How Samuel L. Jackson Accidentally Made Marvel Go Full Secret Agent With Its Movie Scripts
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is built on secrets. With so many twists, surprises, and interconnected storylines, keeping things under wraps is a top priority for the studio.
That’s why Marvel’s script security is notoriously tight. Actors can’t take scripts home, and everything is on a need-to-know basis. But how did it get to this level of lockdown?
According to Captain America: Brave New World star Anthony Mackie, it all started with none other than Samuel L. Jackson.
During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Mackie explained that the whole thing traces back to The Avengers and a simple printing mistake:
“So it all started with Sam Jackson. Sam Jackson was at work, they sent him the first Avengers script. His assistant downloads the script, goes in the office, and presses print on a computer.
“It doesn’t come out, they call the tech. The tech comes, works on the printer, the script comes out. He takes it to Sam, but he had clicked it twice.”
Yep, Marvel’s ironclad security measures were triggered by a double-click. But what happened next made the situation a full-blown disaster. Mackie continued:
“So a second script came out once he had left. P.A. on the movie found the script in the printer and sold it. Bastard. Then the whole script was online.”
And just like that, the entire original script for The Avengers was floating around the internet, all thanks to a simple printer mishap and one opportunistic production assistant.
I remember when that happened! We reported on it 14 years ago! You can read all about that here.
Given how massive the MCU was becoming at that time, it’s no surprise that Marvel cracked down after this.