Edgar Wright Leaves Ant Man

The news is sad but true fellow Marvel fans, Edgar Wright has stepped down as director of Ant Man. Marvel announced the news last Friday saying that a “new director would be announced shortly”. All of this is especially shocking since Wright has been attached to the project as cowriter and director since 2006. Variety reports that the split between the director and the studio happened “due to differences in their version of the film.”

Wright being interviewed by the Guardian

This news has me completely heartbroken, Wright is known for being a fan-friendly director. His “Cornetto Trilogy” (including Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End) is an homage to various film styles and is filled with plithy pop culture references. On top of that, Wright is the man responsible for directing the film version of Scott Pilgrim vs the World; he took a well-loved and very quirky comic and turned it into a fan-favourite movie. With those kinds of credentials, I think he was an excellent fit for Ant Man. It seems Joss Whedon and James Gunn both agree with me. When Whedon heard the news, he took to twitter and simply posted a photo of himself with a Cornetto showing solidarity for his fellow film-maker.  Gunn, who directed Guardians of the Galaxy, took to Face Book to say that he does not believe that either party is “right” or “wrong” but that they simply were not meant to be.

Whedon tweeted this photo of himself

The real reason for the split between Wright and Marvel is still all speculation, but Latino Review cites a rewrite of the script by two of Marvel’s in house writers as being the key cause. Reportedly, the script they produced did not resemble Wright’s original vision and that caused him to leave the project. Marvel has said that they will announce a replacement shortly and that this will not affect the release date. Look for Ant Man starring Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, and Evangeline Lilly, to release on July 17, 2015.