Hollywood Reporter: Edgar Wright just left Ant-Man

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Wow kinda shocking news given how long he was working on it. Pretty sad. There must have been some very big differences for him to have left.

I'm interested to see if Joe Cornish takes over. Attack the Block was really well made. And giving a major movie to a British director who had only made something fairly small budget isn't unprecedented after Edwards success with Godzilla.

Having been a fan of the Adam and Joe show since it was first on TV it's always a bit strange to see Joe's name pop up.
 
You don't realize your deification of him is the dumb part of this discussion. The so called "buzz" about his involvement only exists in your heads. His movies up to this point, while mostly good, weren't exactly lighting the world on fire. The vast majority of people who will go see this wouldn't have given a shit that it was directed by the maker of Scott Pilgrim. This movie was going to do more for him than he was gonna do for it. This movie is not suddenly doomed to be bad or to fail financially. They still have his script and all the preproduction work and the great cast (as far as we know) and there are other competent directors out there. This movie doesn't need to be some grand artistic work to make half a billion dollars. It needs a Marvel logo and a 3D surcharge.

I'm not saying he's not good at what he does and I'm not even saying the movie might not suffer in quality. Of course it's crappy that he's gone. I'm just saying ya'll just sound stupid talking about the movie is doomed like he was the only good thing going for it.

A director being forced out of a film weeks before it's set to shoot is never a good sign. There are definitely underlying problems we aren't privy to right now.

Say what you will about Edgar Wright's films, Marvel Studios is still at its best when it hires bold and talented filmmakers such as Black, Whedon, Gunn, the Russo brothers, and Wright.

If anyone could have taken a lesser-known comic book property and endowed it with charisma, humor, and energy, it was Wright.

Wright had been prepping to shoot "Ant-Man" since 2006. That's eight years of preparation. Bringing a new director in to shoot what Wright had co-wrote with Cornish with filming just weeks away spells trouble.

His departure is a major blow to my confidence in Marvel Studios.
 
Of all the properties to have a major creative dispute over... Ant-Man... What could it possibly have been that was just too much of a liberty to take with Ant-Man?

Must be something universe related that Wright wouldn't succumb to.
 
Time for Nolan to come to Mahvel.

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Any thoughts on who should replace him? If they want to keep that release date I guess the best pick would be Joe Cornish unless that's a conflict of interest/Cornish won't do it since Wright is his boy.
 
Shame, I like Wrights past work but I could never get behind Lang as the lead anyway.

If this movie falls apart I'll be fucking pissed we missed out on Pym and Wasp in Avengers.
 
It's strange, because some directors say they had great working experiences with Marvel and others seemed to hate it like poison. Whedon, the Russos, Black, Johnston, and Gunn all liked Marvel; Leterrier and Taylor did not; and Favreau went both ways. :lol

Let's not forget Patty Jenkins, who was actually attached to direct Thor 2 for a month or two before parting ways due to creative differences.
 
It's not like we've heard of Marvel being too controlling over their directors before or afraid of experimentation. They let Shane Black turn Iron Man 3 into his trademark Christmas comedy and even making a big budget movie of GotG was an insane move.

So Wright must have had some really crazy stuff planned if even Marvel wouldn't agree with it.
 
Maybe Marvel is getting second thoughts with the silly direction guardians of the galaxy is taking and want to quickly change ant man to be more serious in case guardians bombs.
 
Could you give an example of what those might be? Sorry for the very basic question.

The guy in question said it was over Wright being supposedly very late on deadlines, with Marvel having spent money for a month on a production that hadn't been moving forward yet -- and this was after Marvel had delayed shooting already earlier this year. And apparently they weren't confident in him getting things back on track in time, or something.
 
The guy in question said it was over Wright being supposedly very late on deadlines, with Marvel having spent money for a month on a production that hadn't been moving forward yet -- and this was after Marvel had delayed shooting already earlier this year. And apparently they weren't confident in him getting things back on track in time, or something.

Ah, thanks. Makes a bit of sense if accurate. Still disappointing.
 
Maybe Marvel is getting second thoughts with the silly direction guardians of the galaxy is taking and want to quickly change ant man to be more serious in case guardians bombs.

Bob Iger himself said he was confident that GOTG could become a franchise like the Avengers after screening the film.

A director being forced out of a film weeks before it's set to shoot is never a good sign. There are definitely underlying problems we aren't privy to right now.

Say what you will about Edgar Wright's films, Marvel Studios is still at its best when it hires bold and talented filmmakers such as Black, Whedon, Gunn, the Russo brothers, and Wright.

If anyone could have taken a lesser-known comic book property and endowed it with charisma, humor, and energy, it was Wright.

Wright had been prepping to shoot "Ant-Man" since 2006. That's eight years of preparation. Bringing a new director in to shoot what Wright had co-wrote with Cornish with filming just weeks away spells trouble.

His departure is a major blow to my confidence in Marvel Studios.

Why are you assuming that it was Marvel who was responsible when maybe it was Wright who at fault for not completing the film on a timely schedule?
 
The guy in question said it was over Wright being supposedly very late on deadlines, with Marvel having spent money for a month on a production that hadn't been moving forward yet -- and this was after Marvel had delayed shooting already earlier this year. And apparently they weren't confident in him getting things back on track in time, or something.

Huh....interesting if true. I understand how after eight years they're pretty antsy (hah) but I wonder just what straws wound up on this camel's back
 
Bob Iger himself said he was confident that GOTG could become a franchise like the Avengers after screening the film.

Bob Iger said the same thing about Lone Ranger, John Carter, and Tron Legacy.

What is he going to do come out and say "I think it looks stupid"? That would go over well with the investment community
 
Bob Iger said the same thing about Lone Ranger, John Carter, and Tron Legacy.

Disney suits also had glowing reviews for Captain America 2 after preview screenings and gave the Russos the job of directing Cap 3 before the movie even came out.

Marvel films =! Disney films
 
He hasn't been "prepping" for eight years. He was worked on a few movies inbetween.
He's been consistently writing, meeting with Marvel and conceptualizing things, doing pre-visual work, casting, and prepping for eight years.

Yes, he's done work in between stages of Ant-Man's production. It still counts as eight years since he first signed to direct and co-write the film, even if the work was intermittent in between other projects while Marvel was prepping each of its phases.

To put it in perspective, Wright was hired to work on Ant-Man prior to Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk's release.

Even if eight years is an approximation, Wright has still spent a hefty amount of time on the project.
 
Eight years... What the hell was going on with this film? Even considering them giving him some time to finish another film, 8 years with no complete film to show for it is excessive as hell. I'm sort of surprised both parties took THAT long to realize it wasn't going to happen.

He hasn't been "prepping" for eight years. He was worked on a few movies inbetween.

I don't care what you call it, 8 years is damn near a decade. Its excessive even for 'prep' with a few 'movies in between'. Thats a long ass time.
 
Why are you assuming that it was Marvel who was responsible when maybe it was Wright who at fault for not completing the film on a timely schedule?
But is switching directors right before filming the answer to getting things done in a timely manner?
 
The eight years was due to him working on another movie AND marvel finding a place to release it in their timeline

Y'all think he was working on this daily or some shit?
 
Disney suits also had glowing reviews for Captain America 2 after preview screenings and gave the Russos the job of directing Cap 3 before the movie even came out.

Marvel films =! Disney films

Not sure what your trying to say. Marvel films are Disney films as far as the executives and shareholders are concerned and it is important to display a positive outlook on all upcoming films and projects to the public no matter what issues or debates are taking place internally.
 
I don't think they'll ditch the script. No way. It's already written and integrated into the MCU.

If it truly is amicable, then maybe Wright will get a producer and writer credit while someone else gets the director credit. I can see that happening if there isn't any legit bad blood there.
 
Why are you assuming that it was Marvel who was responsible when maybe it was Wright who at fault for not completing the film on a timely schedule?

We admittedly don't know the specifics. It's true that we're going off of inductive reasoning.

My assumption could be wrong. Has Wright's work ever lacked timeliness? His films may not gross massive amounts of money, but the guy's kept a fairly consistent workload since Spaced, and makes things with posterity. He's also said to be a hard worker by various people in the industry, often crunching to get his work done.

What we know is that Wright and Marvel were on good terms. The studio had given Wright & Cornish time and invested money in honing the story for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

What happened to change this weeks before filming? Replacing Wright is a telling sign. Especially so close to the film going into full production.

Maybe the said replacement will shed some more light on it? Perhaps Wright himself will discuss it with candor one day?


Eight years... What the hell was going on with this film? Even considering them giving him some time to finish another film, 8 years with no complete film to show for it is excessive as hell. I'm sort of surprised both parties took THAT long to realize it wasn't going to happen.


I don't care what you call it, 8 years is damn near a decade. Its excessive even for 'prep' with a few 'movies in between'. Thats a long ass time.

The eight years came from Marvel wanting changes made as it shaped the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Wright worked on other projects because that's what most people in the creative industry do. You keep multiple coals in the fire.

Let's be honest, Ant-Man isn't a character you employ with Phase 1. Marvel had to take calculated risks with each phase and plan accordingly with the box office and feedback. Guardians of the Galaxy would never have happened if The Avengers tanked.

For instance, drafts of The Avengers with Wasp were penned by Whedon before it was decided to hold off to plan the character's introduction with Ant-Man.

Marvel has to plan things out to fit within something bigger. It's unfurling a yarn that has to work across multiple stories carried by different auteurs.
 
I don't think they'll ditch the script. No way. It's already written and integrated into the MCU.

If it truly is amicable, then maybe Wright will get a producer and writer credit while someone else gets the director credit. I can see that happening if there isn't any legit bad blood there.

I'm not sure how they could ditch the script entirely, given the fixed release date and rapidly approaching production start date. Unless Marvel hired someone to write an entire alternate script (using the same characters and production design) behind Wright's and Cornish's backs, the most they can do is last-minute rewrites.
 
They should give it to Scott Waugh. If the script is already done this guy could probably do a kick-ass job with the rest of the film.
 
Let's be honest, Ant-Man isn't a character you employ with Phase 1. Marvel had to take calculated risks with each phase and plan accordingly with the box office and feedback. Guardians of the Galaxy would never have happened if The Avengers tanked.

For instance, drafts of The Avengers with Wasp were penned by Whedon before it was decided to hold off to plan the character's introduction with Ant-Man.

Marvel has to plan things out to fit within something bigger. It's unfurling a yarn that has to work across multiple stories carried by different auteurs.

Marvel may have made some re-wrights pre Avengers to accomodate Wright, but Ant-Man should have come Phase 2 pre Cap 2 at the absolute latest.

If the potential delayed production was the reason for letting him go, then I think Marvel would have been in the right, as they already missed an opportunity to get an Ultron teaser into the first movie pre A2, and for there to be yet another possible delay after they have already cast and set the date, that might have just been the last straw.
At some point Marvel would have to let Wright know that even though they appreciate him and really wanted him to do the film, the MCU is bigger than whatever it is he wanted to do with Ant-man and they can delay the film no longer as it would throw off a very large plan already set in motion, that was already delayed for him on numerous occasions.

They had to move on at some point. I was looking forward to this because of Edgar Wright, but I was always going to watch it regardless as I'm an MCU junkie. The film may not turn out to be exactly how Wright would have done it, I'm sure it will still be good as everyone else seems to still be involved and tit's still his script.
 
But is switching directors right before filming the answer to getting things done in a timely manner?

Switching Directors isn't the answer to 8 years of limbo, its the response, and an appropriate one too.

The eight years came from Marvel wanting changes made as it shaped the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Wright worked on other projects because that's what most people in the creative industry do. You keep multiple coals in the fire.

Let's be honest, Ant-Man isn't a character you employ with Phase 1. Marvel had to take calculated risks with each phase and plan accordingly with the box office and feedback. Guardians of the Galaxy would never have happened if The Avengers tanked.

For instance, drafts of The Avengers with Wasp were penned by Whedon before it was decided to hold off to plan the character's introduction with Ant-Man.

Marvel has to plan things out to fit within something bigger. It's unfurling a yarn that has to work across multiple stories carried by different auteurs.

Assuming this is true, then shame on both parties for this clusterfuck. Shame on Marvel for giving a green light on something they must have knew damn well would have variables shifting all over the place during Phase 1, and shame on Wright for ever signing on to such an unstable abomination to begin with.

Who the hell starts a movie knowing damn well it'll be 8 years before you even start shooting. That sounds to ridiculous to be true considering how well the rest of the MCU stuff has worked out. But who knows. Ill bet the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
 
The eight years came from Marvel wanting changes made as it shaped the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

No thats bullshit.

The 8 years came because Wright wanted to do Worlds End because his freind and producer of his other movies got sick and he had promised to do another movie with him and Marvel was ok with delaying Ant Man to let him. Heres an interview from last year.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Edga...-Man-Doesn-t-Make-Him-Hypocrite-39177-p2.html

I had a chance to do Ant-Man two years ago, but I put it on the back burner to do this. Aside from the fact that I wanted to do The World’s End, you know, you probably read about this in an earlier interview, out executive producer got ill and he was the person who basically gave us our break, and suddenly it hit me so hard in terms of on a number of levels. If something terrible happened and I had not made good on my promise that I’d do a third film, I would never, I would regret it forever. We owe this man our career, because he saved Shaun of the Dead from like turnaround, and he wants us to do another movie. We want him to see it and let’s make this movie. So, I went in to Marvel and said, I really want to do Ant-Man, but I can’t do it right now, and this is why, and they said, that’s very laudable, like we totally understand.
 
Latino-Review claims scoop:

El Mayimbe said:
About 3 months ago, Marvel had notes. The meat of the notes were about the core morality of the piece, must include franchise characters. etc., These notes came from the big four at Marvel. Joe Cornish and Edgar Wright did two drafts to try and answer the notes without compromising their vision.

6 weeks ago Marvel took the script off them and gave the writing assignment to two very low credit writers. One of the writers were from Marvel's in house writing team. Edgar stayed cool, agreed to stay on the project, and read the draft.

The script came in this week and was completely undone. Poorer, homogenized, and not Edgar's vision. Edgar met with Marvel on Friday to formally exit and the announcement went out directly after.
 
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