Has a Script Leak Caused Production on 'The Avengers' to Shut Down?

When Disney says something is top secret, the Mouse means it.

Last week, while Samuel L. Jackson was in Burbank, Calif., his script for the big-budget superhero actioneer 'The Avengers' was stolen and later offered to multiple film and comic book websites. Most sites smartly turned down the offer; however, several pages from the shooting script surfaced online anyway after one site opted to photograph them to prove the offer was legitimate.

The scene that played out on the watermarked pages detailed Bruce Banner's (Mark Ruffalo) transformation into the Hulk in front of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) while Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans) search a giant boiler room.

We didn't offer a "spoiler alert" before describing the aforementioned leaked scene because Disney has reportedly cut it from the film and has 'Avengers' screenwriters Zak Penn and Joss Whedon, who is also directing, rewriting the sequence. There have even been rumors that the Mouse House shut down production on the film until the scenes could be rewritten, rumors Disney has denied.

Filming on 'The Avengers' began last week in Albuquerque, N.M., Whedon announced on Whedonesque, an online community dedicated to the 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' creator. On Friday, that same site reported on the alleged production shut down, writing, "Apparently the impact [of the script leak] is significant. According to our sources close to the production of 'The Avengers,' filming has completely halted."

Yesterday, Whedonesque updated its story to indicate that both Disney and Marvel had denied that production had been suspended because of the leak. Its sources, however, maintain that filming has indeed been affected. "It is their [Disney and Marvel's] job to say that it's just business as usual. However, what we heard from MULTIPLE sources HERE, on the ground in Albuquerque was anything but business as usual," the website writes. "We fully stand by our story as FACT not rumor."

So far, the only cast member to speak out about the leak has been 'Thor' himself, Chris Hemsworth. Talking to The Wall Street Journal, Hemsworth said, "I got off the plane the other day and I found that out, but I know that script changed a lot, so it's not the most recent version of it anyway." Hemsworth also indicated that he has not been informed of any changes to the film's shooting schedule and that his start date has so far not been affected by the leak or the alleged production shut down.

Source: movifone