Edgar Wright, who directed British comedy duo Nick Frost and Simon Pegg in a trio of hits: “Shaun of the Dead”, “Hot Fuzz” and “The World’s End”, was all set to take on the epic Marvel superhero blockbuster “Ant-Man”, starring Paul Rudd. But a week ago, Wright left the project due to some major creative differences.
Then, for about 12 hours, Adam McKay, best-known for working with Rudd on the “Anchorman” movies, and long-time Will Ferrell collaboration partner (“The Other Guys”, “Step Brothers” “Talladega Nights”) was in negotiations to direct the action film. But now reports say McKay has decided to drop out.
So what’s scaring directors away from making a Marvel superhero movie that will likely be a huge success? Does the “Ant-Man” script contain elements that these guys couldn’t agree with (slapstick, over-the-top comedy that mixes with the typical superhero formula)? The premise is rather goofy – a guy shrinking down to the size of an ant. The potential for amazing visuals is there, but it could also be a complete disaster (“Honey, I Shrunk the Superhero”).
For now, Disney is keeping its July 17, 2015 relase date for “Ant-Man”, but it’s tough to imagine the film can be shot and edited in little more than a year, even if another director is locked-in very soon. Seems this “small” movie is becoming a rather large problem.