Before Ant-Man released in 2015, we almost got another version of the now beloved insect-themed hero. Critically acclaimed director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World) was attached to the project to bring the character to life. Wright had been working on the project since 2006 and it seemed like Marvel was keen on having him on board but after a somewhat messy pre-production phase involving lots of rewrites, unhappy studio executives, and much more, Wright exited the project.
No one could agree on what they wanted the movie to be and while Wright still has a writing credit and you can see some of his tone and style left over in the final cut of the film, many fans have wondered what an Edgar Wright version would look like due to his originality and unique films. It seemed as if Marvel only brought in Wright originally because they hadn't really begun their cinematic universe yet and they were still finding their place in the film industry, eventually they wanted to something different and Wright wasn't exactly willing to risk his vision for that.
The studio is known to not play super nice with those who have visions that don't mesh well with their own, which may make sense due to their very well-thought out universe that has seeds planted for sequels and other stories years before they actually happen. Patty Jenkins was fired from the second Thor film after creative differences and just recently released the Wonder Woman film for DC, Joss Whedon vowed to never do another Marvel movie after struggling to get a version of Avengers: Age of Ultron finished that he actually enjoyed, and several actors have come and gone from the Marvel universe (Edward Norton Terrence Howard being the most notable).
With that said, it doesn't come as much surprise that Edgar Wright hasn't seen Ant-Man. "I haven't seen it and I haven't even seen the trailer," he told Uproxx. "It would kind of like be asking me, 'Do you want to watch your ex-girlfriend have sex?' Like, 'No, I'm good.'"
Damn, that's a really depressing way of thinking about it. He went on to note that he did sit next to someone on a plane who was watching it but he didn't pay much attention to it. "I don't think they knew who I was," he said. "They were just watching it. That was the closest I came to seeing it."
Wright noted he won't bad mouth the film due to the fact he has friends who worked on the movie including star Paul Rudd. The only thing he regrets is having his time wasted but has no regrets about never doing the movie.
Edgar Wright's newest film Baby Driver shows that he can still be successful even without having a Marvel movie on his resume. The R-rated heist film opened last Wednesday and has already raked in over $30 million and shows no sign of slowing down. The movie even boasts an impressive 97% Rotten Tomatoes rating, making it one of the highest rated movies of 2017.
Baby Driver is in theaters now.
[GameSpot]
