticket sales.[187]
United States and Canada
The film became the third-highest-grossing film of all time,[180][188] the highest-grossing film of 2012,[189] the highest-grossing film distributed by Disney,[190][191] the highest-grossing superhero film, and the highest-grossing film based on comics.[4] It opened Friday, May 4, 2012, on around 11,800 screens across 4,349 theaters, and earned $80.8 million, marking the second-biggest opening and second-biggest single-day gross.[192][193] The film’s Friday gross included an $18.7 million midnight run, a record for a superhero film[194][195] Without midnight grosses, the film earned the largest opening-day gross ($62.1 million).[196][197] It also set a Saturday- and Sunday-gross record ($69.6 million and $57.1 million respectively).[198][199][200] In total, it earned a total of $207,438,708 for its debut weekend, setting an opening-weekend record,[201] including an IMAX opening-weekend record of $15.3 million[202][203][204] and a record for opening-weekend grosses originating from 3D showings ($108 million).[200][205] The opening-weekend audience was evenly split among those under and over the age of 25, with 60% of the audience male, 55% couples, 24% families, and 21% teenagers.[206] Earning $103.1 million on its second weekend, the film set a record for the largest second-weekend gross.[207] Other records set by the film include the biggest weekend per-theater average for a wide release ($47,698 per theater),[208] the fastest film to reach $100 million and each additional $50 million through $550 million,[207][209][210] and the largest cumulative gross through every day of release until, and including, its forty-third day (with the exception of its first day).[4][211] It remained in first place at the box office for three consecutive weekends.[212] The film set a record for the highest monthly share, with its $532.5 million total (through May 31, 2012) accounting for 52% of the total earnings at the box office during May.[213]
Records
The following are records set by the film upon its theatrical release.
Record title | Record detail | Reference |
---|---|---|
Opening weekend for any film | $207,438,708 | [214] |
Opening week for any film | $270,019,373 | [215] |
Opening weekend, adjusted for ticket pricing | $207.4 million | [216] |
Theater average – wide release | $47,698 | [208] |
3D gross during opening weekend | $108 million | [200][205] |
IMAX gross during opening weekend | $15.3 million | [202] |
Second weekend for any film | $103,052,274 | [217] |
Monthly share of domestic earnings | May 2012, 52% | [213] |
Highest cumulative gross | 2 – 43 days | [218] |
Days to reach $100*, $150 million | 2 days* | [219] |
Days to reach $200, $250, $300, $350, $400, $450 million | 3, 6, 9, 10, 14, 17 days respectively | [219] |
Days to reach $500, $550 million | 23, 31 days | [210][219] |
May opening | $207,438,708 | [220] |
Opening weekend for a superhero film | $207,438,708 | [221] |
Highest-grossing superhero film | $623,357,910 | [222] |
* While eight films have reached $100 million after two days, the film’s gross by the end of the second day exceeded all of them.
Other territories
The film became the third-highest-grossing film of all time,[223] the highest-grossing Disney-distributed film,[224] the highest-grossing film of 2012,[225] and the highest-grossing superhero film.[184] It opened Wednesday, April 25, 2012, in 10 countries, earning $17.1 million.[226] It opened in 29 more countries on April 26 and 27, earning $73.1 million in three days.[227] Through Sunday, April 29, it earned an opening-weekend total of $185.1 million from 39 countries.[228] It was in first place at the box office for four consecutive weekends.[229][230][231] The film set opening-day records in New Zealand, Malaysia, and Iceland, a single-day record in the Philippines, as well as both single- and opening-day records in Singapore and in Thailand. It also earned the second-highest-grossing opening day in Australia ($6.2 million), behind Deathly Hallows – Part 2, in Mexico, in the Philippines, and in Vietnam.[144][226][227][232][233] It set opening-weekend records in many territories, including Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Taiwan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina,[234] Peru, and Central America.[228][235][236][237] It also earned the second largest five-day opening in Australia ($20.2 million).[228][238]
In the United Kingdom, the film earned £2.5 million ($4.1 million) on its opening day[239] and £15.8 million ($25.7 million) during the weekend,[240] setting an opening-weekend record for a superhero film.[233][241][242] It became the market’s highest-grossing superhero film.[243][244] In Latin America, it became the highest-grossing film ($207 million)[245] and the first film to earn more than $200 million.[246] It also became the highest-grossing film in the Philippines, in Singapore, and in Indonesia.[247][248] As of February 2021, the film’s top international markets were China ($83 million), United Kingdom ($80.5 million), Brazil ($63.9 million), Mexico ($61.7 million), and Australia ($54.5 million).[3]
Critical response
Mark Ruffalo at the film’s Toronto premiere. His performance received critical acclaim.
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 91%, with an average score of 8.1/10, based on 367 reviews. The website’s critical consensus reads, «Thanks to a script that emphasizes its heroes’ humanity and a wealth of superpowered set pieces, The Avengers lives up to its hype and raises the bar for Marvel at the movies.»[249] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 69 out of 100 based on 43 reviews, indicating «generally favorable reviews».[250] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare «A+» grade on an «A+ to F» scale.[251]
Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter gave a positive review of the film, remarking, «It’s clamorous, the save-the-world story is one everyone’s seen time and again, and the characters have been around for more than half a century in 500 comic book issues. But Whedon and his cohorts have managed to stir all the personalities and ingredients together so that the resulting dish, however familiar, is irresistibly tasty again.»[252] To Rolling Stone journalist Peter Travers, the film epitomized an exceptional blockbuster. «It’s also the blockbuster,» Travers said, «I saw in my head when I imagined a movie that brought together the idols of the Marvel world in one shiny, stupendously exciting package. It’s Transformers with a brain, a heart and a working sense of humor.»[253] Justin Chang of Variety wrote, «Like a superior, state-of-the-art model built from reconstituted parts, Joss Whedon’s buoyant, witty and robustly entertaining superhero smash-up is escapism of a sophisticated order, boasting a tonal assurance and rich reserves of humor that offset the potentially lumbering and unavoidably formulaic aspects of this 143-minute team-origin story.»[254] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times complimented the film’s frenetic pace,[255] while Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times commented that it «provides its fans with exactly what they desire. Whether it is exactly what they deserve is arguable».[256] Conversely, A. O. Scott of The New York Times believed that «while The Avengers is hardly worth raging about, its failures are significant and dispiriting. The light, amusing bits cannot overcome the grinding, hectic emptiness, the bloated cynicism that is less a shortcoming of this particular film than a feature of the genre.»[257]
The performances of several cast members was a frequent topic in the critiques. In particular, Mark Ruffalo’s portrayal of Dr. Bruce Banner/the Hulk was well received by commentators. Joe Neumaier opined that his performance was superior to the rest of the cast; «Ruffalo is the revelation, turning Banner into a wry reservoir of calm ready to become a volcano.»[258] Similarly, The New Yorker‘s Anthony Lane proclaimed Ruffalo’s acting to be one of the film’s highlights—alongside Downey.[259] The Village Voice‘s Karina Longworth concluded: «Ruffalo successfully refreshes the Hulk myth, playing Banner as an adorably bashful nerd-genius who, in contrast to the preening hunks on the team, knows better than to draw attention to himself.»[260] Travers asserted that the actor resonated a «scruffy warmth and humor» vibe,[253] while Turan felt that he surpassed predecessors Edward Norton and Eric Bana in playing the character.[255] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote that «the smartest thing the filmmakers did was to get Mark Ruffalo to play Bruce Banner as a man so sensitive that he’s at war, every moment, with himself. (The film finally solves the Hulk problem: He’s a lot more fun in small doses.)»[261]
Referring to Downey, Joe Morgenstein of The Wall Street Journal—despite complimenting Downey’s performance—favored his work in Iron Man over his acting in The Avengers: «His Iron Man is certainly a team player, but Mr. Downey comes to the party with two insuperable superpowers: a character of established sophistication—the industrialist/inventor Tony Stark, a sharp-tongued man of the world—and his own quicksilver presence that finds its finest expression in self-irony.»[262] Neumaier praised Evans, stating that he accurately conveyed his character’s internal conflicts.[258]
Commentators appreciated the character development and dialogue. Associated Press reviewer Christy Lemire wrote that the script «sparkles as brightly as the special effects; these people may be wearing ridiculous costumes but they’re well fleshed-out underneath.»[263] Scott suggested that certain parts of the film permeated a charm that he felt was similar to the western film Rio Bravo (1959).[257] Longworth felt that while Whedon’s script demonstrated the backstory of the characters, the film does not explore it «in a substantive way».[260]
Accolades
At the 85th Academy Awards, The Avengers received a nomination for Best Visual Effects.[264] The film’s other nominations include two Annie Awards (winning one),[265] a British Academy Film Award,[266] and three Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.[267][268] In 2017, it was featured as one of the 100 greatest films of all time in Empire magazine’s poll of The 100 Greatest Movies.[269]
Sequels
Avengers: Age of Ultron[270] was written and directed by Whedon,[271] and released on May 1, 2015.[272] Much of the cast returns, with the addition of Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Quicksilver, Paul Bettany as Vision, and James Spader as Ultron.[273] Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, from a script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.[274][275][276] Infinity War was released on April 27, 2018,[277] followed by Endgame on April 26, 2019.[276] Much of the cast returns for Infinity War and Endgame, with additional cast and characters joining from other MCU films.[278]
See also
- «What If… the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?», an episode of the MCU television series What If…? that reimagines some events of this film
Notes
- ^ a b As part of the deal transferring the distribution rights of The Avengers and Iron Man 3 (2013) from Paramount Pictures to the Walt Disney Studios,[7] Paramount’s logo appears in the films’ opening titles, promotional materials, and merchandise.[8] Nevertheless, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is credited at the end of the film.
- ^ Producer Kevin Feige stated that the Tesseract is based on the Cosmic Cube from the Marvel Comics.[9] After Thor: The Dark World (2013), he stated that it was also the Space Stone.[10]
- ^ Feige confirmed that the «master» in the post-credits scene is Thanos.[11]
References
- ^ a b c «Marvel Avengers Assemble». British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
- ^ Breznican, Anthony (September 30, 2011). «‘The Avengers’: Your first look at the dream team!». Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
At risk is not only the movie’s estimated $220 million budget, but also one of the most promising tent pole franchises in Hollywood.
- ^ a b «The Avengers«. The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ a b c d «The Avengers«. Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ a b c Lovece, Frank (May 8, 2012). «Whedon Talks Avengers». FilmFestivalTraveler.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012.
- ^ a b «Marvel Avengers Assemble». Irish Film Classification Office. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
- ^ a b Graser, Marc (October 11, 2011). «Why Par, not Disney, gets ‘Avengers’ credit». Variety. Archived from the original on October 14, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- ^ Stewart, Andrew (May 10, 2013). «Paramount’s Super Payoff for ‘Iron Man 3’«. Variety. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
- ^ Yamato, Jen (April 30, 2012). «Marvel’s Kevin Feige on Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Universe-Building, and Elektra». MovieLine. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
But as we were working on them we started to keep track of some things that the writers and filmmakers of one movie were doing anyway and we started to track them and realized that we could utilize those later down the line. That’s how the Cosmic Cube came about; what started as a little seed would grow and grow and grow to The Avengers.
- ^ Bibbiani, William (November 8, 2013). «Exclusive Interview: Kevin Feige on Thor and Marvel’s Future». CraveOnline. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
It is. I don’t know when we’ll actually divulge that necessarily, but it’s the space stone.
- ^ Plumb, All (April 30, 2012). «Kevin Feige Avengers Spoiler Podcast» (audio at 02:09). Empire. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
All you need is one person in the back of the theater to go, ‘Oh, it’s Thanos!’ for people to start going, ‘Who’s…? Oh, that must mean something, who’s that?’ and they start to learn and they start to dig deeper.
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(from video) At the beginning of The Avengers, he comes to earth to subjugate it and his idea is to rule the human race as their king. And like all the delusional autocrats of human history, he thinks this is a great idea because if everyone is busy worshipping him, there will be no wars so he will create some kind of world peace by ruling them as a tyrant. But he is also kind of deluded in the fact that he thinks unlimited power will give him self-respect so I haven’t let go of the fact that he is still motivated by this terrible jealousy and kind of spiritual desolation.
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The Avengers, with a $220 million production cost, already is in the black, with no ceiling in sight.
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It’s clamorous, the save-the-world story is one everyone’s seen time and again, and the characters have been around for more than half a century in 500 comic book issues. But Whedon and his cohorts have managed to stir all the personalities and ingredients together so that the resulting dish, however familiar, is irresistibly tasty again.
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«I’m always angry,» he says at one point, and while «The Avengers» is hardly worth raging about, its failures are significant and dispiriting. The light, amusing bits cannot overcome the grinding, hectic emptiness, the bloated cynicism that is less a shortcoming of this particular film than a feature of the genre.
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On The Avengers‘ comparatively minute canvas of two and a half hours, Whedon effectively creates a sketch of a working universe and tells us that his characters are emotionally damaged but doesn’t explore that damage in any substantive way.
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External links
- Official website
- The Avengers at IMDb
- The Avengers at AllMovie
- Marvel’s The Avengers at Disney A to Z
- The Battle of New York: An Avengers Oral History at Thrillist
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О чем этот урок
Изучаем английский язык с помощью видео “The Avengers — We have a Hulk” с субтитрами. В каждом уроке вы найдете 5 полезных фраз на английском. Изучайте фразы с помощью навыков аудирования, письма и говорения.
Как это работает
Фраза 1
You should have left your armour on for that.
Для этого тебе не следовало снимать свою броню.
Когда после модального глагола should следует Perfect Infinitive (то есть have done), то полученная конструкция имеет следующий смысл: следовало бы в прошлом что-либо сделать (что на самом деле не было сделано). Предложения с такой грамматической структурой часто имеют оттенок осуждения и негодования:
Подробнее
Фраза 2
I thought the beast had wandered off.
Я думал, зверь уже скрылся.
Если мы возьмём глагол wander, то он будет обозначать «бродить, слоняться». Оттенок удаления ему придаёт наречие off. Таким образом, получается фразовый глагол wander off — уйти, скрыться. Тот же оттенок значения, например, мы наблюдаем в фразовых глаголах: fall off — отпадать, отваливаться; put off — откладывать, медлить; take off — снимать.
В нашем предложении используется согласование времен: Если глагол главного предложения стоит в одной из форм прошедшего времени, то во второй части предложения глагол также необходимо поставить в одну из форм прошедшего времени. Present Simple поменяется на Past Simple, Present Continuous – на Past Continuous, Past Simple – на Past Perfect, Present Perfect – на Past Perfect, Future Simple – на Future in the Past.Помните, что меняются также указатели времени:yesterday –на the day before ,now — на at that moment, и т.д.
- I swear, I will never fall again. => I swore I would never fall again.
- I swear I always tell the truth. => I swore I always told the truth.
- I swear I’m doing my homework now. => I swore I was doing my homeworkat that moment.
- I swear I didn’t go to the party yesterday. => I swore I hadn’t gone to the party the day before.
- I swear I have been there only once. => I swore I had been there only once.
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Фраза 3
He is a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend.
Он живая легенда, который сам достоин легенды.
Выражения типа «living + существительное» очень распространены в английском языке.
A living legend – живая легенда
A living proof – живое доказательство
A living soul – живая душа
A living language – живой язык
Фразовый глагол live up to something значит «оправдать ожидания, соответствовать».
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Фраза 4
You have managed to piss off every single one of them.
Тебе удалось взбесить каждого из них.
В английском слэнге «бесить, раздражать» можно передать с помощью «piss off» или «bum out».
Когда речь идёт о том, что что-то получается или нет, полезно знать следующие слова:
- Fail to do – не получиться что-либо сделать
- Fail in something – провалиться в чем-либо
- Succeed in doing – получиться сделать что-либо
- Manage to do something — получиться сделать что-либо
Обратите внимание, что в качестве подлежащего обязательно выступает лицо, у которого что-то получилось или не получилось.
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Фраза 5
You can be well sure we will avenge it.
Ты можешь быть уверен, мы отомстим за неё.
Когда речь идёт о мести, на ум приходят два слова – revenge и avenge. Их не стоит путать в плане согласования с другими словами.
- Revenge oneself on someone for…/ be revenged on someone for… — отомстить кому-то за что-то
- Avenge something – отомстить за…
- Avenge oneself on someone – отомстить кому-то
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Измерьте свой прогресс и соревнуйтесь с другими
Беспрецедентное измерение прогресса. Вы всегда можете сравнить свой прогресс со всеми пользователями или просто с друзьями.
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- Автор сценария:
- Сидни Ньюман
- Дон Макферсон
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- Режиссер:
- Джеремиа Чечик
Мстители пришли к нам из знаменитого телесериала 60 — х годов. Элегантный Джон Стид в шляпе — котелке и стильная, с кошачьей грацией Эмма Пил. Они пытаются остановить коварного злодея сэра Августа Де Винтера, владеющего секретом управления погодой. Замысел преступника — покорить мир, ввергнув его в холод и стужу… Фантастические трюки, масштабные декорации, эффектные костюмы Эммы, — все это в сочных красках, под музыку Шиннед О`Коннор и Энни Леннокс. Спасение мира — это дело стиля.
СКАЧАТЬ
THE AVENGERS Screenplay by Don Macpherson June 21, 1995 1 BLUE SKY WITH CLOUDS PAN DOWN to reveal: 2 EXT - SALTFLATS - DAY A flat horizon, stretching to infinity. A 360 degree pan reveals: nothing. Deserted, no hiding places. No animals, no humans, no objects. Except in mid distance -- 3 RED PHONE BOX brightly painted, traditional, comforting, belongs in a village green. Perfectly ordinary -- except for its location. Silence. Only the wind over the plain. Except -- The PHONE RINGS. RING-RING ... a mellow, old-fashioned tone. We wait for someone to answer it. But of course nothing and nobody for miles. Except -- 4 IN DISTANCE a CAR ENGINE ... A puff of smoke on the horizon ... VA-VA-VOOM of high geared acceleration, as INTO VIEW ZOOM! -- 5 CAR speeding like a bullet. Driven at maximum, breakneck speed, 125 mph. A petite open top '65 Lotus Elan, all streamlined curves, full throttle, it nears the phone box, and -- SCREECHES to a halt. Dust clears, ENGINE NOISE FADES. From the seat, hops -- 6 KINKY BOOT in black leather. Buckled. Strap at ankle. Crunching into the ground. PAN UP TO: 7 BEAUTIFUL WOMAN late 20's. In CLOSEUPS of -- Tight black leather catsuit. A flash of auburn hair. Black leather like a second skin. Smoothed over legs, thighs. Buckled at wrists, straps at ankles, zips -- Pulled up over flesh. This is EMMA PEEL, scientist. Sexual, invulnerable, cool. Very cool. She locks up at clouds in the sky. Then steps across to the phone box. Picks up the phone. EMMA How now brown cow ... (pause) The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain ... (pause) The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy -- From the receiver, an irritated official voice. VOICE (V.O.) (filtered) Password affirmative. Thank you, Doctor. Emma puts down receiver. Hangs a cardboard outside the phone box. Then presses button bakelite box. A second's wait. A coin from the slot. Then a HUM as -- 8 INSIDE PHONE BOX the floor lowers automatically. Emma disappears. Hanging outside the box, a notice now reads "Out of Order." Next to the call box we notice a sign: an arrow pointing into the desert: "London 84 miles." 9 INT. LABORATORY underground. Emma descends on the lift platform; steps into a research lab in retro hi tech. Walks past assistants, down long pink and orange steel corridors, Werner von Braun goes disco. Nears a door, marked: "Prospero Project -- Authorized Personnel Only." Logo with lightning emerging from a cloud. 10 FROM AIRLOCK DOOR A man enters, older. In matching leather suit: like an astronaut. Early 40's, handsome, charismatic, with swept-back silver-black hair. His name tag: DR. PETER PEEL. PETER Ready, darling? Peter fixes her name tag: DR. EMMA PEEL; runs a finger down over her breast. She smiles. EMMA Ready as I'll ever be ... Mutual erotic, intellectual attraction. Peter takes her hand and they walk down: 11 LONG CORRIDOR air-lock doors: a series of sealed chambers inside a hitech Labyrinth -- A man joins them. A shyer, bespectacled, less handsome version of Peter. On his name tag: DR. VALENTINE PEEL -- brother and partner. In b.g., a countdown starts, ECHOING thru the lab VALENTINE Atmospheric pressure checked, antenna ready... Thermal chamber ready ... Compression module set ... Temperature control on course between one and one forty ... Water turbulence steady ... PETER Anything else? Valentine smiles, shrugs -- VALENTINE Good luck ... Peter ... Emma. EMMA Thanks, Valentine ... Emma gives him a quick peck on the cheek. A shy look from Valentine at Emma. Peter senses PETER Just a minute, darling. My brother's a worry wart. I better have a word ... Valentine -- Peter takes Valentine over to one side. Emma checks gauges and dials. Behind her a conversation. Peter returns. He takes a ring from his finger -- 12 CLOSEUP - DIAMOND GEM on a gold ring. 13 BACK TO SCENE He slips it onto her finger. PETER Something to remember me by. Peter smiles. The remark strikes Emma as curious. But no time to query. She smiles back. He gives her a kiss -- PETER (checks his watch) See you in an hour ... EMMA One sunny day ... The countdown ECHOES around them as they separate. 14 IN DISTANCE Valentine watches her. 15 INT. LAB CHAMBER Inside a bed of ice, Emma is lowered by hydraulic machine into a steel radioactive thermal chamber, glowing eerily blue The effect is very cold. Frozen. Numb. Like a sci-fi Sleeping Beauty, beauty entombed and sealed in a glass coffin. Plunged down into a vault. Opposite her -- In another glass coffin, Peter Peel, is lowered down. 16 FROM EMMA'S POV The sound of their HEARTBEATS. Their BREATHING. BLEEP and PULSE OF ELECTRONICS. Thru glass and leather. Like cerebral sex. Technological, erotic. Peter winks at her -- Emma locks longingly at him, as -- 17 UP IN CONTROL ROOM Valentine watches behind glass. Like a kid excluded from a bedroom. He attends to dials. And to his female assistant -- VALENTINE (thrilled) Readings still normal ... The assistant smiles oddly. FOCUS ON -- An insignia tattooed on her neck: "X404." A replicant. They monitor screens. A DULL HUM. 18 EXT. SALTFLATS - DAY A weather antenna emerges from the ground: an enigmatic phallic silver blob, like a Koons sculpture. The sun glints off it ... 19 DOWN BELOW A temperature gauge rises. The ice is infused with pulsating colors: purple -- blue -- green -- red. Starts to heat up as if -- It soaks up temperature: from cold to hot in instants. 20 CLOSEUP - WHITE GLOVED HAND ON DIAL "CUMULUS COLLECTOR." The graphs accelerate, but over the dull HUM -- a MURMUR, a BREATH. As Emma's HEARTBEAT rises The gloved hand turns up the dial, past a red danger mark. Suddenly a BLIP. Something wrong. 21 DOWN IN HIS VAULT Peter Peel's "coffin" starts to overheat. Peter reacts -- PETER (intercom cutting out) Losing control -- malfunction in thermal chamber -- for Christ's -- Emm --! 22 IN CONTROL ROOM Needles push off the dials, as -- The ice swells: strange mix of colors, absorbing heat and energy in clusters of molten metal ... steam and sparks ignite ... Valentine's eyes widen in alarm ... COUNTDOWN (V.O.) Five -- four -- three -- two -- one ... Three -- two -- one ... (repeating) Three -- two -- one ... 23 INSIDE COFFIN Peter's glass cracks The emergency light goes on -- the ALARM sounds -- lab assistants running ... 24 IN HER COFFIN Emma realizes; looks to Peter -- 25 EXT. SALTFLATS - DAY The "Koons" antenna is drawing a strange purple cloud towards it, from otherwise blue sky ... siphoning the purple atmosphere down itself into 26 INT. CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION Thru the air ducts the purple cloud starts to billow ... Panic stations! Valentine looks aghast at the graphs: all systems fucked, over the intercom -- VALENTINE Emma, Peter, get out! It's going to explode! FROM Valentine's anguished face TO Emma's face, as VALENTINE Emma ... 27 FROM HER VAULT Emma undoes the straps, clambers out of her pod 28 ANGLE (IN DREAMLIKE SLOW MOTION) Emma clambers onto her husband's pod -- in a sequence eternally replayed for her as a nightmare -- 29 BACK TO SCENE VALENTINE Get out! Leave him -- ! Emma! 30 RAPID INTERCUTS The purple smoke enveloping Peter's pod, soft caresses -- Peter struggling within, looking at Emma -- EMMA Peter! Her leatherclad limbs straddled over his glass coffin. Her HEARTBEAT sounds ... She grabs, claws on glass -- Her fist draws back, blam! blam! blam! three deadly blows, Emma SMASHES the pod cover, it -- Cracks -- splinters -- not breaking -- obscuring his face inside like a spider's web, as behind her VALENTINE Don't wait for him -- he's not -- Breathless, blood smeared on glass, Emma's gashed fist bleeds thru torn leather glove -- twisted mass of flesh and glass -- GROWLING sound growing as: 31 ABOVE GROUND The voluminous purple cloud being sucked by the antenna...! 32 CLOSEUP ON EMMA'S DIAMOND RING gleaming thru a tear of blood as she pounds the glass -- 33 BACK TO SCENE PETER (faint) Emma ... Emma ... As a GROWLING sound grows till BOOM! An EXPLOSION rocks the vault -- flames burst out -- sound and vision separate -- Emma hears explosion as a slow moving tear thru her psyche. A trauma. 34 ANGLE (IN EXTREME SLOW MOTION) The blast flings Emma back thru space, flying unconscious as if in a dream, floating backwards in -- A milky way op-art swirl of glass and steel fragments, now -- out of control, weightless, powerless, as -- The background of sealed doors, white corridors all vanish. A spinning, black void opens up behind her, as her eyes shut, head falls back -- An orgasmic, dream of near-death, as a CRASH OF MUSIC BEGINS a hip new version of the "AVENGERS" THEME TUNE -- CREDITS SEQUENCE. 35 SERIES OF SHOTS In stark silhouette The swishing of a bowler hat spinning thru space An umbrella tossed in the air, flicked like a deadly weapon -- A rich velvety feel, key colors black/white/red. Dandyish and erotic followed by blasts of violence, dreamy op-art puzzles and psychedelic patterns over -- A sensuous BLACK, background -- slowly revealed to be a woman's leather-clad body -- In silhouette -- A bowler hatted man, Steed, a catsuited woman Emma. Flashes of: hair -- eye -- a red rose -- in bloom -- petals folding and unfolding, then tightly shut. A thorned stem, sharp to the touch -- FROM black and white INTO color -- leather Background metamorphosing into black and white of a chessboard as ... A medieval knight moves around its queen in a formal dance -- A fetishistic attention to detail: leather catsuit, swish of legs, boots ... hair tossed back - - red nails over black ... creamy white skin ... zips ... A silhouetted man in bowler hat in Savile Row suit -- old Etonian knotted tie -- umbrella stabs like a sword -- Umbrella with knotted stems of a rose furling round -- then a tear, gash -- rose cut and tossed into -- His lapel. Until, at the end: together in silhouette. Bowler hat thrown, skimming, swishing thru air, until -- Now only a single HEARTBEAT ... BA-BOOM ... BA-BOOM ... Then -- PISTOL SHOTS OVER as: 36 INT. EMMA'S BEDROOM - PRE-DAWN A gasp as Emma wakes abruptly from her nightmare, years later, startled by the shots, naked beneath satin sheets. Her HEARTBEAT FADES as she looks around her Klaus Oldenberg room, vinyl comforter, satin sheets. A toss of her hair. Looks more mature. Sexual, haunted. Mrs. Emma Peel -- widow. Same every night. Next to the clock, a framed photo of her dead husband, Peter Peel. From outside ANOTHER SHOT ... Emma flings on a satin robe, goes to the window and sees -- 37 HER POV a CAR zooooming past, its bowler-hatted driver racing thru early morning streets. The damn thing BACKFIRES again ... 38 BACK TO SCENE Emma frowns, annoyed. 39 EXT. STREETS - DAWN Zoom! The sleek, sporty black Jaguar SS100 burns down deserted streets. Inside is a bowler-hatted man -- JOHN STEED, late 30's. Handsome English gent, roguish looks, dandy's clothes. A Beau Brummel figure in a Savile Row suit, velvet collar, embroidered waistcoat. A debonair Etonian, Steed oozes charm, wit and - when he chooses to -- hard-edged, steely menace. He drives through -- 40 LONDON (1999) This is 'Avengersland': a parallel world painted by Rene Magritte, forever England. Bright pinks, greens and reds, an imperial city in final decadent bloom. White stucco buildings. Regency style in candy colors. A surreally 90's city like a hipper, edgier version of the 60's preserved in aspic, where -- Over the RADIO, a plummy voice: ANNOUNCER (V.O.) (filtered) ... The War Office today approved military expenditure for the nation's new defense alert system. A spokesman said he would raise the matter at the forthcoming World Council of Ministers, but that a state of vigilance was still necessary in the uncertain climate. As Steed turns into a mews, we realize that in this kinky, pop world, ordinary life does not intrude. No traffic. No extras. Nothing to spoil the view. As the radio continues with a weather forecast, Steed -- 41 EXT. STEED'S GARAGE - DAWN Steed's car enters his garage -- Door closes as -- 42 INT. STEED'S FLAT - DAWN but the curtains are still drawn so the place is dark. A large bachelor's den. Dark wood, leather armchairs ... Steed enters his library from a concealed door -- Titles on wine and birdwatching. He clicks the door, goes to his drinks cabinet. Pours a brandy. Hears a noise ... Instantly on guard. In his glass, sees a shadowy reflection move. Steed peers 'round a corner. Sees a silhouetted figure stand over his desk -- a burglar? Steed sneaks up behind -- raises his umbrella, and -- Crack! Brings the umbrella down -- on the suspect's head. Who manages to dodge, swivel 'round, and -- Bam! Delivers an expert blow to Steed's stomach. A rapid exchange of blows. Steed recoils, about to jab the umbrella, when -- His assailant about to deliver a kick to his crotch -- Steed covers the area -- bam! a spiked heel hits his bowler -- as the curtains are drawn back, light floods in -- they freeze. Steed knows his opponent: a lethal blonde in red leather. STEED Brenda -- ? 43 FROM ABOVE HIM a voice -- MOTHER (O.S.) Steed -- ?! 44 BACK TO SCENE Steed swivels 'round to face -- upside down -- a man hanging like a bat from the ceiling inches before him -- Pommaded hair, fat, dandyish: MOTHER, head of secret services; hands of extendable metal hooks. And BRENDA, his beautiful leather-clad bodyguard. Who smiles seductively. STEED Mother. I thought you were burglars. MOTHER Brenda and I thought we'd drop in. Mother suits action to the word, drops into his wheelchair. BRENDA See how you're getting on ... STEED Something in the wind? Mother wheels himself from the study. Taps a barometer. It whirls around. MOTHER Weather's turning nasty. STEED You didn't come to talk about the weather, surely. MOTHER Oh yes I did. I want you to meet somebody. (off Steed's look) I expect you'll like her. Brenda coolly files her nails. A flash of jealousy. STEED 'Her'? 45 INT. EMMA'S FLAT (PRIMROSE HILL) - DAY A groovy penthouse (a Lichtenstein come to life?). Bach PIANO MUSIC floats in the air. Hands gliding over keys, Emma Peel plays with virtuoso skill. On the piano, a framed picture of her late husband. And a photo of Emma between Peter and Valentine. A KNOCK. Emma gets up, goes to the door. The MUSIC KEEPS PLAYING, keys jumping up and down automatically, as -- 46 AT DOOR Emma flicks open a large automated eye. Peers thru. Opens 47 IN CORRIDOR A MESSENGER (distinctive outfit) hands over a package tied in a bow. MESSENGER Dr. Peel? EMMA Thank you ... Emma shuts the door. Unties the bow, opens up Finds an embossed card: EMMA (reads) 'Please answer the Telephone.' Emma looks: The phone sits there. Just then ... RING-RING. Emma goes over, picks up the phone. A recorded message, an upper-class woman's voice: WOMAN (V.O.) (filtered) Boodles Club, the Mall, 2:30 p.m. Mr. John Steed ... Boodles Club, the Mall, 2:30 p.m. Mr. John Steed ... BEEP. The phone goes dead. Emma opens up the case. Unveils a brace of kippers. Puzzled, she holds up a fish. EMMA Kippers ...? 48 EXT. BOODLE-S CLUB (PALL MALL) - DAY Near the Mall, outside white stucco buildings, a Lotus Elan pulls up and parks as a car conveniently leaves, cutting off another angry CAR. HONK! A dash clock says 2:15. Out gets -- -- Emma Peel, different attire. She climbs steps. On a brass plaque, "Boodles Gentlemen's Club." She goes in, passing -- -- an astonished uniformed commissionaire. 49 INT. BOODLES' LOBBY - CONTINUOUS ACTION A PORTER approaches her, equally surprised. PORTER May I help you, madam ... EMMA Mr. John Steed, please. PORTER I'm afraid that's impossible. EMMA Impossible? The Porter points to a notice: "No non-members. No animals. No women." PORTER You are female? EMMA As you see. PORTER Then you can't come in. EMMA I have an appointment. PORTER No women. Not in Boodles. Not since 1922. EMMA Really -- what happened in 1922? Bored, Emma breezes past, already inside the hall. Old mahogany, portraits of dead politicians, leather chairs. A male enclave. The Porter rushes up to restrain her. Hardly missing a step, Emma lays a gentle hand on his shoulder -- finds the nerve ends. The Porter winces and -- EMMA Thank you so much. I can find Mr. Steed myself ... -- collapses on the ground in agony. Emma ignores him. Pushes thru double doors, upstairs, statues of naked bronze warriors frown down on her, into 50 INT. BOODLES - TURKISH BATHS - DAY Thru a cloud of steam in an oriental room Steed sits naked save for a towel. He hears a disturbance, thru the mist, sees -- Emma before him. Automatically, Steed dons his bowler and tips it in her direction. STEED Doctor Peel, I presume? EMMA And you must be Steed. Please don't get up. He doesn't. HISSING STEAM between them as they study. STEED I was about to throw in the towel. EMMA I had a spot of bother at the door. STEED I shouldn't wonder. Not a woman inside Boodles since -- EMMA 1922. Why the kippers? STEED Red herring would have been too obvious, don't you think? EMMA (looks around) So what was all this -- some sort of test? STEED Congratulations, you've penetrated a bastion of male privilege. I guessed you weren't a stickler for Tradition, doctor. EMMA Whereas you are. STEED Dyed in the wool. But I can admire someone who doesn't play by the rules. EMMA Rules are made to be broken. STEED Not by me. Play by the rules, Doctor, or the game is nothing. EMMA And just what is the game? STEED I say, this is all terribly formal. Must I go an calling you Dr. Peel? EMMA (re: the steamroom) Under the circumstances, you may call me Mrs. Peel. STEED Much better. EMMA And now that we've settled the matter of honorifics, will you kindly explain why you wished me to meet you? STEED I didn't. Mother did. EMMA Mother? Steed steps closer, smiling. STEED I expect you'll like him. Off Emma's reaction -- 51 EXT. THAMES RIVER (NEAR WHITEHALL) - DAY CAR ROAR OVER. Down the embankment Parliament and Big Ben in b.g., the sleek Jaguar zooms at 60mph. Steed dodges traffic -- Wearing racing goggles, windscreen down -- Executes a nifty maneuver, swerves on a zebra crossing, scatters pedestrians, HONKING his HORN. Beside him, Emma is cool as a cucumber. Steed turns charmingly. STEED Tea time -- four o'clock. Mustn't be late. (beat) A word of warning. Don't take the macaroon. Mother's favorite. Steed swerves down a narrow alleyway, into a secret car park entrance by the riverbank. He pulls up before a sign: RIVER THAMES WATER AUTHORITY No Admittance At a control barrier Steed inserts a card. Emma sees a light flash up: "Security -- Top Priority Clearance Only." The barrier lifts. She looks again at Steed, reappraising him as Big Ben approaches four. The car disappears in darkness ... 52 LARGE WINDOW CURTAIN opens, revealing water! We are beneath the Thames -- garbage and fish float past a window of reinforced glass. An original Campbell's tomato soup can floats down as we WIDEN to reveal ... 53 INT. SECRET SERVICE HQ - UNDERWATER - DAY Mother in his wheelchair, pulling the curtain cord. MOTHER That's better. I much prefer a womb with view, don't you, Mrs. Peel? A delicate CLOCK on the mantel CHIMES FOUR. Mother wheels himself forward and hooks onto the kettle. MOTHER Shall I be mother? He pours, presiding like a fat spider at the center of a subterranean web, known as The Ministry: a vast bureaucracy in a labyrinth of tunnels. Catches Emma's wandering lock MOTHER I expect you're wondering where you are. An atmosphere of a gentleman's club reigns in the subterranean bureau -- Emma takes her tea ... EMMA Don't tell me: You're the shadow secret service. You're so hushhush, even the legit secret service knows nothing about it. Am I right? Bodyguard Brenda, a glam leather Moneypenny, wheels a trolley brimming with fancies over to Emma and Steed. MOTHER Close. We're so hush-hush, even we know nothing about it. (before Emma can make sense of this) Now let's see, there's coconut cake, date and walnut; I recommend the rum baba ... EMMA Hmmm ... MOTHER Looks like rain, Steed... STEED ... Showers followed by sunny periods. EMMA (looks up from trolley) We're not here to talk about the weather, surely. MOTHER Oh, yes we are. BRENDA (to Emma, cunning) Macaroon? Emma hesitates; takes a cake. About to take a bite, when -- Mother switches off lights. A screen drops, covering the water window as the mood changes from coziness to terror -- an ancient PROJECTOR RATTLES on ... 54 IN DARKNESS Emma watches on the wall, an official Ministry film of macabre death tableaux in the English countryside: MOTHER We've had a series of bizarre weather reports. We kept them hush-hush and sent agents into the field for data. Case number one: April 14, 3:35 P.M., Special Agent Simkins investigating mysterious fires in corn circles. A field outside the village of Little Snoring, one of the hottest days of the year. Trapped by a sudden blizzard. Found frozen to death in a giant ice cube -- like a mammoth in perma-frost. (the picture changes) Case two: Pilot Raymond Shaw, May 6, 11:28 A.M. Took off from a deserted airstrip near Stoke Poges, investigating bizarre atmospheric reports. A freak rainstorm downed him. Knocked unconscious by a flying fish, falling from 15,000 feet. Twenty-five inches of rain in eight minutes, over an area the size of a cricket pitch ... (the picture changes) ... Case three: June 2, 5:43 P.M. Defense Chief Major Courtnay. Remains discovered in a turnip field near Ashby de la Zouche. Our boffins recorded a sudden blast of heat. Scorched earth, temperature of 1000 degrees. Spontaneous combustion. Not much of him left ... CLICK. The lights go back on. Emma notices - a new arrival a tall, striking OLDER WOMAN; dark glasses. MOTHER My number two. Special assignments. She's -- EMMA Let me guess -- 'Father'? FATHER (OLDER WOMAN) All happy families here, Mrs. Peel. Father's dark glasses turn to Emma like a hawk. Runs her fingers over Emma's face. Gets the outline. Emma realizes -- EMMA You're -- Blind ... Father smiles. FATHER God, you're quick. MOTHER Have a look at these, Mrs. Peel -- He passes 'round a box of evidence related to the screen events: Steed investigates a pair of black shoes and bowler; Emma, a fish. The shoes have agent Simkins' name in them ... STEED Ah ... From Trubshaw's. My shoemaker. EMMA (unimpressed) A kipper. Or a red herring? What were they investigating? FATHER A series of bizarre shifts in local weather patterns ... STEED Global warming? FATHER Jungle plants in the Arctic? A lush English village transformed overnight into African scrubland? Blizzards in summer? EMMA How curious ... MOTHER Something strange is happening. And whoever knows about it doesn't want us to find out. FATHER (to Steed) Your mission is simple. Find out how and why these agents died. EMMA I'm no spy -- where do I fit in? MOTHER Your research into climate engineering was state-of-the-art. Your experiments could have revolutionized our knowledge of global warming -- had they succeeded. We need your expertise. STEED Perhaps I'd better start calling you doctor again, Mrs. Peel -- Emma hesitates, unsure for the first time ... EMMA I'm not sure I'm ready to return to work. I've been out of action for some time. I'll consider your proposal. She gets up, ready to go. FATHER One moment, Mrs. Peel. There's another special reason we wanted you to join our happy family; rather curious, actually ... Mother hits the lights. He flicks the video into slow-mo. File thru image clarification, identikit sketches. MOTHER Eye witness reports. Strangers in the area. One description tallied in all three places. Recognize her? Emma locks. On the screen comes -- Emma Peel. Steed reacts. EMMA Me, isn't it? Emma stares at the screen: incredible. Like a twin sister. FATHER Think of it as special assignment, Mrs. Peel. With a twist. You're our chief suspect. EMMA You're saying I have no choice. MOTHER Father will be your controller. Steed here will show you the ropes. EMMA (very arch) Ropes? 55 INT. SECRET SERVICE HQ SHOOTING GALLERY A life-size target of a man with blank face, bowler hat and umbrella, flips up, and -- BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Is riddled with holes by Emma, who works at reloading as 56 HIGH ABOVE IN ONE-WAY MIRRORED GALLERY looking on, Mother with Steed. STEED Think she really killed those agents? MOTHER She may not know. Theory goes she may be very ill. STEED Amnesia? MOTHER Possibly. Split personality ... STEED Insane ... ? MOTHER Who knows? If Dr. Darling is right, you should watch out. STEED Why? MOTHER She may try to kill you. 57 IN SHOOTING GALLERY Emma swiftly turns, aims, and -- BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! FIRES with dead-eye precision. All on target. Steed reacts. Ulp. STEED Perhaps I ought to talk with Dr. Darling. 58 INT. SECRET SERVICE HQ PSY OPS ROOM A gallery of portraits of Emma Peel projected on the wall based on Warhol's Jackie (1964) -- Poignant, inscrutable, fascinating, iconic -- blown up, dissected, analyzed. The swirling newspaper dots cover Mother and Steed like bubbles from a light show. As DR. DARLING, head of the Ministry's Psychological Operations (Psy Ops) -- a kind of spy version of Timothy Leary, briefs them. In his thick dark glasses and beard, Darling's obsessive interest in Emma adds a sinister air. DR. DARLING One key point: Mrs. Peel is a widow: she's obsessively devoted to the memory of her husband the scientist Peter Peel. You may find her a little ... remote. Images of Peter Peel on the wall. Of Emma with him. DR. DARLING They were a team. Met at Cambridge. Working on a top secret research mission into weather conditions, code name The Prospero Project, when Peel died. Steed looks meaningfully at Mother. MOTHER Something went wrong. System malfunction. Explosion. Mrs. Peel had a narrow escape. Suspected sabotage. Nothing proven. File still open. STEED How come you took so much interest in her, Dr. Darling? DR. DARLING Her husband was one of ours. STEED (eyes Peel's photo, then Mother) Peel? Did she know? MOTHER Still doesn't. Better safe than sorry. She was in a dangerous game, Steed. High stakes. She may prove to be a risk. If she is, there's only one solution. Termination. STEED Anyone particular in mind? MOTHER You. OFF Steed's reaction. CLASHING BLADES OVER ... 59 INT. SECRET SERVICE FENCING SALON Steed and Emma (new outfit), cross swords. Like everything else she does, Emma is a champion. Steed is hard put. Both fence attached to cables -- very high-tech dueling ... Steed is in white; Emma (natch), in black ... yin and yang ... STEED You're a lady of hidden talents, Mrs. Peel ... Tic-tac ... EMMA I've no intention of hiding them ... Tic-tac ... STEED Scientist ... (tic-tac) ... marksman ... (tic-tac) ... swordsman ... (tic-tac) ... To what do you attribute your overachievements? Fast swordplay. Tic-tac-tic-tac-tic. Steed's good, too. EMMA My father always wanted a boy. STEED Really? I fail to see the connection. EMMA I had a feeling you would. Touche! She lunges; her foil tips right into the heart on Steed's chest. BUZZ! Steed removes his mask; holds her foil tip. STEED I take your point. Emma takes off her mask. EMMA Do you? STEED Yes indeed. I need protection. 60 EXT. SIGN - DAY "Trubshaw's of Jermyn Street, since 1756." Steed's Jag parked in front -- of course there's a space. Getting out EMMA I thought we were on our way. STEED Oh, absolutely, but Trubshaw's a man worth meeting. No point setting out half shod. EMMA (dry) Or half cocked. 61 CLOSEUP - TRUBSHAW slips Steed's hand-made shoes an. The "lasts" shapes of shoes beside him -- bear Steed's name. STEED I couldn't agree more. Thank you, Trubshaw. TRUBSHAW (significantly) Very good, Mr. Steed. WIDEN to reveal: 62 INT. TRUBSHAW'S GENTLEMEN'S SHOP - DAY A bull moose's antlers. A horned rhino. A Leopard. A tiger. Then next to them, in a wall of hunting trophies Emma paces impatiently beneath them. Shop assistants attend in tails and wing-collars, very old school tie. Steed emerges helped into a new flashy waistcoat ... EMMA (gags at the waistcoat) Steed, we really must be -- STEED (relishing his shoes) Ahh. Perfect fit. The luxury of a hand-made shoe. As unique as a face or a fingerprint. Or should I say DNA? 63 BEHIND DISPLAY Eyes watching Emma and Steed rise ... EMMA You can but I wish you wouldn't ... STEED Thank you, Trubshaw ... A youngish man -- in black polo neck, Beatle-cut mop, pauting lips, smart suit, druggy high-pitched giggle. BAILEY, a cocky, cool psychopath. He watches Steed and Emma leave ... ... and saunters after them ... CAR ROAR OVER. 64 EXT. LONDON STREETS - DAY as the Jag races through them, heading for the country. EMMA (V.O.) That place is so absurd, so out of date ... STEED (V.O.) Do you really think so? Another car follows them ... as they pass Buckingham Palace, now painted pink and guarded by female grenadiers ... 65 SIGN reading: "Scotland" with an arrow, as Steed and Emma zoom past in the Jag ... STEED (V.O.) Press that button, would you? Tea? 66 CLOSEUP - SPECIAL DASHBOARD COMPARTMENT opens, revealing a tea service: a samovar of tea, feeding into a pre-warmed pot, pouring into two china cups ... WIDEN to reveal: 67 INT. JAG - DAY Emma, reacts, pours from the samovar ... STEED Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt your flow of oratory ... Steed's JAG BACKFIRES again as at the beginning ... EMMA You know what I mean. This car -- and you. Nobody walks around like that. Milk? STEED Not all Tradition is bad, Mrs. Peel. No thank you. She hands over a cup. EMMA But why? What's the point? STEED A Gentleman has to have a code. This is part of mine. A uniform. Think of it as my suit of shining armor. EMMA And I suppose you're the knight. STEED The most unpredictable piece on the board. And always ready to protect his queen. EMMA That's predictable. When I find a queen in need of protection I'll let you know. Steed looks in the mirror. Behind them, a car. Tailing? STEED I'm hoping you will. He puts his foot down. Zoom ... 68 EXT. COUNTRYSIDE - DAY Towards picturesque Scotland. The JAG ROARS by - then the other car ... 69 INT. JAG - DAY Emma consults a list, reads -- EMMA Sir August Merryweather ... why are we seeing him first? STEED As per mother's instructions. EMMA Do we always follow Mother's instructions? STEED For a man in my position -- EMMA Just what is your position, if you don't mind my asking. How did a stuffed shirt like you get into this line of work? STEED (smiles) They call me in when they've reached a dead end. Freelance. Like yourself. EMMA I have no choice. Why should you risk your life? STEED After our fencing match, I was rather hoping you would do the risking. More tea? EMMA No thanks. STEED I meant me. Emma takes in Steed's evasive answers. Sighing, she pours. 70 EXT. HIGHLANDS - DAY The Jag winds around Loch Ness, followed by the car. STEED (V.O.) According to Mother, Sir August owns half of the Highlands. A millionaire. Former head of Special Projects at the Ministry. Now ... EMMA (V.O.) An eccentric recluse? 71 INT. JAG - DAY STEED Not so much eccentric. More barking mad. He has a wife called June. And a daughter somewhere -- Julie. EMMA June, July ... August? STEED The family does seem to be somewhat meteorologically inclined. EMMA Any other vices? STEED All of a piece, really. A fanatical weatherman. Chairman of BROLLY. (off her look) British Royal Organisation For Lasting Liquid Years. Thinks British weather has been tampered with by ... aliens. Emma takes this in. EMMA So ... I distract him while you snoop around? How? STEED Small talk. Try the weather. 72 EXT. HUGE COUNTRY HOUSE - DAY Steed and Emma speed up to the huge open main gates Signs: "Private: No Admittance." Guards in hunting gear and plus fours, with loaded rifles. They start up the drive ... Several peacocks on the lawn fan open their beautiful tails. One of them, a mechanical peacock whose thousand eyes CLICK with the WHIR of a CAMERA ... The other car pulls in behind. Inside, reveal Bailey watching them. 73 INT. MANOR HOUSE CORRIDOR - DAY On a tartan carpet, a SCOTTIE BARKS furiously at a set of EXPIRING BAGPIPES on the floor. PAN UP to reveal: A BUTLER leading Emma down the corridor -- -- where she admires the eccentric fixtures, pausing to note a large teddy bear outfit with tartan trimmings instead of the usual suit of armor. EMMA Original ... BUTLER This way, miss ... EMMA Missus ... He opens the double doors, admitting Emma into 74 INT. A LARGE ROOM of semi-tropical climate. Jungle plants, parakeets, snakes. Walls lined with display cabinets and bell jars: stuffed birds, butterflies, spiders. A thermometer reads: 100 degrees with high humidity. The Butler leaves. Emma fans herself. Nobody in the roam. But hears a sound of RAINFALL from a smoked glass conservatory. EMMA Sir August ... ? Sir August ... ? VOICE (O.S.) Eh? In here! Emma follows the SOUND, steps cautiously forward. 75 INT. CONSERVATORY beneath a sprinkler system of torrential rain, an old man splashes in bizarre rubber togs. Emma stays cool. EMMA I've come to apply for membership in Brolly -- SIR AUGUST (shouts above the tempest) You don't get rain like you used to in England. A good shower that's the ticket. Stiffens resolve, puckers the spirit, quells the namby-pamby in a man. SIR AUGUST steps out of the shower and wind machine. A belted rubber macintosh, flippers, goggles. He starts to disrobe, the NOISE DIES DOWN -- EMMA I so agree. How did you acquire a taste for it? SIR AUGUST Out in India. So character-forming for the British. Not the heat. Good Lord, no. The rain, dash it. A good monsoon. Fifteen inches overnight. A whole week of lovely rain. I remember one summer in Jaipur ... Sir August removes his goggles, recognizes her. SIR AUGUST You EMMA Have we met? SIR AUGUST You mean you don't recall?? Before Emma can reply, the door opens... SIR AUGUST Ah, Lady June ... Emma's attention switches to LADY JUNE, a buxom lady in a sou'wester and galoshes, who wheels in a tray of scones. LADY JUNE Dear August. Loves his showers. Like a baby. (beat) Scones, Mrs. Peel? EMMA Thank you, Lady -- June ... Emma sees Sir August gazing wistfully out of the window, which is rapidly darkening ... SIR AUGUST Ah, beautiful. Just as he promised. EMMA Promised? Who promised? SIR AUGUST There, look! Emma looks, sees rain start to pitter-patter on the windows. Emma exchanges looks with June as the rain starts pouring. SIR AUGUST Imagine being caught out in a blow like that! 76 EXT. MOORLAND - DAY THUNDER and lightning -- Steed is caught out in it; puts up his umbrella; wanders over the brow of a hill, past a big sign: "No Trespassers." Rains more. And more. Turns to a tempest, as -- STEED I say, this is a bit much. Lashed by rain ' Steed carries on to the brow of the hill. He looks over, peers through the mist at -- A deep purple cloud. Mushrooming towards him. Steed can't escape it. It envelops him. Starts to blink. Cough. Footsteps less sure. Surrounded by thick purple haze Steed stumbles and falls Down a hill. Tumbles to the bottom. He knocks his head on a rock. Steed blinks, shakes his head. Eyes refocus. He sees 77 UNDULATING SAND DUNES Sun shining down on yellow sand, a barren vista. Dead trees. Suddenly Steed's in the Sahara. A heat haze shimmers. Steed blinks, thinks he's dreaming when he sees ... 78 IN DISTANCE - RED PHONE BOX Steed heads towards it. The PHONE BOX seems further away. Like an optical illusion. Then hears RINGING. Steed still bowler-hatted. Overcoat. Perspiring. Takes off bowler, wipes brow. Adjusts rose in buttonhole. It wilts. He arrives at the phone box. Opens the door. Steed picks up the RINGING PHONE, listens to -- A SCRATCHY ORCHESTRAL RECORDING of "The Merry Widow." STEED 'The Merry Widow'...? Over the MUSIC, a strange -- VOICE (V.O.) (filtered) ... Hello ... Hello? ... Who the hell...? Who is this? ... You must leave the test area. I repeat, leave the area ... Help is on the way ... CLICK. The line goes dead. Steed is baffled. Steps out, sees -- 79 ON HORIZON a shimmering heat haze. A figure on a camel moving towards them. Steed watches amazed, as the camel pads closer ... The mirage arrives. The rider dismounts. A woman in yashmak and veils. She draws closer. Drops the veils to reveal -- Emma Peel. In her black leather catsuit. .STEED Mrs. Peel. Good of you to drop by. And I see you're wearing your - riding outfit? Emma moves closer. Steed smiles at her. Emma closer and -- chop! -- gives a kung-fu jab to the throat, a kick to the balls, a jab to the stomach. As Steed lies on the ground -- STEED Manners, Mrs. Peel. Emma takes out a .38 GUN, points at his heart, FIRES -- BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! FOUR SHOTS -- 80 EMMA'S POV -- The bullets strike his chest. Round his heart. Steed slumps back on the sands. Eyes close ... 81 EMMA moves over him. Drops a small toy snowshaker into his curled fingers. Blows a good bye kiss. 82 STEED'S POV 82 The sun. Clouds roll by. The camel peers down at him. FADE TO BLACK. Sound of CLACKING ... FADE IN: 83 INT. SECRET SERVICE HOSPITAL - DAY A hospital ward. Empty apart from one bed. A nurse (Brenda in her red leather), her spiked heels clacking on the floor, brings over a cup of tea to Steed in a hospital bed. Who wakes, surprised to see Emma. Peering over him. Very nonchalant. Eating his grapes. STEED Ah, Brenda ... (as she leaves) Mrs. Peel? EMMA You should be dead. How do you feel? STEED (eyes her) Strange. EMMA You were very lucky. Four shots to the heart. I found you after I slipped away from Sir August. Mother brought you here. Not me you should thank. STEED I wasn't about to. EMMA I mean your man Trubshaw. Your bullet-proof waistcoat. I thought you were just overdressed. STEED I might say the same. 84 FROM GALLERY Mother with Dr. Darling taking notes. Emma looks up at them. Drops to a whisper. But they both are wearing headphones. EMMA Mother and Dr. Darling have me under observation. They think I tried to kill you. STEED Why should they think that? EMMA You told them. You said I arrived on a camel, shot you four times. Left you for dead. STEED Frankly that's how I remember it. EMMA But that's absurd. I may not be over-fond of you, Steed, but it's not my style. STEED Perhaps your memory plays tricks, Mrs. Peel. EMMA (conceding) That's possible. Sir August was convinced he'd met me before. But I'd never met him. Another odd thing. When it rained, he said it was just as someone had promised. STEED Did he say who? EMMA No. But he must know. Incidentally, my double left you with this. Emma shows Steed the toy snow scene. A winter wonderland snow scene. He looks puzzlingly at it. On its underneath. "The Wonderland Corporation," followed by -- STEED An invitation. To a 'formal picnic'...? EMMA Did you say formal? I must dress. 85 EXT. LONDON STREET - NIGHT The sporty Jag pulls up outside a tall, swanky building. Steed gets out, opens her door. Irritated, Emma steps out of the car, clad in her leather suit -- 86 CLOSEUP OF HER HEEL hitting the street. PAN UP TO Steed, admiring -- STEED I must say, you look more your old self -- EMMA You mean my other self ... STEED Either way ... may I ask: why you dress in that fashion? EMMA I should have thought that was obvious ... (off his smirk) I'm in mourning. She moves off. Stay on his poker face. STEED I can't wait to see afternoon. He joins her; they survey the building. EMMA Where's the picnic? They look up to -- 87 INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT A boardroom suite, overlooking London. Lights twinkling -- Around a conference table. Twelve TEDDY BEARS. Each six feet tall. Ridiculous and sinister. In pink, turquoise, brown, black, white, green. Furry, giant paws and ears, swivel eyes. One teddy sports a familiar tartan ... On the table, children's party food: jellies, hundreds and thousands, birthday cakes. And wrapped presents before each. Each bear has a name-badge: Bobby, Bobo, Bruno, Bibi, Betty, Binky etc. pinned to their fur. A children's tune, "THE TEDDY BEAR'S PICNIC," plays. Followed by - a gavel rapping order. A distinctively chilling voice, eerily familiar and seductive, which ECHOES through our story -- VOICE (V.O.) (filtered) Ladies, gentlemen and bears ... The teddy bears look round. Can't hear who's talking. VOICE (V.O.) (filtered) Today is history. The first day of the future. I welcome you to the first general meeting of the Wonderland Corporation, now allied with our colleagues from Brolly ... Murmurs of congratulations amongst the bears ... VOICE (V.O.) (filtered) You have all given time, money and expertise to achieve our goal. But we are reaching a new phase of our operation. From today, many of you will no longer be needed. I have to warn you ... Dismay from the teddy bears. As a CUCKOO CLOCK RINGS OUT, VOICE (V.O.) (filtered) A cuckoo. The first sign of spring, and ... A cuckoo in our nest. Our organization is no longer secret. Agents are investigating us. Their names are John Steed and Emma Peel. I believe we have a traitor among us ... perhaps more than one ... Uproar from the teddy bears. Shouts of "Who?" (*PS: One of the Teddys is a giant rabbit who seems especially alarmed). VOICE (V.O.) (filtered) That remains to be seen. When we find the traitors, they will be dealt with severely. TEDDY BEAR #l These agents. Where are they? VOICE (V.O.) (filtered) Here. In this building. By our estimate, they will enter this room in thirty-five point five seconds precisely ... Panic. The bears scramble to go, bumping into each other. VOICE (V.O.) (filtered) I am sorry the party is over. But we shall meet again. To each of you a gift. A token of my appreciation. In front of the teddy bears, each one receives a present wrapped up in paper with a pink and silver bow. The tartan teddy opens his up: A snow scene. Anxious moans. 88 INT. BUILDING - NIGHT UP and inside fire staircase, Emma and Steed run up -- Open the door to the conference room. The CUCKOO RINGS on their entry. To FIND an empty room. Only the party detritus plus little teddy bears sitting where formerly the big ones sat; the teddy bear picnic MUSIC PLAYING again OVER ... One snow shaker left. Steed picks it up: Inside it: 89 TINY EMMA PEEL in black leather. STEED (O.S.) For you, Mrs. Peel. 90 BACK TO SCENE Emma stares at it. Turns it over: an address. EMMA Another invitation. 38 Marlborough Terrace ... 91 INT. EMBASSY (BELGRAVIA) - NIGHT Inside number 38, a deserted Eastern bloc embassy. A dilapidated hammer and sickle tapestry in tatters. Old spy techno-junk lies discarded in elegant living rooms. Steed and Emma open the door, rush inside. They search for clues. A cigar left in an ashtray. Steed picks it up with distaste. Then moves over to the wine rack, picks up a vintage bottle of champagne -- STEED (admiringly) Hm ... A Veuve-Cliquot '56 ... (then puzzled) But he bites the end of his Monte Cristos ... ? (frowning) Clearly, we're dealing with a maniac. Meanwhile, Emma goes into the -- 92 NEXT ROOM - EMMA'S POV where she sees a blob of BUBBLING GUNK, like radioactive chewing gum. A few pieces of charred clothing tell us this was once a man in a teddy bear outfit. 93 BACK TO SCENE Steed enters behind her, examines the gunk. STEED Colonel Crabtree. International Satellite Systems. Formerly of the Ministry. EMMA How on earth can you tell? Steed holds up the inside of a battered shoe: the name. STEED Elementary, Mrs. Peel. Trubshaw isn't the only shoemaker still practicing his trade ... EMMA Very good, Steed ... A MEWLING SOUND. EMMA What's that? Leaving Steed to ponder the remains, Emma goes into 94 ANOTHER ROOM Dark. Switches on the light. And gasps. 95 STEED looks up as Emma emerges with - A Leopard cub. Steed raises his brolly. STEED What on earth? EMMA Any ideas? STEED Well, he was a fellow of the Royal Zoological Society ... EMMA Is that written in his shoe? STEED (smug) Common knowledge, Mrs. Peel ... EMMA (shrugs) She had this in her mouth. There, there... Cooing to the cub, Emma tosses to Steed -- another snowshaker. Inside -- another address: 84 Cadogan Place. STEED Not again. There's got to be another. way to go about this. 96 EXT. CADOGAN PLACE APARTMENT BUILDING (KNIGHTSBRIDGE) - NIGHT Down a sheer wall Emma Peel abseils with rope and crampons. Before gliding through an open French window -- 97 INT. KNIGHTSBRIDGE FLAT - NIGHT Emma investigates. Nobody there. She looks 'round. Military memorabilia. Busts of Napoleon and Charlemagne. Looks inside drawers. Desks. Meanwhile -- 98 INT. STEED'S JAG - NIGHT Steed feeds a carton of milk to the leopard, who is a handful ... licking, pawing him ... STEED Now, now ... (sings) 'I can't give you anything but love, baby...' 99 INT. KNIGHTSBRIDGE FLAT - NIGHT Emma searching ... 100 OUTSIDE FLAT DOOR 100 a key in lock. Door opens. Silence. 101 INSIDE - EMMA finds a snowshaker. About to look underneath. Hears a NOISE. Looks up, in front of her in the mirror, sees -A giant teddy behind her. Ready to strike -- Emma swivels 'round, a fluid balletic motion, and -- Bam! A kick to the teddy's stomach. Then off balance, Emma hurls him over her shoulder, darts in to pin the teddy to the ground as -- The teddy grabs Emma's legs, flings her off balance. She falls. Teddy grabs a military sabre from the wall, and Woosh! Slices through air at Emma's head. She ducks. The sabre skims her hair. Emma grabs another sabre; the fight is on! Emma counterattacks. Slashes with the sabre and the teddy's head goes flying off! Jesus. The torso stands unsteadily. Emma's eyes widen as: A man's head emerges from the teddy torso. Emma's so surprised, he can slug her ... Emma's out. 102 INT. STEED'S JAG - NIGHT so is Steed and the Leopard -- both asleep. A little milk dribbles down Steed's chin ... 103 INT. KNIGHTSBRIDGE FLAT - NIGHT The man goes to the other room. Starts to take off the rest of his teddy costume. Throws clothes into a suitcase. The PHONE. Terrified, the Man picks it up ... The voice ... VOICE (V.O.) (filtered) Naughty teddy ... MAN No! You can't ... VOICE (V.O.) (filtered) Ask not for whom the telephone rings, it rings for thee ... MAN But I've got rid of her. She's ... VOICE (V.O.) (filtered) Go to the window ... To the window. Teddy moves to the open window. Sudden PAIN. LIGHTNING. Teddy looks up in terror as a purple cloud releases another BOLT. Direct hit. The teddy slumps to the ground. Soggy, waterlogged, very dead. Kinda like the other guy ... 104 IN OTHER ROOM Meanwhile Emma wakes up. Turns the corner. Towards the other room, sees dead Teddy. Reads the label on his suitcase ... EMMA Major D'Arcy ... ? 105 OVER HER SHOULDER from the window behind her like a spider on glass appears another "Emma" -- -- let's call her Bad Emma -- coming straight for Emma. She makes a NOISE. Emma turns just in time to see. EMMA Well, well. If it isn't me ... Emma starts towards her double, who hesitates, then turns, leaping out the window ... she wears the same black catsuit. The real Emma rushes, follows her "double" Clambers outside to rappel up the line to 106 EXT. ROOFTOPS - NIGHT Emma looks. Beneath a starlit sky criss-crossed by wires, a rooftop maze of buildings, flanked by giant gargoyles -- goblins, lions, griffins -- over twinkling lights ... Emma searches the roof -- no sign, only shadows. Then turns a corner to see -- Above the city, fairy lights on the rooftops of Harrods, lit by a million bulbs ... giant neon signs ... Several floors below, Emma sees the streets. A twinge of vertigo. Then she looks up, hears a NOISE -- From: 107 BEHIND GARGOYLE she sees her "double" run. Emma gives chase. Hot pursuit. Over rooftops. 'Round wires. PAST neon signs high over the city ... Emma follows. Gains on the "double," who -- Pushes faster. Gliding between rooftop buildings. Dodging, weaving. But Emma gains more. Sleek limbs, muscular, perfect body machine, until -- 108 EMMA'S POV as she sees her "double" leap over a yawning chasm. And stumble on the other side for a footing. 109 BACK TO SCENE as Emma's adrenaline surges. She cannot stop, she -- Jumps! Hangs in the air. Limbs pushing out for the edge. And only just, she lands perfectly, gaining, closing, until -- 110 ON NEXT ROOFTOP Emma gains up close. A final burst of acceleration. Then without warning, her "double" -- Turns, Emma catches up, and -- Wham! Wham! A kick -- a chop to Emma's body - double scissorkick -- Emma reacts swiftly, surges into overdrive -- In a lightning-fast kung fu duel -- CRACK OF BONE -- CRUNCH OF BLOWS -- a flurry of kicks as Emma -- Lands on her back. The "double" attacks. Emma retaliates -- Kicks up her leg -- flings the "double" over her head she lands awkwardly -- a METALLIC CRUNCH in a blow to her head -- but picks herself up without pausing And vanishes into the rooftop maze. 111 AGAINST SKYLINE Emma stands. Looks. She's lost her "double." She stands alone, silhouetted against the night sky. Caught in the moonlight. Above sparks of neon. Daunting, muscular, poised for action, as -- Ears listening to distant noises. SWOOSHING TRAFFIC. FLUTTER of BIRD WING. HUM of WIND through wires. Then an AUDIBLE SNAP -- 112 EMMA'S POV - HIGH ANGLE above her a SPAM as a STEEL CABLE WIRE of an aerial is snapped. Slowly wound tightly 'round, bent back, coiled, ready to spring -- 113 BACK TO SCENE - EMMA looks 'round. Sees nothing, hears the sound of the WHIPLASH coming seconds before -- Through the air -- 114 EMMA'S POV a flashing line like a bolt of lightning, but cannot move quickly enough as -- 115 BACK TO SCENE as a cable wire whips across, coils 'round Emma, lashing her tight, crushing air from her, as the wire -- Sweeps Emma off her feet, whiplashes her back like a spring, hoists her and dangles her over the city. She looks down. A long way. Emma grabs hold of the wire, which pulls her back. She drops down to the rooftop ... Slithers down the roof. Slips -- 116 OVER LEDGE Emma hangs on with fingertips. Overlooking city with 100-foot neon sign above her: 117 ADVERTISEMENT for "Wonderland Weather" with: a repeated loop of a 100-foot high bikini-clad "Emma" throwing head back in holiday fun -- Sign: "COMING SOON -- THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF WONDERLAND WEATHER." 118 BACK TO SCENE Emma hangs on, looks up, stares at "herself." The surreal repetition of the loop. Overlooking the whole city. Dizzy, Emma threatens to pass out. Just when from -- 119 ABOVE HER an unseen hand from Bad Emma winds down -- Another CABLE for her to hold. It uncoils down past the windows, telltale SPARKS flare up as it hits metal -- Emma tries to grab for it. Misses, then grabs hold, and -- a LIVE CABLE -- a thousand VOLTS surge through her body -- -- A shock, Emma plummets DOWN TO -- 120 STRIPED AWNING on a lower ledge. She hangs precariously. Catching her breath. About to redouble her efforts. When beside her from a -- 121 BALCONY WINDOW an umbrella extended. Steed reaches out, reels Emma in. They are back in Teddy's flat ... Emma collapses in Steed's arms. He helps her up -- hands her a phone. STEED For you, Mrs. Peel. EMMA Thanks ... (dry) I see what you mean about letting me do the risking ... Hello? It's Sir August. SIR AUGUST (V.O.) (filtered) Mrs. Peel ... Come quickly. Brolly's been betrayed! I'll tell you everything ... The weather's getting worse and worse ... they're after me ... coming for me ... come quickly! CLICK. EMMA Sir August...? (to Steed) What now? STEED Ask Mother. Sound OVER: RING-RING. 122 INT. MANOR HOUSE (SCOTLAND) - DAY Sir August gripped with terror, stares at the PHONE. The scotty DOG BARKS. Finally, Sir August answers. SIR AUGUST Mrs. Peel -- ? VOICE (V.O.) (filtered) Ask not for whom the telephone rings ... SIR AUGUST No, please! I beg you ... VOICE (V.O.) (filtered) Walk over to the window ... SIR AUGUST Let it be rain, please let it be -- VOICE (V.O.) (filtered) Stay by the window. By the window. Mesmerized, Sir August goes to the window. Looks -- Lady June arrives, too late. 123 OUTSIDE a purple cloud of cyclone-force rages towards him. A luminous glow. Then a LIGHTNING STRIKE. And -- BOOM! An EXPLOSION BLASTS the WINDOWS. A WIND rushes in ... FATHER (V.O.) Emergency alert ... 124 EXT. WHITEHALL STREETS - DAY PAST obscure imperial statues a tiny micro Messerschmidt bubble car tootles down deserted streets. FATHER (V.O.) A cyclone hit Banffshire last night. Completely unpredicted ... 125 INSIDE CAR EMMA Where's Mother? FATHER Mobile HQ. In a blue funk. Can't take chances. I'm looking after things while he's hiding out ... Father drives like a maniac. She senses their unease. FATHER You're probably wondering how I can drive 'blind.' Simple. A new prototype from the boys in X division. Micro-sensors in the system read signals and road information. Converts the info into miles per hour. Ultra-sensitive. Ultra-smart. Father jumps a red light. CARS SCREECH together in a huge pile-up. Not that smart. Steed holds onto his hat. STEED We know one thing. That suspect was not Mrs. Peel. FATHER So you say ... EMMA You don't believe him? FATHER It's Mother you have to convince. He's very agitated. Wait here. Father SCREECHES to a halt on Holland Park Avenue Steed and Emma get out. Father takes off ... EMMA But STEED Don't bother. Here's a bus ... A red London number 22 bus drives up. As it arrives, in a conductor's cap is -- the bodyguard, Brenda. BRENDA Fares, please, 126 INT. BUS - DAY Steed and Emma board the bus. Destination: Not In Service. They pay Brenda, the conductor. Go upstairs. 127 UPSTAIRS is Mother's temporary mobile HQ. He squats in a corner. Metal hooks on electronic panels. Now paranoid. Suspicious. All the upper windows have been blacked out. MOTHER Welcome to mobile H.Q. Weather's turning quite nasty. Sir August was blown to smithereens. Along with half of Banffshire. The Ministry's worried. EMMA He tried to warn us ... STEED We had a lead to Wonderland Weather but we got there too late. Someone tipped them off ... MOTHER Too late anyway. Today's escapade was only for starters. This is no ordinary weather. It's manmade. A kind of weather bomb. STEED Impossible. EMMA Not quite. This is my field. STEED Is there anything that isn't? EMMA (ignores) The Prospero Project was started by my husband. It was an early attempt to solve the problems of global warming. In theory, climate engineering is entirely feasible. We thought of injecting a chemical cocktail into the atmosphere by laser and satellite. A 'quick fix'... STEED Filling in mother nature's blind spots ... ? EMMA Exactly. There'd been earlier attempts to pump carbon dioxide into deep sea. Propane gas mostly. In small quantities it captures chlorine. Protects the ozone layer. But it proved impractical. Too bulky ... STEED But if someone miniaturized the process... EMMA That's what we were working on. STEED Sounds as if someone's hijacked your research. MOTHER Would it be possible to use it for military purposes? EMMA Directed by laser. Bounced by satellite. Quite possible. STEED Where would they aim for? Mother thinks, gets out of his wheelchair; takes a turn about the bus, sits down again. No one pays any attention. MOTHER London. The World Council of Ministers meets soon on global defence. If you can control the weather, you control the world. EMMA After the cold war ... STEED The hot and cold war ... Sign "Grand Opening Soon." WIDEN to reveal ... 128 EXT. WONDERLAND WEATHER OFFICES - DAY Steed looks around, picks the lock ... hi-tech style ... 129 INT. WONDERLAND WEATHER OFFICES - DAY A kind of space-age travel agency. Steed enters. At the reception desk, the receptionist has her back turned. Steed sneaks in, moves behind a screen, overhears -- A man -- Bailey -- giving orders to the receptionist BAILEY New orders. The penultimate phase. Now fully operational ... Steed moves away from them, pushes a set of double doors open, arrives inside -- 130 INT. WONDERLAND OFFICE - DISPLAY - DAY A long corridor surrounded by a presentation of -- Virtual reality weather: clouds, sunny vistas, lush meadows, desert. And slogans: "Be natural. Act natural. Think natural. The natural beauty of Wonderland Weather." Steed reacts; the model is the same as Emma on the big neon sign near Harrods ... Steed finds a desk. Inspects papers. Sees a postcard of a large stately home. He pockets it. Then looks 'round to see -- Bailey before him. We recognize him as the young dandy trailing Steed. Neither gives away the other. BAILEY We're not yet open for business, I'm afraid. STEED Shame. I was recommended. By a friend. BAILEY Really? STEED Sir August Merryweather? I was looking for something relaxing. Say, a Tuscan hillside in June? BAILEY Normally, we'd be eager to oblige -- STEED Seriously? BAILEY Of course. Natural weather delivered to your door on demand. Down your phoneline. For limited periods. STEED You don't say. How real does it feel? BAILEY As real as you wish. Hot or cold. Humid or dry. Anything you like. Within reason. STEED There are limits? BAILEY The technology is brand new. Soon it will be more powerful. We anticipate a huge demand. Leave us your number. We'll be in touch. STEED No need. I'll call again. Steed raises his bowler. Bailey watches him go. 131 EXT. WONDERLAND OFFICES - STREET - DAY Steed emerges, stares at his postcard -- the stately home and: "Headquarters, Wonderland Weather, Ltd." as -- EMMA (V.O.) My car. I'll drive. 132 EXT. COUNTRY ROADS - DAY Emma's LOTUS ELAN WHIZZES BY... STEED (V.O.) A day in the country ... 133 INT. LOTUS - DAY EMMA Three agents killed by bad weather... STEED ... And by you, Mrs. Peel ... EMMA (ignores) Then a mad millionaire. Head of a secret defense establishment. A group of eccentrics obsessed by weather ... STEED ... And by you, Mrs. Peel. Everything points to you. No sisters? No undiscovered twin? EMMA Not that I know of. Explanation? STEED According to Dr. Darling, you're a psychopathic personality with schizophrenic delusions, suffering from recurring amnesia based on traumatic repression, leading to outbursts of anti-social and violent behavior. Q.E.D. Steed lets it sink in. Emma looks a little hurt. EMMA Is that what you think? STEED Oh, well ... (beat) Just my type, Mrs. Peel. 134 EXT. COUNTRY LANES - SEVERAL ANGLES - DAY The Lotus races 'round blind corners. Hairpin bends. Across a train at a level crossing, which just misses them -- 135 INT. LOTUS - DAY Emma sees Steed hold on for dear life. She smirks -- STEED Do you always drive this fast? EMMA Have I trespassed on a male prerogative? (before his reply) We're being followed. I saw him at Trubshaw's ... Steed looks into the mirror, sees a car behind them. Pulling up, trying to catch up. Emma glances in the mirror, and -- EMMA Hold on ... Puts foot down. ZOOM. Extra ACCELERATION. Steed's head pinned back to his seat. Emma's hair tossed in the wind. 136 EXT. COUNTRY LANES - DAY The Lotus twisting and turning. The car behind always catches up. Emma tries to shake it. Gears up. Mach force. Over crossroads. Shaking 'round corners, as ... 137 BEND before Emma pushes foot down. Further ACCELERATION. The car behind struggles to keep up. Emma coasts ahead, turns a corner -- And suddenly sees in front of her -- 138 HUGE TRUCK crossing directly in their path! STEED Turn! 139 EMMA swerves, plunging the car into a haystack, where it is completely hidden as -- 140 TRUCK clears in time for the following car, which keeps going. 141 ON HAYSTACK as Steed emerges, brushing off straw. An old lady on a bicycle with a basket appears ... OLD LADY Are you alright, young man? STEED I think so, thank you so much ... A SQUEAL of TIRES as - The following car swerves back, stops and Bailey emerges, gun drawn as Steed and the Old Lady react ... BAILEY (relishing) Reach for the sky, pardner. Steed raises his hands. OLD LADY Oh, dear -- To Steed's surprise, she pulls an Uzi from her basket and BANGBANGBANGBANG -- ! SPRAYS BULLETS into Bailey, who crumples, gun spinning along the tarmac. Cute and sweetlooking, the Old Lady is unfazed. OLD LADY Cocky little bastard. I hope he was a baddy. STEED I feel sure of it. OLD LADY I'm Alice. Mother said you'd be on your way. Mrs. Peel with you? STEED (looks around) She was ... They start pulling away hay from the haystack ... OLD LADY You with Mother or Father? STEED Both, actually. OLD LADY Good. Glad to see they're together at last. They don't get along. Promotion. Top job. Most unfair. Quite a fuss at the Ministry. STEED (not paying attention) You don't say. (mumbles) Like looking for a needle in a ... 142 INSIDE HAYSTACK Coughing. Then Emma, sputtering straw as Steed's face appears. He tries to conceal his relief at seeing her. STEED What, Lady Disdain? Are you yet breathing? EMMA Barely. STEED You will let me know if you find that queen who's in need of protection, won't you? He pulls her out. She's annoyed. 143 OUTSIDE HAYSTACK Emma brushes herself off; pulls off a piece of straw. EMMA (holding it ruefully) This must be the last straw. STEED (takes one off her back) Here's the one that broke the camel's back. EMMA Someone didn't want us to get to the party. STEED I expect we'll have to gatecrash. OLD LADY I may be able to help you. 144 EXT. STATELY HOME FROM POSTCARD - DAY comes to life. Steed, Emma and the Old Lady survey ... STEED (checks postcard) Wonderland Weather Ltd. OLD LADY This way ... 145 EXT. HALLUCINOGEN HALL - GROTTO AND MAZE - DAY On a lawn, a peacock flares its thousand eye tail. A MECHANICAL CLICK, its eyes conceal hidden cameras, recording Emma, Steed and the Old Lady, who've landed inside the walled grounds. They move stealthily forward, unaware ... OLD LADY Over here ... The Old Lady waves them on. They enter a tunnel into 146 MAZE Tall hedges surround Steed and Emma and the Old Lady on all sides. They follow the path, slopes , round, curves, turns into hairpin bends and U-turns. At first intrigued ... Then perplexed. Emma leads the way, Steed following. The Old Lady slips OUT OF VIEW. Steed stops to pick a rose, puts it in his lapel. Emma rushes ahead. EMMA Aha ... Yes ... It's clear now. A trapezoid shape, dictated by twin diagonal paths and a single curving path. A late Seventeenth Century design, originally for King William of Orange, copied... Ah ... Steed sees Emma slip 'round a corner. He pursues her. Glimpses her. Then loses her. Another glimpse. Sees her thru hedges, then seemingly -- Thru the other side of the hedge. In two places at once. STEED ... Mrs. Peel? I think I'm seeing double again. Out of sight, Emma rushes on. Around her, the hedges grow taller. She seems to grow smaller. Emma begins to realize things are not what they seem. As she pushes her way thru -- 147 FROM ABOVE the maze as a formal patter-n. Three tiny figures dart round. DISSOLVE THRU TO: 148 INT. HALLUCINOGEN HALL - CONTROL ROOM - DAY A pattern on a screen. The lines of the maze reformulated as abstract lines. Steed, Emma and the Old Lady as three flashing dots. Someone, somewhere is watching them. Laughter, then a familiar voice -- VOICE (O.S.) Now this is more like it ... 149 EXT. MAZE - DAY Steed searches for an exit. 150 ANOTHER PART OF MAZE Emma sees a statue of a Butler. Which springs to life. Summons Emma. She follows down a path strewn with leaves. As Emma steps on the leaves, she -- Falls down -- a giant rabbit hole. 151 INT. RABBIT HOLE Emma spins through darkness, like Alice in Wonderland ... EMMA Steed ... ! STEED (V.O.) Mrs. Peel ... ? 152 EXT. MAZE - DAY The identical face of Emma on a marble statue, as -- Steed studies the classical statue ... STEED Mrs. Peel ... ? Steed hears a noise, turns to see -- Emma walking towards him. She picks the rose from his lapel, slowly coils an arm around his neck. Pulls Steed towards her, closes her eyes -- kisses him full an the mouth. STEED Mrs. Peel ... ! (more kiss) Mrs. Peel ... The kiss ends. Steed recovers his composure, lips coated with her lipstick. His tongue traces his lips; smarts ... STEED Your lipstick ... Poison. He goes dizzy. Steed collapses to the ground. 153 INT. HALLUCINOGEN HALL - DAY Inside the house, a grand hall. Deserted. A cobweb hangs from ceiling. A velvet curtain tattered and torn. Emma. A CUCKOO CLOCK RINGS the hour. Ahead, the real Emma sees -- A giant staircase. There on the stairs -- a glass eye. She picks it up. Puts it in a pocket. Emma goes -- 154 UPSTAIRS Sees a series of family portraits an the staircase. One of herself in ornate aristocratic regalia. 155 LONG CORRIDOR UPSTAIRS Rooms on either side. Emma goes down the hall, pushes doors. 156 INSIDE ROOMS A mad child's collections of ... toys... rocking horses ... train sets ... ventriloquists' dummies... and ... Butterflies ... scarabs ... beetles ... glass eyes, staring at her from the blackness ... Then Emma turns into a whole room of ... Snow shakers ... A wall of them in glass cabinets like insect specimens or fossils. Emma picks up one snow scene. She shakes it. 157 EXT. HOUSE as if in response, a storm gathers. Shadowy clouds roll in. 158 IN MAZE A drop of rain starts to fall. Steed's eyes flicker open. STEED (re: rain) Not again. He rises, looks down, reacts -- Alice, the Old Lady, lies near him in the maze, her neck snapped... Steed kneels, next to her in the rain OLD LADY It's a trap. Tell Mother, beware. Tell Father. She dies in his arms. Wind picks up, too. Steed looks about, frowning with discouragement -- 159 INT. HALLUCINOGEN HALL PLAYROOM - DAY THUNDER and lightning outside. Inside the room of snow shakers, a CHILDHOOD TUNE PLAYS. Emma shakes the snow scene. The weather seems to grow darker. 160 FROM BEHIND Emma hears the unmistakable chilling voice: VOICE (V.O.) I wouldn't shake that too hard. The weather might turn nasty. From the shadows ... a man. A silhouette. Behind a distorting lens. His shape and face unclear. Emma puts down the shaker. EMMA Quite a collection. VOICE (V.O.) If nature gives a man a collector's mind, it doesn't matter what he collects. Butterflies. Old China. Penny farthings. A true collector grows more obsessive as the years pass. Outside the big window the weather is turning nasty ... EMMA Your voice -- it's so familiar ... VOICE (V.O.) We have met ... From the shadows, a man moves out, revealing: Peter Peel, Emma's husband! THUNDER. EMMA Peter ... ? Instinctively Emma moves towards him. A long pause. EMMA I must be dreaming ... Emma pulls back. Before she can turn, Peter takes her hand, places it over his heart. BA-BOOM, BA-BOOM, BA-BOOM ... PETER Listen... Very much alive. Peter touches her hand. Emma looks into his eyes. Intrigued but alarmed, disbelief. Peter raises her hand to his lips. PETER Darling, it's me... Emma shudders, battles with herself. EMMA Peter ... Emma is tempted, yet filled with terror. 161 CLOSEUP - EMMA'S EYES Inside her pupil -- FLASH CUTS TO: 162 MEMORY FLASHES His face as he kissed her -- his ring on her finger -the visor cracking -- the glass obscuring his face. 163 BACK TO SCENE EMMA Impossible ... how? Peter smiles disarmingly. As if the answer was obvious. PETER For you ... all for you ... Peter comes over, folds her in his arms. Takes her head between his hands. Emma leans over to him, about to kiss him, both closing their eyes, until -- Lips parted. Before they kiss, Emma pulls back -- PETER Don't be afraid, darling. She turns, runs to the door. Like a trapped bird. She tries the door -- locked. Another door -- locked. A window -- locked. PETER Don't run away. I forgive you, Emma. I know you left me. But I still love you. Do you still have my ring? I need it. Peter grabs hold of Emma. She pulls away. Emma sees his face before her, pleading with her. Seductive yet nightmarish. As if hallucinating, Emma runs away, towards -- The big window overlooking the gardens. She runs, leaps, and in SLOW MOTION -- Crashes thru the GLASS, shards and splinters SHATTERING all 'round her, as she -- 164 EXT. HALLUCINOGEN HALL - WINDOW - DAY somersaults through the window down to the ground. Lands with a THUD on the wet ground. Looks up to see -- Steed above her, the STORM RAGING. EMMA Steed! She struggles to her feet, comes towards him, upset. STEED Oh, no. First time, shame on you. Third time, shame on me. He slugs her and the SCREEN GOES BLACK. DR. DARLING (V.O.) Diagnosis confirmed. Mrs. Peel is suffering from delusions and hallucinations. An extreme personality disorder. She imagines her husband Peter Peel has come back to her ... CLOSE ON Emma's face. DR. DARLING (V.O.) A classic syndrome, to overcome her subconscious guilt at her other crimes. We've attached her to the dreamscape machine. We'll soon see what her unconscious looks like... Emma's eyes flicker... Steed comes INTO FOCUS, sitting by Emma's bed. This time he's eating her grapes ... Emma looks around ... Everything blurs. A STEADY PULSE DRONE. Tugs at leather straps. No use. WIDEN to reveal Emma strapped to a special couch -- Her head surrounded by a plastic dome, terminals and wires leading out into a Dreamscape machine. Drowsy, disoriented. EMMA Where am I? STEED The Winslow Home for Retired Lepidoptorists. I'm so sorry I struck you, Mrs. Peel. Please forgive me. I thought you were someone else ... EMMA Was I? STEED (no smile) I expect that's for you to know and me to find out ... EMMA It was Peter -- I saw him ... Drugged, Emma's eyes drop. FOCUS CHANGES TO -- 165 ABOVE HER A giant spiral HYPNODISC WHIRRS, creating trippy black and white zig zag op-art effects a la Bridget Riley. She blinks. DISSOLVE TO: 166 SAME SCENE - LATER Steed is gone. Dr. Darling leans over her. Emma stares at the hypnodisc. Closes her eyes. 167 EXTREME CLOSEUP ON HER EYES Thousand REMs per sec -- a tiny chip next to her eyes, transmitting out via wires to -- 168 UP ON WALL A "Dreamscape" apparatus like a liquid TV screen flicks thru random images from Emma's unconscious. Peter Peel -- Teddy Bears -- post card views -- childhood snaps -- 169 BESIDE "BED" Dr. Darling furls his hand over Emma's, his fingers resting upon her ring. During the interrogation, he soothingly strokes her hand -- tries to remove the ring without arousing her suspicion. Pulls gently on it. 170 UP IN GALLERY In his wheelchair, Mother sits beside Steed. MOTHER This man -- did you see him? STEED No. Her husband, she says. Alice tried to warn us. A trap. Tell Mother beware. Tell Father That's all. 171 BY COUCH Dr. Darling leans forward to interrogate Emma. 172 FROM HER POV He looks and sounds sinister. From a corner of her eye, she sees -- a clip of keys hanging from his pocket. 173 BACK TO SCENE DR. DARLING I want you to say the first thing that comes into your head when I say these words. Do you understand ... ? (as she nods) Blue ... EMMA ... bottle ... DR. DARLING Red ... EMMA ... head ... DR. DARLING White ... EMMA Knight ... DR. DARLING Black... EMMA ... death ... DR. DARLING Love... EMMA ... death ... Steed watching, listening ... DR. DARLING Flower ... EMMA ... power ... The exchange speeds up. Unknown to Dr. Darling, Emma picks his keys; unlocks her straps. DR. DARLING Nature ... EMMA ... preserve... DR. DARLING Secret ... EMMA ... love... DR. DARLING Hope... EMMA ... love ... DR. DARLING Fear ... EMMA ... love ... DR. DARLING Peter ... As Emma talks, the "Dreamscape" plucks images from her unconscious in trippy psychedelic rush: faces -- colors -- patterns flash past. EMMA ... Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers how many pecks of pickled peppers did Peter Peel -- ? 174 CLOSEUP - EMMA Quietly unclicks a lock. She stops in mid-gabble. EMMA How long have I been here? DR. DARLING Three days. Emma unlocks her straps. Sits Up. Woozy. EMMA Do you get paid by the hour? Dr. Darling is shocked, indignant. Emma rips wires from her body. The "Dreamscape" machine winds down. Up in the gallery -- BAM -- ! Mother bashes his metal cane on the railings MOTHER (filtered) You are here under observation, Mrs. Peel. You must answer Dr. Darling's questions Pushes Dr. Darling aside. EMMA I resign. MOTHER (filtered) You need treatment, Mrs. Peel. You can't resign. EMMA Watch me. Emma staggers. Mother looks at Steed. Who snaps himself out of staring at the hypnodisc. Emma heads for the airlock door marked: "ANTI-GRAVITY CHAMBER -- NO ADMITTANCE" MOTHER Don't open that, Mrs. Peel! Fat chance ... she goes in ... 175 INT. ANTI-GRAVITY CHAMBER Emma floats in the air, as Mother, Dr. Darling and Steed all follow. And float helplessly, turning around madly. Trying to gain on Emma. Mother's wheelchair, Steed's umbrella and bowler, all tumble thru the air as Steed tries to reach the "OFF" switch EMMA (echoing) What are you trying to do to me? MOTHER (flailing) We want to help...! EMMA I thought I was a widow. My husband ... the only man I ever loved ... is dead. For the rest of my life I have to live with that. MOTHER The death of Peter Peel was a great loss. To us all ... EMMA To you ... ? Mother looks at Emma. He's let the cat out the bag. Steed finds the "OFF" switch. They all tumble to the floor, Mother landing perfectly in his wheelchair, Steed effortlessly catching his hat and umbrella. He moves to Mother -- STEED I think you owe Mrs. Peel an explanation ... Steed stares Mother out. Who delivers his revelations. MOTHER Peter Peel was a first class agent. A senior operative. 'X' department Special operations. He was engaged in top secret research. Top priority. Government approved. EMMA The Institute ... the funding ... MOTHER A cover ... for us. (beat) I'm sorry... A turning moment for Emma. A life lived on a lie. EMMA So all that time. Our work, our research was for you ... for this? And the accident -- DARLING It was no accident. EMMA The official investigation ... MOTHER ... was written by me. (beat) It was sabotage, Mrs. Peel. Deadly serious, Emma walks over to him. EMMA Who? MOTHER Quite frankly ... it could have been you. Silence. Emma looks away, shocked. Steed intervenes STEED You're accusing Mrs. Peel of killing her own husband? MOTHER Her husband suspected someone very close to the operation. On the day he died, he was setting a test. To prove to himself -- to us that his wife was beyond suspicion. He had to be certain. He said he was going to give Mrs. Peel something ... Emma keeps staring at Mother, fingers her diamond ring. MOTHER ... I want you to remember. Did Peter give you anything on-that day? 176 CLOSEUP - EMMA touches her ring. 177 BACK TO SCENE Emma looks up at Mother. A barefaced lie. EMMA No. Steed notices Emma touch her ring nervously. DR. DARLING He said if it vanished, he'd know it was ... you who betrayed him. He took a huge risk. The ultimate test. EMMA So I'm still ... MOTHER Under suspicion. Everyone died in the explosion, Mrs. Peel. You were the only survivor ... Mother waits. Emma turns round. Looks fiercely at him. Mother shifts uneasily as Emma walks past him to the airlock. MOTHER This is an official matter, Mrs. Peel. No need to take it personally. Where are you going? EMMA To find out who killed my husband. MOTHER The doors and walls are monitored, Mrs. Peel. This is a very secure establishment. EMMA So am I. Emma pushes open the doors. Walks out. Down a corridor. Dr. Darling grabs Mother, as he exits with Steed -- DR. DARLING She must remain here. She's highly dangerous. 178 IN HALL - CONTINUOUS ACTION Mother exits with Steed; they watch Emma going ... MOTHER Pity. I was growing fond of Mrs. Peel. Unfortunately -- STEED Guilty until proven innocent? MOTHER Mother and Father know best. Mother wheels himself off. Then stops; over his shoulder: MOTHER Something quick. Nothing too ... messy. ON Steed. CAR ROAR over as -- 179 EXT. COUNTRYSIDE CLINIC - DAY Emma drives a hot-wired Morris Minor out the open gates of the manor house, past a sign which reads: "WINSLOW HOME FOR RETIRED LEPIDOPTORISTS" (Butterfly logo) In the b.g., a couple of old-timers race around with butterfly nets as Steed's jag pulls past them in hot pursuit. 180 EXT. COUNTRYSIDE - DAY Emma speeds down lanes ... Followed at a safe distance by Steed in his SS100. 181 INT. STEED'S JAG - DAY Steed looks: a bleep on his radar screen tracks the -- 182 CLOSEUP - CONCEALED MICRO-BUG - INTERCUT on Emma's shoulder as she drives ... 183 EXT. LANES - DAY The cars whiz past ... 184 INT. STEED'S JAG - DAY Keeping an eye on his radar and the road, Steed switches on the radio. The weather forecast: RADIO ANNOUNCER (V.O.) (filtered) '... Sunny intervals leading to sudden storms and gale warnings for all areas. (as he frowns) ... Outbursts of rain, scattered hailstorms and freezing fog greeted the World Council of Ministers as they arrived in London for their conference ...' Emma drives into a churchyard. Steed follows her ... 185 INT. COUNTRY CHURCH - DAY A medieval country church. Sunlight streams through stained glass, illumining Emma as Steed watches her lay -- A red rose by an altar tomb: an ornate mausoleum two hands clasped in a pose of eternal sleep: Peter Peel. Emma pauses, as in the b.g., choirboys sing hymn practice. Steed watches Emma move away, toward the door. He drops a hymn book. Emma swivels round -- sees Steed. EMMA You followed me. STEED Orders. EMMA To kill me? STEED (fractional pause) Nothing personal. Emma smiles. Then turns, and -- Runs! Steed follows Emma through a door to -- 186 INT. CHURCH BELL TOWER - DAY Steed enters, glimpses -- Emma above. He follows her. Hears her footsteps. Trip- trapping up the spiral staircase. Steed listens, follows. 187 UP BELLTOWER From below, Steed hears a BELL RING. A FLUTTER of BIRDS. As debris falls down -- Steed runs up stairs, reaches -- 188 EXT. BELLTOWER TOP - DAY BELL still RINGING. At the top, a sheer drop. Steed edges closer to the ledge. Looks. A long way down. From behind -- EMMA A long way down. Steed swivels. Sees Emma blocking his path. Cool menace. Steed steps away from the edge, Emma circles him. STEED Careful. You might fall. Emma steps to the edge. Steed freezes. Emma locks down. Feet resting on the ledge. Rocking to and fro ... EMMA I could save you the trouble. STEED No trouble. EMMA Because you always obey orders ... STEED Always. (pause) Except ... Steed nears her. Emma pushes herself right to the edge. EMMA Yes ... ? STEED ... when I don't. It comes down to one thing, Mrs. Peel. Trust. Steed reaches out for her. Holds out his hand. EMMA And do you trust me? STEED I could be convinced, if ... I knew who poisoned me in the maze. That kiss ... EMMA It wasn't me; you have my word. Steed snatches her from the edge, holds her in his arms. STEED I need proof. Emma thinks. Looks at him. Deadly serious. Their eyes lock. She hesitates, then pecks him on the cheek. STEED It was longer. On the lips. Emma hesitates. Then a kiss on the lips. Longer. But not much. Steed grabs her hand, pulls her back. STEED Much longer. Approximately ... fifteen seconds. Emma harumphs, exasperated. Moves closer to him. EMMA ... Ready? Steed nods. Emma leans forward. A full kiss. At first reticent ... Emma looks at her watch. Counts seconds ... EMMA ... Four ... seven ... ni-... Then ... forgets. Warmer, more relenting. Edging towards passionate. They stay embracing for fifteen seconds ... EMMA (aroused) Mmm ... what are you doing? STEED Keeping a stiff upper lip? EMMA Is that all? The kiss continues couple of seconds longer. Before Emma withdraws. With an effort, she regains her composure. A long silence. EMMA So I'm in the clear? Steed savors the kiss. No reply. His smile says it all. EMMA But you did suspect me. STEED Not for a moment. EMMA You're playing games. STEED Aren't we all, Mrs. Peel? EMMA I thought you played by the rules. STEED I thought you didn't. EMMA I'm playing to win. STEED Winning isn't everything. EMMA Please don't tell me it's how you play the game. STEED (smiles; stands aside) After you -- Mrs. Peel ... Steed motions down the stairs. It's close to the edge. EMMA No, after you. STEED (back to square one) You don't trust me? EMMA As far as you trust me. Emma motions. Steed goes down, passes close to the edge, and swivels round nervously. Emma reads his thoughts. EMMA When it happens, Steed, you'll be the first to know ... With this comforting thought, Steed descends first. 189 EXT. CHURCH TOWER - DAY As Steed and Emma exit from the tower, they see -- A tranquil village scene. Choirboys walk out from the church. Nearby in the deserted village street. A red PHONE BOX. Which ... RING-RING ... Starts to RING. EMMA Who could that be? A ROLL of THUNDER. Steed looks up: a clear sky. He's puzzled. Suddenly suspicious. As Emma moves to the phone. STEED No -- don't answer it ... He pulls her back. Emma looks at him. STEED That's it. The phones trigger the explosions -- RING-RING ... Another ROLL of THUNDER. Steed connects the two as -- an angelic CHOIRBOY walks towards the phone ... RING-RING ... A LOUDER ROLL of THUNDER. As the Choirboy nears the PHONE, Steed shouts -- STEED Don't -- don't answer it -- ! 190 CLOSEUP - PHONE RING-RING -- the PHONE in the f.g. as the choirboy closes in, opens the door -- 191 INSIDE PHONE BOX The door shuts. Noise muffled. The Choirboy can't hear Steed and Emma's shouted warnings, as he lifts his hand up, and -- 192 OUTSIDE Steed sees him reach out, warns the vicar and choirboys. STEED Get down -- get down -- it's going to explode -- ! Steed and Emma, all the choirboys hit the dirt, as 193 INSIDE PHONE BOX The Choirboy grabs the phone, and lifts it up, and Silence. No explosion. A few seconds pass. Steed and everyone are down on the ground. As they see -- 194 FROM PHONE BOX -- the Choirboy leaves the phone hanging. He gets out, scans the crowd. Then walks calmly over to Steed, who's still prone. CHOIRBOY It's your mother. The vicar and choirboys look on sympathetically, as -- Steed dusts himself off. Emma and everyone gets up. Steed goes to the phone box, takes the call. STEED Mother? How did you find me? His expression changes as he listens. Emma goes to the phone box as Steed rings off. He emerges from the box. STEED I told Mother I took care of you. EMMA You lied. STEED I equivocated. But you're not their big worry at present. It's Dr. Darling: he's disappeared ... OFF Emma's reaction to this news -- 195 INT. HALLUCINOGEN HALL - DAY Inside the upper room, in front of a mirror -- With his back turned to us. Dr. Darling holds something in his hand, and waits as -- 196 DOWN LONG HALL Bad "Emma" walks over. She stands in front of him. Blank expression. Dr. Darling hardly even looks up. With her hair up, we recognize on her neck a tattoo: Z424. DR. DARLING We are in the final phase. I shall require you to be especially obedient. There must be no failures. 197 CLOSEUP - IN HIS HANDS - SNOWSHAKER which he grips tightly. As -- 198 IN MIRROR a metamorphosis. His features melt and bubble, a mask of plastic surgery and it's slipping around like Michael Jackson's face under kleig lights. He adjusts it, then ... Shakes the snowshaker ... 199 EXT. COUNTRYSIDE - DAY THUNDER as the sky darkens -- PAN DOWN to reveal: Steed's Jag, zooming through country lanes. Rain starts. 200 INT. JAG - DAY Steed driving, winces with the drizzle. STEED Drat. Someone wants to implicate you in this affair, Mrs. Peel. Any idea who? EMMA No idea who. No idea why ... STEED (thinks) Teddy bears, cuckoo clocks, toys All children's things ... EMMA ... Or grown-ups, who still like to be children. STEED Quite. Any childhood friends? Enemies? EMMA Not to speak of. Peter and I were both loners. There was nobody. Steed thinks; sighs. STEED Very well. I have a friend who might be of assistance. He's at the Ministry. We'd better be careful. EMMA I'm a wanted woman, I know ... 201 INT. MINISTRY CORRIDORS - DAY Through a door marked "Information & Counter Espionage" -- -- walks Steed with another man in identical clothes: dapper Savile Row suit, umbrella and bowler. Which is Emma Peel, in disguise. Steed furtively checks passers-by. STEED His name's Jones. 'Invisible' Jones. EMMA Why's he called 'Invisible'? STEED You'll find out. At a door marked "Information -- Col. I. Jones." Steed knocks, opens the door for her. EMMA Aren't you coming? STEED I'll catch you up. Don't worry; he's expecting you. Emma goes in as Steed walks down the corridor. 202 INT. MINISTRY OFFICE - DAY A room full of archives and files. Emma walks through tall corridors, stacks of cabinets full of old paper. Dusty, musty and mildewing. Long forgotten. Nobody there. Suddenly Emma hears -- FOOTSTEPS. She follows them. Round stacks, round corners. The FOOTSTEPS get LOUDER. She's closing in. The FOOTSTEPS get LOUDER, until up ahead of her -- A filing cabinet drawer opens up. On its own. Emma watches as a file pops up, floats through air. The drawer slams shut. Still nobody there. Emma follows the file to a -- Desk. Emma watches as -- the chair swivels round. The file pages open up. Then the phone lifts up by itself, a voice: INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) Tell Miss Proudfoot, no calls. (beat) Colonel Jones at your service, Mrs. Peel. Just a moment -- Emma looks ahead of her. To the chair. As -- A desk drawer opens up, a pipe is whisked through the air, a match is struck. The pipe lights; smoke belches forth. INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) Talk to the pipe, Mrs. Peel. That usually helps. Don't worry about me being invisible. Other than that I'm perfectly normal. EMMA I see. INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) Or rather, you don't. Learnt the tricks in camouflage. Till this accident made a prang of things. How can I help you, Mrs. Peel? 203 INT. MINISTRY - ANOTHER OFFICE Steed on the phone. STEED I say, Trubshaw, Steed here ... Barometer's falling fast. Mrs. Peel and I find ourselves in need of foul weather gear. (beat) Yes, I'd say gentlemen's snuff for starters. And then -- 204 INT. INVISIBLE JONES' OFFICE File pages flip through the air as Jones goes through them. INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) Ah, here we are. Steed asked me to play a hunch: Valentine Peel. EMMA Peter's brother? But -- INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) Half-brother to be precise. Emma is surprised. INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) Now let's see ... Eton, Cambridge ... research into robotics and plastics. Overtaken by Peter's work on the physics of climate change ... EMMA I know all this. INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) Do you also know that during your final experiment, your halfbrother- in-law was under surveillance? EMMA Surveillance? By whom? INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) Father. She gave him an 'all clear' after a security test by Dr. Darling. EMMA Who's now vanished. INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) Makes two of us. EMMA Are you suggesting that Dr. Darling and Valentine were somehow in this together? But that's absurd. Steed enters behind them on the run -- STEED We must hurry, Mrs. Peel ... EMMA Hurry? What for? I'm just now -- STEED You didn't tell her? INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) (testy) I was getting to it. EMMA Getting to what? INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) The World Council of Ministers meets tomorrow to convene the new global defense initiative -- EMMA I fail to see -- STEED There's a reception this evening. Colonel Jones thinks it advisable we attend. EMMA Have we been invited? INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) (poker-voiced) Under the circumstances Mother didn't see fit, but I think I can get you in ... EMMA (surveys her male outfit) Well, I can't possibly go like this. STEED I had a feeling. That's why we're in a hurry ... Steed proffers an arm to Emma. STEED May I have the honor, Mrs. Peel? She decides, takes his arm. EMMA You may, Mr. Steed. The A-team is born. Steed and Emma tip their hats to Jones. 205 EXT. LONDON STREETS - SEVERAL ANGLES - NIGHT Troops rushing in to take up defense positions. Searchlights pierce the cloudy sky. A protective ring of hardware surrounds the hall. 206 INT. MOTHER'S 22 BUS (AKA INSIDE MOBILE HQ) - NIGHT At the controls, Brenda looks on. She hands a bag of jelly babies to Mother. Who picks out his favorites, as he gives a briefing to Father and others, sitting in passenger seats -- ORDERS BARKED OUTSIDE as -- MOTHER Inside that hall are some of the Most powerful figures in the world. Tight security. Our only option. FATHER I'll see to it personally. Brenda glances over at Father's imperturbable face. As -- 207 EXT. PALACE (WESTMINSTER) - NIGHT Wind picking up. Outside the grand palace hall for the reception of the World Council of Ministers, guards stand on duty. Barriers, flashing lights. Nobody gets past, except -- 208 INT. PALACE (WESTMINSTER) - NIGHT Up in the gallery, Steed and Emma enter through a secret passage behind a painting. He with bowler and umbrella. She in black leather and boots. They find themselves in a niche and freeze, very close to one another. Steed sniff s ... STEED What's that you're wearing? EMMA It's called Black Leather. STEED Intoxicating. Here, have one of these. He fumbles with a bulging jacket pocket EMMA What is it? STEED Limpet bomb. Small, very compact. From Trubshaw's. EMMA (hocks it on belt) When all this is over, we simply must get you out of that suit. STEED You first. EMMA Shall we? She leads the way through marble halls, arched galleries, red velvet carpets, glittering chandeliers. From the hall, a SPEECH ECHOES: MINISTER (V.O.) ... In the uncertain climate that threatens this global initiative, no magic umbrella can shield us. Steed checks out his own. MINISTER (V.O.) Only our own vigilance. Security and stability are our watchwords. APPLAUSE. Steed pauses, offers Emma a small silver box. Inside... EMMA Trubshaw again? What now? STEED Snuff. (off Emma's lock) I must insist you try some. Steed takes some; Emma follows his example. Weird. Does it make you high? They walk on, open doors to -- 209 INT. PALACE HALLWAY - NIGHT An empty gallery. Steed and Emma peer down at a -- 210 MARBLE HALLWAY A black and white floor. Butlers move across like surreal chess pieces. Otherwise, empty. A chamber ensemble plays "The Merry Widow" waltz, which floats through empty halls. STEED They're playing your song, Mrs. Peel. EMMA (annoyed) 'The Merry Widow?' I might have known. Where's the reception? They move cautiously forward as 211 EXT. LONDON STREETS - NIGHT Outside, snow begins to fall. Trees and buildings shimmer under a light layer of white. A Christmassy glow -- Even troops play with snowflakes, until -- 212 SEVERAL ANGLES The wind rises. The snow falls harder. 213 INT. PALACE - NIGHT Down in the hallway, Steed and Emma search for the Ministers. They head down a corridor, then hear a NOISE. They hide behind pillers. As -- Butlers walk past in military file, carrying elaborate displays of lobster and meats. Steed steals -- A chicken leg. Nibbles on it. Suddenly another door opens -- Emma hides. Steed looks up to see -- Father "staring" at him. STEED Oh, hello ... FATHER We want Mrs. Peel. STEED Dead, I'm afraid. Emma in hiding, listens as -- FATHER (O.S.) You disobeyed an order, Steed. Mrs. Peel is dangerous; she cannot be trusted. Emma looks out the window behind her; eyes widen ... back to -- STEED (O.S.) I think she can. (beat) Can you? Emma is deeply affected by Steed's choice. Father's face, meantime, has turned to stone. FATHER I shall summon security. She turns, almost walks into the door as she slips away. Emma returns as the ALARM is raised -- STEED Bad news. Father's looking for you. Where are those bloody ministers? EMMA Have a look at this. She leads him to the window: sure enough -- heavy snow. Steed reacts, eyes wide. STEED It's almost May, for heaven sake. 214 EXT. LONDON STREETS - NIGHT The blizzard rages through streets -- Now impassable. Snow drifts block roads. White mountains of snow start to climb up shop fronts. And amid the sky -- Filled with snowflakes, up round the roofs, a purple cloud descends on unsuspecting troops -- 215 INT. PALACE - NIGHT Steed returns, rushes across the marble halls -- To Emma. But up ahead, sees -- 216 STEED'S POV - FROM WINDOWS A purple fog seeping into the hallway, billowing through the corridors as -- 217 INT. PALACE ANTEROOM - NIGHT Inside an anteroom, like a Roman arena -- marble pillars, red carpet, golden walls, ceiling murals -- The World Council ministers assemble: slick pin-striped suits or African robes, Chinese Mao-suits, Indian Nehru-jackets, all distinguished men and women, surrounded by -- Fussing officials, minor dignitaries, and butlers, bowing and weaving a web of diplomatic protocol, interrupted by -- 218 CENTER OF HALL The sight of Emma Peel in black leather. She strides into the room. Picks a glass of champagne from a passing butler. All stare, Emma raises her glass -- EMMA Gentlemen, ladies. Forgive the breach of protocol. An emergency -- From the hallway -- BOOM -- ! The door bursts open, Emma is blown over by the blast as the purple cloud races inside. 219 SEVERAL ANGLES as the smoke furls around the ministers, they choke, fall. From the doors -- Steed leaps in, gives Emma another snort of snuff -- STEED Quick --it'll protect you -- Emma inhales. Now immune to the gas, Steed and Emma hear -- CRASH -- ! They see -- through thick cloud -a mysterious man in a white lab coat, wearing a gas mask, leading a group of butlers, all in gas masks -- heads like black flies -- in formation round the ministers, helpless on the floor. A kidnapping -- The man and butlers haul away several ministers, and -- Escape from the rear doors. The butlers form a guard to protect the man. Steed and Emma run after them. More butlers pursue. 220 EXT. PALACE - NIGHT As troops roll helplessly in the snow-covered purple haze, the butlers load the ministers onto waiting choppers as -- 221 INT. MOTHER'S HQ - CONTINUOUS ACTION Mother, Brenda, et al choke on purple smoke in the bus ... 222 INT. PALACE HALLWAY - NIGHT Behind pillars, Steed and Emma hide as -- Butlers in gas masks patrol the halls. A butler passes them without noticing. They try to emerge. But another patrols -- Steed trips the butler with his umbrella, then chops him down on the ground. He rises but Emma kicks him into as -- Behind them Steed sees the lab-coated man escape up the stairs, protected by a posse of butlers. He shouts -- STEED After him, Mrs. Peel! A whole posse of butlers then advances. Steed faces them. STEED Go -- ! Emma hesitates. Then turns, heads for an ornate dual shaft elevator. She bangs the button, gets inside, doors shut, as the BULLETS from MACHINE-GUNNING gas masked butlers strike the brass door as -- Steed whips his rapier from his umbrella and duels with the butlers. To give Emma time, he uses every trick and prop at his disposal, plus, brute force to -- Kick, chop, punch, and impale them into submission, as -- 223 EXT. ELEVATOR (UPPER FLOORS) - CONTINUOUS ACTION The posse of butlers fan out on to keep pace with Emma. They head upstairs, pressing elevator "CALL" buttons on every floor, as -- 224 INSIDE ELEVATOR Emma waits inside. Until she reaches -- 225 EXT. ELEVATOR (2ND FLOOR) - CONTINUOUS ACTION Doors open. A HAIL of BULLETS hit the lift as Emma hides to one side until the doors close. 226 INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS ACTION Emma sighs with relief. COOL HUM as the ELEVATOR rises. 227 ON STAIRS - MEANWHILE Steed gaining on the butlers, heading for the stairs, as -- 228 INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS ACTION At the next floor, the doors open -- Two butlers rush inside. BLAM -- ! Emma cuts one in the throat with an elbow punch, then -- Punches -- kicks -- stabs the other butler, a more brutish type, who recovers enough to grab Emma by the throat. She chokes, breaks his stranglehold, swerves him round, gains a nelson hold on his arms and throat -- And a knee in his back in time for -- PING! The BELL RINGS at -- 3rd floor where -- Emma spins her captive butler round, in time to face -- Whooomph! a blast of fire from -- A flamethrower launched in the hall. Aaargh -- ! The butler gets fried, but -- 229 EXT. ELEVATOR (3RD FLOOR) - CONTINUOUS ACTION Shields Emma from the worst of the blast. She hurls him clear of the doors, which -- 230 INT. ELEVATORS - CONTINUOS ACTION Slam shut. COOL HUM ... 231 EXT. PALACE MAIN FLOOR - CONTINUOUS ACTION Steed continues his one-sided duel with the other butlers, skewering madly, trying to get upstairs to help Emma... 232 INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS ACTION Up Emma goes. Looks for an escape route. Bangs on the walls. No trap doors. No secret panels. The "floor" light flickers between floors. Waiting, until ... 233 EXT. ELEVATOR (4TH FLOOR) - CONTINUOUS ACTION The doors open. A grenade is hurled inside the doors, it rolls to one corner, Emma dives to the other side, then -- Scrambles for the grenade. Picks it up. It slips out of her hands. Scrambles more. It slips out ... Just beyond the elevator doors. Which start to shut. Emma leans out a foot, kicks the grenade towards the butlers, and -- As her elevator doors close -- BOOM -- ! It EXPLODES among the butlers, one of whom -- Rushes to -- 234 ELEVATOR (5TH FLOOR) - CONTINUOUS ACTION Where he waits for the elevator. Removes pin. Grenade ready. The light PINGS. Doors open. About to throw it inside, when -- 235 BUTLER'S POV No Emma. 236 BACK TO SCENE The butler hesitates. Looks inside. Still no Emma? He wonders what to do, and -- The doors shut; he jams his foot. The doors open again. He moves in -- 237 INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS ACTION -- and looks round. Nobody there. Until, as we -- PULL BACK UP to reveal -- FROM ABOVE, spread-eagled like an X on the elevator roof, limbs flexed against the walls is -- Emma, who -- drops down and -- Scissors the butler's head between her legs. The grenade rolls free ... Emma twists around, grabs his ears, and -- Sits on his face. Buries his head in her crotch. A muffled sound from the guy, until -- Emma scissor kicks, breaking his neck. She drags -- 238 EXT. ELEVATOR (67H FLOOR) - CONTINUOUS ACTION His head out. Leaving his neck between the doors. So as she leaps out, heads up for the stairs, the elevators doors. SLAM! And -- BOOM! His GRENADE rocks the elevator, which 239 INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - ABOVE AND BELOW - CONTINUOUS ACTION Breaks from its ropes, and -- Plummets down the elevator shaft, shaking the building as it crashes -- 240 INT. PALACE STAIRS - CONTINUOUS ACTION Everything shakes with the impact of the elevator as Steed battles his way up, step by step, throwing gas-masked butlers over his shoulder as he struggles... 241 INT. PALACE ATTIC - NIGHT Up the winding staircase, at the top, a skylight, which -- Flips open. The man leaps out, throwing back inside a smoke grenade, and locks the skylight. As the grenade -- 242 INT. NARROW STAIRCASE BOOM! explodes in the narrow staircase, fills it with purple smoke. Emma rushes thru smoke, choking. She gets to the skylight, tries to open it -- locked. A moment's panic. Then Emma -- punches a hole in the glass, flicks the switch, flips the skylight up, and -- Emerges into the night air. Snowflakes tumble around her. 243 EXT. ROOFTOP - HELIPAD - NIGHT Blades whirling. Amid the blizzard, the man ready to escape in a super-fab streamlined whirly chopper ... Another assassin attacks Emma, pins her on her back, overlooking the city. Stands up before her -- Emma held back over gargoyle, over now snow white city ... Knees assassin in balls. Flicks him backwards ... As his body hurtles down into the snow-covered streets, Emma rushes forward. But too late: sees -- The chopper -- about to take off. 244 FROM INSIDE CHOPPER The gas-masked MAN in the white lab coat: MAN Goodbye, Mrs. Peel! 245 EXT. ROOFTOP The chopper rises slowly. Emma looks. A fifteen foot leap ... Impossible. 246 FROM INSIDE CHOPPER A farewell wave from the gas-masked man. 247 CLOSEUP - EMMA contemplating the jump, beneath falling snowflakes, as the distance grows. 248 EMMA'S POV The rope/chain ladder coils into the chopper's belly. 249 INT. CHOPPER - NIGHT Above London rooftops, after dark -- The man (still wears gas mask) the Pilot, CO-PILOT and a Butler (ditto). From the chopper, a giddy look down thru a glass command module. A fairy tale, snow white city. OVER the RADIO, interference. A changing of stations. Then a CRACKLY broadcast of "The Merry Widow." As the WALTZ serenades them high above the city -- a KNOCKING from outside on the door -- Surprised reactions. The Butler opens the door, sees -- Emma hanging onto the helicopter struts. The Butler is too dumbstruck to say anything. EMMA (shouts, re: the gas mask) Anyone ever tell you you look like a housefly? Emma grabs his epauletted shoulder, yanks him up, flicks him out -- The Butler is jerked out -- flies into the open air. Emma watches him fall ... EMMA Anyone else need a lift? The white-coated Man moves forward, but Emma is out, slamming the door, still clinging ... MAN (to Pilot; intercom) Can't you throw her off? The Pilot nods, works controls, the chopper dips as -- Blam -- ! a kinky leather boot crashes -- Into the Pilot's face as Emma kicks in the GLASS from the front of the chopper, SMASHES so the Pilots can't see -- a sudden rush of cold air -- The INSTRUMENT PANELS WHIRR round as the Pilots struggle for control -- VOICE (V.O.) (intercom) Where'd she go? 250 EXT. CHOPPER TOP - CONTINUOUS ACTION - NIGHT with the blades whirling directly over her head, Emma crawls over the top of the chopper and lets herself down the other side as London's lights twinkle beneath ... As the Co-Pilot pokes his head out of the cockpit -- Emma grabs him with one hand, hoists him up into the air -- The Co-Pilot dangles over the city. Grabs Emma. Slithers back onto the cockpit. Pistol whips her. Emma crunches back onto the metal. Blades whirring close! The co-Pilot peers into her eyes from inside the gas mask -- CO-PILOT Happy landings, Mrs. Peel. He raises his hand, ready to hit her again, Emma yanks him up, where his head get sliced off by the blades -- body and head fall away separately ... As Emma reacts, her legs are grabbed from below and the white-coated Man pulls her down the side of the chopper -- Emma falls, but manages a flying handhold, hangs onto the chain wire below the chopper. As -- 251 EXT. WIDE ANGLE - NIGHT The Pilot and his passenger zoom at low level over buildings. Trying to dislodge Emma ... 252 THEIR POV Thru the blizzard, zooming down streets, landmark buildings looming up topped in snow, feet up ... shinnying up the chain wire ... "THE MERRY WIDOW WALTZ," no longer heard as old record or ensemble arrangement but enormous, for FULL ORCHESTRA ... 253 CLOSEUP - EMMA grimly hoists herself up along the struts again, hand over hand, coming up to the cockpit from behind -- 254 BACK TO SCENE With a sudden movement, she yanks the Pilot out from behind and he goes flying towards eternity on his own. The chopper out of control as the white-coated Man is left to fly it himself ... 255 IN NIGHT AIR "THE MERRY WIDOW" BOOMS, the chopper lurches, spinning round -- up and down, over spiraling corkscrews, an insane waltz ... 256 INT. CHOPPER - CONTINUOUS ACTION - NIGHT The white-coated Man gets control ... 257 EXT. CHOPPER - CONTINUOUS ACTION - NIGHT Zig-zags down a narrow street, trying to smash Emma into sides of windows. 258 SEVERAL ANGLES as Emma bounces of buildings, holding on for dear life ... 259 EXT. WIDE ANGLE OVER THAMES - CONTINUOUS ACTION - NIGHT The chopper dips down, dragging Emma through icy water ... Up ahead ... Tower Bridge ... twin peaks ... a firework display going on ... rockets and lights in the sky thru snowflakes ... Emma sees the bridge coming, reaches down and -- 260 CLOSEUP SHOT Detaches her pocket limpet bomb and lobs it into the chopper cockpit. 261 HER POV The bridge looms up, chopper rising to cross it as Emma leaps onto the bridge! 262 INT. CHOPPER - CONTINUOUS ACTION - NIGHT The Man sees the bomb ... Also flings himself onto the bridge as -- Against b.g. of the fireworks display -- 263 WIDE ANGLE - TOWER BRIDGE - CONTINUOUS ACTION - NIGHT BOOM! -- the CHOPPER EXPLODES. Ball of flames. The crowd roars in appreciation ... great fireworks! 264 EXT. TOP OF TOWER BRIDGE WALKWAY - CONTINUOUS ACTION - NIGHT Emma picks herself up, sees the Man in the white lab coat and runs for him. He runs too -- towards -- 265 ANOTHER CHOPPER which unloads a rope ladder as Emma puts on every ounce of steam ... The Man reaches for the dangling ladder -- but -- 266 CLOSEUP - ON HIS FOOT stuck, wedged between narrow battlements. 267 BACK TO SCENE The Man looks at his shoe, at Emma charging towards him, at the rope ladder. He pulls his foot out of his shoe and grabs the ladder, sailing off in the second chopper, leaving Emma panting behind. She's soaked, frozen, gasping for breath, bending over, when she sees -- 268 CLOSEUP - SHOE Emma pulls it from its wedge, looks at the inside: -- "Trubshaw's of Jermyn Street." STEED (V.O.) I thought it was Cinderella who lost her slipper ... 269 INT. TRUBSHAW'S - DAWN On Jermyn Street, snow lies waist high. BLARING SIRENS. Searchlights. PA announcements urge citizens to stay indoors ... PULL BACK to reveal a fire glows, a CLOCK TICKS calmly. Emma sits with her shoe, surrounded by a pile of shoes. Steed & Trubshaw beside her. EMMA This time the shoe's on the other foot. You said a hand-made shoe was as good as a photo-fit or D.N.A.? Well, all we have to do is find the shoe that fits ... TRUBSHAW It should be easy. A Trubshaw client has his shoes delivered personally. The Ministry should be able to confirm our delivery. STEED I'll be back ... EMMA Where are you going? STEED Laying in supplies, Mrs. Peel weather may get very nasty and I've no umbrella ... EMMA You needn't bother. I can't drag you further into this. After all, I am still the chief suspect. STEED No bother. Mother and Father think I've joined you. I might as well. EMMA But -- STEED (comes back) Oh, and by the way, I think it's about time you got rid of that chip on your shoulder. EMMA If you'd been through what I have, you wouldn't -- Steed reaches and pulls off the micro-bug from her shoulder. STEED A microtag. One of Mother's little toys. There you are. Free at last. He tips his bowler off her surprised reaction. 270 INT. TRUBSHAW'S BASEMENT - CONTINUOUS ACTION An armory. Steed stands before racks of umbrellas, displayed like ceremonial swords -- ivory handles, duck handles, you name it ... Steed hefts a few, as picky as a Samurai ... 271 UPSTAIRS - HOURS LATER Emma surrounded by a mountain of shoes. Triumphantly, she holds up a pair of shoe lasts. EMMA Prince Charming, I presume. Your name is ... 272 CLOSE ON WORN PAPER LABEL with the name: DARLING. EMMA Oh my God ... 273 INT. TRUBSHAW'S - DOWNSTAIRS - CONTINUOUS ACTION Steed selects his umbrella and we FOLLOW UP TO: 274 INT. TRUBSHAW'S - UPSTAIRS - DAY He sees only Trubshaw. STEED Where's Mrs. Peel? TRUBSHAW She just left, sir. In a hurry. STEED What? TRUBSHAW She said you'd understand. 275 ON STEED Worried. VOICE (V.O.) Ah, here we are ... 276 CLOSEUP - PIP PUFFING IN MID-AIR WIDEN to reveal: 277 INT. MINISTRY ARCHIVES - DAY Inside the archives, among leather volumes. A file goes through the air, passed to Emma ... As she reads. A map is opened across a desk from her. INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) 'X' marks the spot. The shoes were delivered to ... an island in Hyde Park. Surrounded by the Serpentine. On the site of a former Ministry installation... EMMA ... and now? INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) Privately owned by ... EMMA Let me guess: Wonderland Weather. INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) Very good, Mrs. Peel ... EMMA I shall need a small plane. INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) You're not venturing alone, surely. EMMA I'm going to find out who killed my husband. Will you take these documents to Steed? INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) Of course. 278 ON EMMA EMMA Tell him I said ... goodbye. 279 INT. SECRET SERVICE HQ - DAY below the Thames as at the beginning. In darkest paranoia, Mother lies at the heart of his Labyrinth. Controls around him flash emergency. Panic. Cakes piled up beside him, uneaten. Beside him, Father. Brenda hands a phone. BRENDA Steed for you. Mother grabs the phone, furious. MOTHER Where's Mrs. Peel? He signals frantically for Father to trace the call, but being blind, Father just sits there. STEED (V.O.) (filtered) I was hoping you could tell me. MOTHER You're getting yourself into terrible trouble, my son. Weather's turning very nasty -- and so am I. STEED (V.O.) (filtered) I'm going to follow up on a hunch of my own. If I'm right, Mrs. Peel is innocent and you have a mole. MOTHER (grabs mirror; searches his face) Where? STEED (V.O.) (filtered) In your operation. MOTHER I'm warning you for the last time, Steed: whoever's behind all this, looks like Mrs. Peel, walks like Mrs. Peel and kills like Mrs. Peel. CLICK. The line goes dead. 280 CLOSE ON MOTHER Furious. MOTHER Steed?? (to Father) Find Mrs. Peel. Brenda smiles at the thought. Father rises, grim. 281 EXT. SKY - DAY Through mist, an ultralight plane zooms down -- From the plane, Emma leaps in parachute ... Down, down, down through the mist ... Over parkland, the parachute floats down ... To an island in the middle of the Serpentine river. 282 EXT. ISLAND (HYDE PARK) - DAY Emma lands, buries her parachute. Walks towards a thick jungle, then a stream. Emma hops across on water lilies until she reaches land again. Where a peacock fans its tail of a thousand eyes. A CLICK of CAMERAS. In the midst of the jungle, Emma sees -- 283 HER POV A red phone box. Emma frowns in recognition; goes inside. Picks up the phone. Presses "Button B", and -- The floor goes down. Emma goes down with it, into -- 284 INT. HYDE PARK UNDERGROUND HQ Formerly a Ministry installation. The "elevator" stops. Remembering, as from a dream, Emma steps out into -- 285 LONG DARK CORRIDOR A GUARD patrols. Emma pushes herself against a wall. The wall gives way to flip round, and Emma swivels into -- 286 INT. TOTALLY DARK CHAMBER The door locks behind. Alone, Emma stands warily. From nowhere, a chilling, disembodied voice. Intimate. Seductive. VOICE (V.O.) Congratulations, Mrs. Peel. You have been a worthy opponent. You have tracked us down. You are within an ace of winning. EMMA This isn't a game. VOICE (V.O.) Quite right, but we still make the rules. EMMA Rules are made to be broken. VOICE (V.O.) People, too. EMMA Then who wins? VOICE You and I. Together. But first you must confront your greatest enemy. Who could that be, Mrs. Peel? The answer is obvious ... Suddenly lights! Emma is in a hall of mirrors. VOICE (V.O.) Yourself. In every direction Emma turns, a thousand reflections of herself stare back at her, splintered into fragments as Emma spins, freaked and confused by the multiple images. Emma turns into herself -- only herself drapes arms around her and kisses her on the lips. Bad Emma -- whose eyes stare into Emma's startled ones as Emma pulls her mouth away, staggers back; realizes too late. The hallucinogenic lip poison. Emma crumples to her knees as -- 287 EMMA'S POV Sees "herself" above her, before she -- falls unconscious. 288 EXT. COUNTRY ROADS - DAY Steed's Jag races, skids in bad weather. 289 INT. CAR Behind the wheel Steed, his face grim, concentrates on the slippery road. On the seat next to him the snow shaker with little Emma inside -- DISSOLVE TO: 290 INT. UNDERGROUND H.Q. As if in a dream, Emma awakes captive inside a bizarre cage: A life size snow shaker. Emma "swims" in viscous air, suspended like a mermaid. Thru glass she sees -- A face peering in: Father. FATHER (filtered) Emma in Wonderland. Welcome, Mrs. Peel. (filtered) We've been expecting you. We hope you'll enjoy your stay with us. Decontamination is almost complete. EMMA Decontamination -- ? FATHER And you've a new wardrobe. He does want you to look attractive. (beat ) He tells me you're very beautiful. Emma pounds the glass in frustration. FATHER Relax, Mrs. Peel. We're hundreds of feet below ground. The Ministry made it impregnable. No one can save you. 291 EXT. SPIRES OF ETON COLLEGE - EVENING as Steed drives towards it ... 292 INT. UNDERGROUND HQ - DINING ROOM Bathed in candlelight. A romantic supper for two ... A door opens, admitting -- Emma. Dressed, coiffed, super-glamorous. She locks around, sees another door. In search of escape she hastens to open it, only to reveal -- A giant rabbit -- the one we saw at the Teddy Bear meeting. Emma gasps in surprise, moves back into the room as he advances, removing the head -- it's Dr. Darling!!! DR. DARLING Emma, my dear. How lovely you look. He steps out of the rest of his costume ... EMMA Would that I could say the Same. DR. DARLING Ah, but you haven't see the real me. Watch closely ... He pulls at his face, which bubbles and collapses as he walks towards her -- Emma's horrified expression, eyes widening as -- Dr. Darling turns into ... Peter! EMMA Peter ... PETER Darling Emma -- EMMA It was you ... all the time? PETER Not really. Not quite. I'm afraid you still don't see ... Again he claws at his face, pulling, twisting ... Emma winces at the sight, her eyes popping out of her head. It's Valentine! TEACHER (V.O.) Valentine Peel ... 293 EXT. ETON COLLEGE - EVENING beneath Gothic turrets pupils in top hats and tails. OLD TEACHER (V.O.) Yes, I remember him quite well ... PULL BACK THROUGH windows to reveal: Steed and an OLD TEACHER in the beautiful library. OLD TEACHER This is where he used to spend his days. We have an old photograph somewhere ... He's flipping through yearbooks, then shows Steed -- 294 CLOSEUP - PHOTO of Valentine Peel on stage, in wizard's garb. Made up as an old man ... 295 BACK TO SCENE TEACHER Absolute wizard with makeup. His favorite roll from Shakespeare. Prospero ... STEED 'The Prospero Project...' TEACHER ... From The Tempest. A banished duke, ousted by his brother, marooned on a magic island. Who controlled the weather. 296 CLOSEUP - STEED grim. STEED 'O Brave New World that hath such people in it.' 297 BACK TO DINNER TABLE Emma frozen, sinks into a chair, staring ... EMMA You. VALENTINE Darling Emma -- yes, we: the true genius behind the Prospero Project ... He walks around the dinner table as he talks ... EMMA But you died -- in the explosion ... 298 FLASHBACK - CLOSE ON HAND IN WHITE GLOVE Twisting the dial. PAN UP the arm to reveal Valentine. VALENTINE (V.O.) Oh, no. I arranged the explosion. 299 BACK TO PRESENT VALENTINE A slight miscalculation -- my face was burned beyond recognition. Fortunately my research into plastics came in handy ... EMMA (stunned) Dr. Darling, Peter ... all you ... VALENTINE An unholy trinity ... EMMA (stands) You killed my husband. VALENTINE For starters. Of course I had to kill the Teddy Bears, as well ... EMMA Too many cooks -- VALENTINE Spoil the majority shareholders. In Wonderland Weather. I planned everything, even the Ministry recruiting you ... EMMA But I found you. All the clues led me here ... VALENTINE Of course. I planned that, too. EMMA But -- why? VALENTINE You disappoint me, Emma. Can't you guess? (moves toward her) For you. It was all for you ... EMMA (cold) 'Our revels now are ended.' VALENTINE Oh, no, Emma. They've only just begun ... 300 INT. INVISIBLE JONES' OFFICE - NIGHT The phone hangs in the air -- with the smoking pipe. INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.) The shoes were delivered to an island in the Serpentine - former Ministry installation ... she said to tell you goodbye. What? 301 CLOSEUP - STEED IN RED PHONEBOX (SOMEWHERE) - NIGHT STEED I said it's not goodbye yet. Listen, I'm going to need some help. In a hurry ... 302 INT. HYDE PARK UNDERGROUND - DINING ROOM VALENTINE (indicates supper) Think of this as your second wedding feast ... EMMA I'm already married ... VALENTINE Come, come, you're a widow -- a most attractive widow. Now I think of it, we'll need a bridesmaid. Here. He pushes a button. Bad Emma enters. Tattooed Z424. Unmistakably hostile. VALENTINE My latest model. A compound of plastics and sensor chips. A big improvement on the old X404s. The poor thing is quite fond of me. Emma, say hello to Emma. BAD EMMA HISSES, a strange mix of STATIC and FEEDBACK. VALENTINE You know, I believe she's actually jealous. EMMA Valentine, listen to me ... VALENTINE Right, bridesmaid. Now what have I left out? Oh, yes, I know: the ring. EMMA (covers her hand) Ring? He stands very near her -- she's terrified -- then: VALENTINE How silly of me -- let me make you comfortable first ... As he advances, ZOOM IN EXTREME CLOSEUP Emma's eye DISSOLVE TO: 303 INT. ISLAND (HYDE PARK) - NIGHT Another ball, WIDEN to reveal, from the lake, an odd eight foot high plastic ball emerges -- The ball lands on the shore. From the inside, a zip peels away the plastic layer to reveal -- Steed, like an urban dandy in suit and bowler. A rose in his lapel. He steps out, and, poking with his umbrella -- Deflates the inflatable plastic submarine. Steed heads off -- CAMERA EYES the peacock swivel towards him, as he heads into the jungle where he sees the -- 304 RED PHONEBOX Steed picks up the phone. Presses all the buttons until he hits "Button B." As the floor lowers, his eyes widen in surprise ... 305 SARCOPHAGUS carved in Emma's likeness. Lowered from the ceiling hydraulically into -- 306 INT. VALENTINE'S HIGH-TECH TORTURE CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS ACTION as Valentine descends spiral steps to join it. Valentine opens the coffin to reveal Emma strapped within. VALENTINE That's better. I say, isn't this where you came in? It's impenetrable, by the way ... EMMA You're mad. VALENTINE Entirely. On the other hand (he advances towards her, smiling) Mad people get things done. Let me show you -- 307 INT. UNDERGROUND H.Q. - CONTINUOUS ACTION Steed stealing down a corridor and -- hides, as a posse of guards rushes past, alerted by the peacock cameras. He waits till they pass, then reaches out his umbrella, and -- Nabs Father around the neck who was feeling her way after them. Brings her down. FATHER Steed STEED How did you guess? FATHER You reek of Mrs. Peel's Black Leather ... STEED It was you who gave Valentine Peel his security clearance ... you're the mole who betrayed the Ministry. FATHER Mother betrayed me. She was going to replace me with a younger Father. Errand boy that's all I was. 'Find Steed...' STEED Well, you found me. Have a sniff of this, why don't you? Careful, the scent can be overpowering ... Holding Father securely, Steed forces her nose into his rose boutonniere, squeezes the rubber tube, sprays a Mist. Father passes out. Steed rises, locks around. Sees -- A grille and removes it, climbs in and replaces it before the guards return. He turns and -- 308 INT. DUCTS - CONTINUOUS ACTION crawls forward through a mass of wires and plumbing -- until he hears a VOICE -- VALENTINE'S. Steed reaches another grille, through which he can see -- 309 INT. TORTURE CHAMBER Emma's coffin, standing on end, like the Iron Maiden faces a wall of TV monitors as Valentine explains. VALENTINE People expect weather to be free. They're used to it. I call that a denial of freedom. No freedom of choice. An abuse of human rights. They buy water, electricity, gas. Why shouldn't they be able to buy their own weather if they want to? If they have a little incentive ... Emma reacts -- also Steed (unseen) behind her. EMMA Such as? VALENTINE Destruction of their local weather systems. I can zap a thousand Chernobyls into the air. EMMA The result would be ... VALENTINE Chaos. Transport paralysis. Crop failure. Economic disaster. Frostbite or sunburn ... on a massive scale. You've seen a few samples... EMMA Then what's stopping you? VALENTINE One very small thing. A diamond 'cyclone' chip. A thousand times more information on a fraction of the size. If I possess that, my powers would be unlimited. My dear half-brother was developing it. But he suspected sabotage. He gave the chip to ... you, 'Mrs.' Peel. I want you. But also your ring. Valentine takes her by the hand. Kisses -- 310 CLOSEUP - HER RING A diamond. In the light, a patterned imprint. ZOOM IN -- a complex fractal equation of circuits. 311 BACK TO SCENE VALENTINE The missing piece of the jigsaw. I tried to get you to give it to me as Peter; I tried to steal it from you as Dr. Darling. As myself I'll be a bit less subtle. (he slips it off her finger; holds it up) With this ring my plan will be complete. EMMA How Wagnerian ... Do you mean to say you've waited all these years because you couldn't create a chip on your own? That would have amused Peter. VALENTINE Speaking of Peter, there's more good news: You won't even have to change your last name. You'll always be Mrs. Peel. EMMA What are my choices? VALENTINE Choices? EMMA I'll never marry you. Valentine is philosophical. He spins the sarcophagus on an axis, lying it flat -- Emma lying in her coffin as he looks down at her -- VALENTINE One out of two isn't bad. I'll keep you alive, darling Emma. In a year or five, you may change your mind. If you're still in it. Valentine presses a button. From the ceiling -- a surgical laser. Moves down to within inches of her face. VALENTINE This little toy gave me back my face. It can replace yours. What do you think? Medusa? Madame Defarge? Maggie Thatcher? He marks an imaginary line round Emma's face. An ALARM BELL RINGS. Emma reacts. FATHER (V.O.) Dr. Darling, this is Father. We have an intruder. I repeat -- Valentine switches off the PA. VALENTINE Ah. That will be Steed. He followed you. Please excuse me. I have work to do. My most spectacular performance. A ballet of clouds. It was made for you. I want to give you a heart, Emma. I want all of London to see it. And now with this ... (flourishes ring) They will. (leans close) And for an encore: the biggest cyclone in history will wipe the City from the face of the earth. (winks) Shape of things to come, my darling. He stuffs a gag into Emma's mouth and closes the coffin on her muffled protests. Darkness. Immediately, Steed tries to force his way through the grille. No such luck. STEED Blast. What to do? Mrs. Peel! He doesn't dare say her name too loud -- and there's no telling if she could hear him in that thing, anyway. He turns around in the tunnel -- heads the other way. 312 EXT. SKY OVER LONDON - NIGHT Moonlight night. Dark clouds approach like an army, spreading shadows. 313 INSIDE CLOUDS MOISTURE SPITS and CRACKLES, static energy waiting to explode ... In the sky -- clouds join together like a genie from a lamp, forming -- over the city -- a strange dark sensuous figure, half human, half dreamlike. That stalks the city.... 314 INT. DUCTS - CONTINUOUS ACTION Steed crawling. A rat runs over him ... STEED The things I do for England ... Pitch dark, then -- Emma's coffin is opened and we see Bad Emma, looking down. Bad Emma stares at her human double -- Emma: who looks imploringly at her to undo the gag. Bad Emma removes it, she -- Runs a finger down Emma's body, inside a hole torn in the leather -- warm human flesh. Blood. Her flesh. Her blood. Fascinated. EMMA You must let me go ... Bad Emma listens. Gently lays her head on Emma's breast, listens to -- the HEARTBEAT. Ba-boom. Ba-boom ... EMMA Don't you understand? If he has me, he'll have no use for you ... he'll destroy you ... The words jolt Bad Emma back, remembering her mission. She goes to the laser, aims it at Emma's face! EMMA No... Bad Emma hesitates, looks strangely human as -- 315 ANOTHER PART OF UNDERGROUND H.Q. The grille pops off and Steed emerges where the guards are waiting for him -- STEED Oh, dear. No escape. He takes off his bowler -- deftly removes a strip from its brim, aims it at the guards, and -- Hurls it ... 316 CLOSEUP - BOWLER (IN FLIGHT) A glinting razor's edge, which -- Swoosh -- ! Slices into the closest guard before returning, like a boomerang to Steed. He taps twice hard steel as ... 317 OTHER GUARDS run towards him, Steed swivels gracefully and - slams the bowler in their faces, a sartorial knuckleduster -- wham -- ! One drops -- Bam -- ! The other collapses, slump to the ground. Steed stoops down, picks up his hat, sees -- A dent in its steel top. For the first time, Steed loses his cool. Genuine rage. STEED Someone's going to pay for this. Stepping over the nearest body, Steed moves on his way, as -- 318 CLOSEUP - VALENTINE places a ring inside a control module filled with identical-looking diamond chips ... WIDEN to reveal ... 319 INT. CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT Masses of dials and switches. ( Off to one side, on a wall, a rack of rapiers ... ) Valentine hits a switch ... VALENTINE Start the countdown. Action stations. Five minutes ... The countdown starts, red digitals going backwards -- Colorized computer screens map out hostile weather fronts. A COMPUTERIZED VOICE STARTS to COUNT. The CLOCK TICKS. Father enters behind him. FATHER Congratulations. The clouds are on course ... VALENTINE To explode. London will be ashes. FATHER Not yet! They haven't heard our terms ... ! Father tries to hit the switch. Valentine yanks her off. VALENTINE Are you insane? Stop the program and you activate the auto-destruct! FATHER But all those people -- ! Valentine strikes her hard -- VALENTINE My cloud ballet! My cyclone! Father slides to the floor. Valentine ignores her. Concentrates on the control panel red lights, as -- 320 EXT. PARLIAMENT SQUARE - NIGHT Up in the sky, more white clouds -- Darken into boiling black. They move and billow. Bubbling with gases and energy Swirling with motion, a life of their own. FROM river, a scarlet fog floats upwards. It gains mass and weight, slowly forming as it rolls -- 321 THROUGH CITY STREETS then RISES ABOVE them -- into a weird pulsating red shape. A love heart. 322 CLOSEUP - DIGITAL READOUTS Whirling backwards ... 323 INT. MOTHER'S UNDERWATER HQ - CONTINUOUS ACTION Mother at the controls. RINGS the ALARM. Panic stations as -- SIRENS BLARE. WARNINGS RING OUT OVER TV and RADIO -- MOTHER Dense cloud formation moving south- west. On course for the center of the city. A fog floating in from the river. The prediction is ... unstable chemical reaction. Enforce the curfew ... Emergency stand by ... ! 324 EXT. SKY OVER BUCKINGHAM PALACE - NIGHT Bad storm clouds advance over London ... black and furious. 325 OVER CITY - SEVERAL ANGLES As shadows in a whirl of chemical matter. An airborne CYCLONE of BELCHING static ELECTRICITY. The black shape now -- Forming a sensuous female shape. Like a dream wisp of ... Emma Peel with an hourglass figure. While -- 326 FROM RIVER The heart-shaped cloud seems to -- move towards the black genie shape -- trying to connect, to form the cyclone ... 327 EXT. LONDON STREETS - SEVERAL ANGLES - NIGHT Action stations. AIR RAID SIRENS ... Like a re-run Blitz. Streets now eerily empty and dark. Through deserted streets -- Troops race to positions in gas masks. Searchlights illuminate clouds. Worried faces watch the skies, as -- 328 CLOSEUP - DIGITAL NUMBERS Fly ... 329 INT. HI-TECH TORTURE CHAMBER - DAY Chaos on all TV monitors as ... Valentine hastens down the spiral steps and opens Emma's coffin. What will he find?? Emma's there, still gagged. Looks asleep. VALENTINE My dear. (pulls the gag: kisses her) I wouldn't want you to miss the grand finale ... Emma opens her eyes. Valentine looks down at her, until -- a tell-tale sign: Z424. Bad Emma is unmistakable. He strikes her -- yanks her out of the coffin. VALENTINE Find her. Kill her ... He races back upstairs as ... 330 INT. UNDERGROUND HYDE PARK - HQ CATWALKS - CONTINUOUS ACTION Emma makes her way through the labyrinthine superstructure of the place, crawling high on a girder over some BURBLING LIQUID below. She hears NOISE IN the DISTANCE. Suddenly -- 331 INT. UNDERGROUND HQ - STEED - CONTINUOUS ACTION Steed battles more guards! No time to lose. Wham -- ! Bam -- ! Now moving with deadly earnest, Steed downs all oncomers, closing in on -- 332 INT. UNDERGROUND CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION Steed rushes in, BOLTS the AIRLOCK behind. Pounding on door. He sees the timer racing backwards -- stands over the controls, trying to figure out how to stop the program. Looks for the chip -- amongst all the rest it's like trying to find a contact lens in water. 333 FLOOR-LEVEL HATCH opens behind. Valentine emerges, drops the HATCH COVER with a THUD. Steed whirls. VALENTINE John Steed. STEED Valentine Peel. I see you've gone back to using your original face. VALENTINE The last one you'll ever see. STEED Perish the thought. Valentine fulls forth a rapier from the wall. VALENTINE Did they tell you at Eton that I was fencing champion, too? Steed unsheathes his umbrella, revealing ditto. STEED They said you were a very naughty boy. The fight is on as the numbers grow smaller! 334 SEVERAL ANGLES VALENTINE You're better than I expected. STEED I was at Harrow ... VALENTINE But did they teach you this? Valentine whacks the blade off Steed's umbrella handle. Laughs. A diminished phallic symbol. Steed, dumbfounded. Valentine advances towards Steed -- Who points the umbrella at him. STEED Bang-bang ... you're dead. VALENTINE You wish. He moves to close in, when ... 335 CLOSEUP - FLASH OF LIGHT from the muzzle, as a BULLET ZIPS out, and -- 336 VALENTINE recoils. Blood streams from his shoulder. He looks up, devastated. Steed blows smoke away from the muzzle. STEED One shot -- for emergencies. VALENTINE (clutches wound) That's not playing by the rules. STEED (echoes Emma!) Rules are made to be broken. VALENTINE (pulls his own gun) If you say so. STEED I do. He FIRES again. To the heart. Valentine spins to the floor. VALENTINE You said ... one shot. STEED Did I? My mistake. Steed turns to the console, tries to figure out how to stop the countdown, when behind the hatch opens again, revealing Emma. Valentine pulls her up, grabs her as hostage -- VALENTINE I wouldn't do that, if I were you. Steed turns. STEED Mrs. Peel -- ! Valentine has Emma, a knife to her throat, stands over the hatch. VALENTINE Bullet-proof waistcoats -- just the thing. I get mine from Trubshaw's. We'll be off now, won't we, darling? (to Steed) We wouldn't want to miss the fireworks. Figure it out if you can, Steed ... 337 DOWN HATCH Valentine drags Emma, bolting the hatch. 338 ON STEED He's torn briefly, but there are thousands of lives at stake; Steed goes to the control module and starts pulling out chips, looking ... 339 EXT. LONDON - CONTINUOUS ACTION - NIGHT The biggest cyclone you've ever seen starts slowly whirling above the city, gathering momentum ... 340 NUMBERS going down, down, down, as ... 341 INT. CATWALKS - CONTINUOUS ACTION Valentine drags Emma backwards ... 342 EXT. LONDON - CONTINUOUS ACTION - NIGHT The cyclone picking up force ... 343 CLOSEUP - STEED'S HANDS pull up a chip. The red numbers freeze. WIDEN to reveal... 344 INT. CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION The SIRENS CEASE. Steed allows himself a smile of relief. 345 EXT. LONDON - CONTINUOUS ACTION - NIGHT The giant cyclone begins to break apart ... 346 SEVERAL ANGLES - DYING STORM 347 CLOSEUP - RELIEVED FACES Troops pulling off gas masks as ... 348 INT. CONTROL ROOM - ON SCREENS - CONTINUOUS ACTION Steed sees the breakup of the cyclone ... Then -- behind him -- an ominous CLICK-CLICKING as the PROGRAM reconfigures. A DIFFERENT ALARM BUZZER SOUNDS and the words: "AUTO-DESTRUCT, 3 MINUTES" start flashing ... A different set of numbers start running backwards ... STEED You must be joking ... 349 EXT. CATWALKS - CONTINUOUS ACTION Valentine, dragging Emma, reacts to the new ALARMS. VALENTINE Fool ... In his hesitation, Emma suddenly makes her move. A struggle -- Emma takes a bad fall down a landing below. Ugly THUD. Dead. STEED That will do. He's materialized across the girder from Valentine. Who pulls his revolver. VALENTINE Aren't you forgetting about something? STEED You are, and it's behind you. VALENTINE Come, come. You don't really expect me to fall for -- Bad Emma's arms go 'round Valentine in a lethal embrace. VALENTINE Let go, you ... idiot ... Uh uh. She holds him in a vice-like grip. Hugging Valentine. STEED I think she really likes you ... Where's Mrs. Peel? VALENTINE Ugh ... As the life is squeezed out of him, Bad Emma finally smiles. Cradled together, she chokes Valentine, who gasps for breath, as -- One last desperate move on his part and Bad Emma tumbles backwards, Valentine locked in her arms in a dying embrace. They fall into the mists and liquid below. Steed almost falls himself as he grabs a beam for support. Looks down, sees ... 350 EMMA Dead. STEED Emma! He has said her name. He scrambles down to her body. Emma lying sprawled out on the ground. Steed picks up her limp body in his arms like "Sleeping Beauty." His eyes fill with tears. He lays her down. STEED Emma ... He produces Peter's ring. 351 CLOSEUP - RING Slips it onto her finger and ... 352 BACK TO SCENE Kisses her. A chaste kiss on the lips. But with the force and passion of a lover. He closes his eyes, looks away in grief. The ALARM STILL SOUNDS but Steed doesn't give a damn. Behind, Emma opens her eyes. As if revived by the kiss. Or the ring. Looks up at him. EMMA Steed? Steed looks back at her -- surprise, delight. STEED Mrs. Peel? EMMA What kept you? STEED The plot. (realizing) Hello, we must be going ... 353 CLOSEUP - AUTO-DESTRUCT NUMBERS Racing backwards as ... 354 SEVERAL ANGLES Steed pulls Emma through the catwalks and corridors of Valentine's Labyrinth ... 355 MORE NUMBERS racing to zero, nothing to stop them ... 356 INT. TORTURE CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS ACTION Steed and Emma race in -- she sees the sarcophagus. EMMA Quick! Emma scrambles in and Steed leaps on top of her, bringing down the lid as ... 357 SEVERAL ANGLES 3-2-1 -- and a BLAST like a nuclear EXPLOSION -- as the Underground HQ is fragmented to smithereens -- Emma's " coffin" goes flying ... as the SCREEN WHITES OUT. 358 EXT. ALBERT BRIDGE - NIGHT Beneath the clear moonlight, all bulbs on -- like Xmas. 359 BELOW it floats the coffin -- which opens, revealing ... Steed and Emma, squashed together, gasping for breath. STEED 'The owl and the pussycat went to sea -' EMMA '... in a beautiful pea green boat...' STEED A fine night, Mrs. Peel ... EMMA Still a bit chilly ... STEED English weather. You know, after all we've been through, I should say we deserve a long holiday ... EMMA Have you any place in mind? STEED As a matter of fact I have ... The coffin drifts downstream in the moonlight. SLOW DISSOLVE TO: 360 EXT. SIBERIAN ICE FIELDS - DAY 360 A few weeks later. Across snowy wastes, a pack of Huskies drag a sled behind them, WHIP CRACKED by a -- Frozen fur-clad Siberian peasant. As he turns a corner, dogs stumble from ice and snow into -- 361 SAND The peasant stops, stares. 362 AHEAD OF HIM Sun beats down. A tropical beach. A warm sea. A butler, Trubshaw. POPS a CHAMPAGNE CORK. From a tent, he brings two glasses down the beach to 363 TWO DIVAN-STYLE DECK CHAIRS Where Steed and Emma toast in the sun. Steed in a smoking jacket, Emma in a bikini. EMMA I don't recall Siberia being this warm, Steed. STEED It's the latest thing, Mrs. Peel. EMMA Our little paradise -- just made for two? STEED (looks; frowns) Not quite. On cue from the water, Mother emerges, snorkeling in his wheelchair contraption -- with Brenda. He waves to -- STEED Our chaperon. EMMA Pity your mother came, too ... Steed seems peeved that his chance to be alone with EMMA is spoiled. Trubshaw pours glasses of champagne. STEED Still a little warm, Trubshaw. Is this the '28? A little more ice, I think ... Trubshaw trots off dutifully. A large ice bucket appears. Mother moves in. Absorbed by Emma, now his new protegee. MOTHER About your next assignment, Mrs. Peel ... EMMA Next assignment? Steed gives his champagne to the Siberian peasant. He presses a switch -- an umbrella shoots up between them, opens up, twirls. PULL BACK to reveal the strip of beach, like a tiny bubble of tropical weather. Against a Siberian b.g. of snow. As we WIDEN we REVEAL a giant glass bubble, hearing -- EMMA (V.O.) Ah ... sun tan lotion. Any shops nearby? STEED (V.O.) Must be. Trubshaw's busy. I'll send Mother ... PULL BACK to reveal no shop for miles around. MOTHER (V.O.) Ahem. As I was saying, perhaps another macaroon ... EMMA (V.O.) Thank you, Steed. STEED (V.O.) Thank you, Mrs. Peel. Behind the umbrella -- LAUGHTER. CHINK of GLASSES. FADE OUT. THE END
[Stark lands on Stark Towers and unsuits himself walking into his penthouse where Loki is waiting]
Voice: Sir, the Mark 7 is not ready for deployment.
Tony Stark: Then skip the spinning rims! We’re on the clock!
Голос: Сэр, модель костюма “Марк 7” ещё не готова к применению.
Тони Старк: Тогда пропусти вращающиеся диски! Мы на работе.
avenger [ə’venʤə] – мститель
deployment [dıʹplɔımənt] – подготовка к эксплуатации, “развертывание”.
NATO’s decision to deploy cruise missiles – Решение НАТО разместить крылатые ракеты
Термин употребляется в основном в военной сфере, означает “1.развёртывание, 2. расположение войск”. В нашем контексте говорим, “костюм не готов”.
rim [rɪm] – обод (наружная часть колеса)
spinning rims – крутящиеся диски на колесах автомобиля
on the clock – в рабочее время (при почасовой оплате)
I’m on the clock, so I’m getting paid while I wait.
Loki: Please tell me you’re going to appeal to my humanity.
Tony Stark: Uh…actually, I’m planning to threaten you.
Loki: You should have left your armor on for that.
Tony Stark: Yeah, it’s seen a bit of mileage. You’ve got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink?
Loki: Stalling me won’t change anything.
Tony Stark: No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I’m having one.
– Ну скажи, что собираешься взывать к моей человечности (гуманности).
– Да я, вообще-то, собираюсь угрожать.
– Для этого надо было оставить броню.
– Да… Но ему немало досталось. А у тебя Синий жезл судьбы. Выпьешь?
– Хочешь задержать меня? Это ничего не изменит…
– Нет, нет, нет! Напугать. Не пьёшь? Точно? А я глотну.
To appeal (to) [ə’piːl] – to try to persuade someone to do something (взывать, призывать, стараться убедить кого-то в чём-то). В данном значении используется с предлогом to.
I appealed to his sense of justice. – Я воззвал к его чувству справедливости.
Грамматическая конструкция SHOULD HAVE DONE (вместо ‘done’ можно использовать второе причастие любого глагола) используется, когда говорят о том, что нечто следовало сделать в прошлом, но, увы…сделано не было.
I shouldn’t have married her – Мне не нужно было на ней жениться (Но теперь она моя супруга).
А наш Железный Человек should have left свои armor [‘ɑːmə] – броню, латы – и стоит перед Локи неэкипированный.It’s seen a bit of mileage – Ему досталось, он обтрепался. Переводя дословно, он видел много миль (mileage:[‘maɪlɪʤ] – число пройденных миль).
Would you like – Вежливая форма предложения. “Хотелось бы вам…”
Would you like to go for a walk? – Хотелось бы вам пройтись?
Would you like a tea/drink? – Хотелось бы вам чаю/выпить(речь о более крепких напитках).
Stalling образовано от многозначного глагола to stall, одним из вариантов перевода которого как раз является “остановить, задержать”.
It won’t change anything. – Употребление неопределённого ‘anything’ обусловлено невозможностью использовать в английском языке двойное отрицание. “Это ничего не изменит” в дословном переводе “это не изменит чего-нибудь”.
I’m having one. – “One” относиться к названному ранее ‘a drink’, заменяя его во имя избежания повторного использования одного и того же слова.
Loki: The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear?
Tony Stark: The Avengers. It’s what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. ‘Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ type of thing.
Loki: Yes, I’ve met them.
– Читаури идут, этого ничто не изменит. И чего мне нужно страшиться?
– Мстителей. Мы так себя называем. Мы, типа, команда. Чё-то вроде “Супергероев земли”.
– Да, встречал.
Chitauri… Как правило, имена собственные, разного рода названия и т.п. не переводятся, а сохраняются в существующей форме, адаптируясь к принимающему языку лишь по звучанию. Потому, читаури, они и в Африке читаури.
Nothing will change that – помните пример с ‘anything’? Здесь аналогичное, но наоброт. Отрицательное местоимение ‘nothing’ подразумевает отсутствие частички ‘not’.
В английском языке тоже есть так популярные у нас сленговые словечки (типа, чё-то вроде и т.д), однако дать им дословный перевод невозможно. Наиболее близкими соответствиями считаются sort of, like, type of.
I sort of expected it — я вроде бы ожидал этого.
Время Present Perfect – настоящее совершенное – обозначает, что действие к настоящему моменту уже завершилось, мы имеем его результат. Локи встречал членов названной команды. Образуется время при помощи глагола вспомогательного havehas и третьей формы глагола. Схематично это выглядит так:
HAVE/HAS + V(3/ed).
Have/has можно сократить до ‘ve/ ‘s.
I’ve met – Я встречал. (уже видел)
She’s gone – Она уехала. (сейчас её здесь нет).
Объяснение времен в таблице смотрите в программе “Полиглот за 16 часов”
– Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I’ll give you that one. But, let’s do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you’ve managed to piss off every single one of them.
– Да,понадобилось время, чтобы сработаться, заслуга твоя. Но проведем подсчет по головам: твой брат-полубог; суперсолдат, живая легенда, воистину достойная этого звания; человек, чье управление гневом дух захватывает, двое высококлассных убийц… А ты, чувак, умудрился достать всех и каждого!
Выражение It takes a while в переводе означает “это требует времени”, а основным значением слова “traction“ является “тяга, притяжение”. Когда речь идет о команде, можно сказать, что “получить притяжение” – “это сработаться”.
“Считать по головам” (to do a head count) можно детей:
I sat down and watched the children as they hunted for mushrooms. I kept a head count, and made sure none of them were out of my sight. – Я присела и стала внимательно наблюдать за детьми, считая по головам, чтобы никого не упустить из виду.
А можно и супергероев, являющихся членами объединенной команды.
To live up – оправдывать надежды, быть поистине достойным чего-то, отвечать требованиям или ожиданиям.
I want to see Israel, a free, democratic society, live up to its original values and be at peace with its neighbours. – Я хочу видеть Израиль свободным, демократическим обществом, живущим в соответствии со своими истинными ценностями и в мире со своими соседями.
Breath-taking[‘breθˌteɪkɪŋ]– прил. захватывающий дух, фантастический, невообразимый.
Аssassin[əˈsæsɪn] – сущ. Убийца, убийца-фанатик.
И еще парочка сленговых выражений:
A big fella (от. ‘fellow’ – парень) – чувак, братан.
To piss off – достать, задолбать. Но можно сказать и мягче: “разгорячить, порядком поднадоесть”.
[as Loki turns away, Stark puts on his Iron Man suit homing bracelet]
Loki: That was the plan.
Tony Stark: Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they’ll come for you.
Loki: I have an army.
Tony Stark: We have a Hulk.
Loki: I thought the beast had wandered off.
Tony Stark: You’re missing the point. There’s no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it’s too much for us, but it’s all on you. Because if we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we’ll avenge it.
– Так было задумано.
– Неудачная задумка. Когда они явятся, а они явятся, то по твою душу.
– Но за мной армия.
– А с нами Халк.
– Я думал, зверь покинул нас…
– Да пойми же! На трон нет шансов, нет такого варианта событий, что ты нас превзойдешь. Может и придёт твоя армия, может, окажется многочисленной. Может, мы и не справимся, не защитим землю. Но тогда, разрази тебя гром, отомстим за неё.
To wander off – фразовый глагол “уходить, покидать”. Синоним ‘to leave’.
To miss the point – понимать, улавливать, учитывать.
You can be damned – будь ты проклят, чёрт тебя подери!
Loki: How will your friends have time for me, when they’re so busy fighting you?
[suddenly Loki hits Stark on the chest with his scepter planning to mind-control him, but the scepter doesn’t work on Stark because of his mechanical heart]
Loki: It should work!
Tony Stark: Well, performance issues. You know?
[in anger Loki grabs Stark by the throat and flings him across the room]
Tony Stark: Jarvis, anytime now.
[Loki grabs Stark by the throat again]
Loki: You will all fall before me.
[Loki throws Stark out the window but Stark uses a homing bracelet to call his Iron Man suit, so the suit flies out the window and catches him before he hits the ground, he flies back up to the Tower where Loki is still standing]
Tony Stark:Boy!
Tony Stark: And there’s one other person you pissed off! His name is Phil.
– Но твоим приятелям будет не до меня, когда они займутся борьбой с тобой?
– Но должно сработать!
– Ну знаешь, бывает…
– Джарвис, давай!
– Вы все падёте передо мной!
– Давай же!
– Есть еще человек, которого ты достал. Филом зовут.
To have time for – находить время на что-то
To be busy doing something – быть занятым чем-то.
Аnytime now – самое время, давай!
Когда мы говорим о том, что придётся что-то делать, то после союзов ‘when, if’ (когда, если) употребляем только настоящее время. Главная же часть предложения стоит в будущем ‘will’.
If she comes I’ll be glad – Если она придет, я буду рад.
Should – модальный шглагол, выражающий долженствование: должен, следует.
Вот и разобрали мы небольшой отрывок картины “Мстители”, откуда подчерпнули немало современных выражений, которые вполне могут прийтись кстати в повседневной жизни. Попробуем воспользоваться ими на практике.
Ничего не случилось.
It didn’t happen .
Они ничего не сказали.
They said .
Тебе следовало надеть броню.
You put on the armor.
Мне не нужно было тебе угрожать.
I threatened you.
Мы посмотрели невообразимо классный фильм.
We a movie.