Marvel Studios’ long-in-development comic book adaptation, Ant-Man has just suffered a rather considerable setback. Planned director, Edgar Wright, best known for his Cornetto comedy trilogy and his previous comic book movie adaptation, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, has exited Ant-Man and opted not to direct it after numerous years of attempting to get the movie off of the ground.
This is very strange, as Wright has bullishly pushed for Ant-Man since it was first announced back in 2006, two years before the Marvel Cinematic Universe had even begun with 2008’s Iron Man. Wright even co-wrote the script with fellow Brit screenwriter, Joe Cornish, of Attack the Block and The Adventures of Tintin fame.
Marvel Studios has issued a statement on Wright’s departure from the film, calling it, “Amicable.” They cite creative differences in the movie’s final product, which ultimately led to Wright deciding that he was no longer right for the movie that Marvel Studios wanted to make. It’s probable that the creative differences arose from Marvel now having to incorporate the movie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, shared with beloved big screen renditions of Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D., which wasn’t Wright’s original vision from when the movie first started as a standalone project.
But, breathe easy, true believers! Marvel Studios has followed their statement on the matter by confirming that a replacement director for Ant-Man has already been hired, though they wouldn’t confirm who it is at this time. It’s possible that they may be waiting for a big event like this year’s San Diego Comic-Con to make the announcement. Marvel Studios has also assured that Ant-Man’s release date of July 17th, 2015 is unaffected, and the movie won’t be delayed due to Wright’s departure.
Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas were previously cast in Ant-Man as two different renditions of the character, Scott Lang and Hank Pym, respectively. So far, this casting doesn’t seem to be changing, even though the rest of Ant-Man’s cast, including its villain, has not yet been confirmed.
Plot details are also predictably thin at this point, beyond an older Pym passing the Ant-Man mantle on to Lang, though test footage has been shown, demonstrating how the titular hero’s size-changing powers will work, and how his costume will appear. The footage has been very well-received by fans and the media.
Eggplante is continuing to investigate your updates on Ant-Man and the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large.