Edgar Wright Finally Reveals the Truth About His Scrapped, ‘Left-Field’ Ant-Man Script

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Most Marvel Cinematic Universe fans enjoy Ant-Man as a fun and entertaining movie, even if it’s not considered one of the very best. Paul Rudd’s performance as the lead is a major highlight. Surprisingly, the director who was originally considered for the film, Edgar Wright, still hasn’t watched it – even though it came out ten years ago! The movie centers on a burglar who gets a chance to become a hero using a suit that shrinks him down to incredibly small sizes.

During a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session to promote his new action movie, starring Glen Powell and releasing on November 14th, the director addressed questions about why he left the Ant-Man project.

Joe Cornish and I finished writing the script well before Marvel’s massive success, even before the first Iron Man movie. By 2014, when it came time to actually make the film, Marvel had a very specific style and a connected universe that didn’t quite match the unique, unconventional heist movie we’d envisioned. I realized it was time to step away because the version we loved was being changed, and I thought it was better to let someone else take over. I haven’t seen the final film, and I don’t regret my decision.

Following the success of his 2004 film, Shaun of the Dead, Edgar Wright was chosen to direct Ant-Man. He teamed up with comedian Joe Cornish to write the script, and Cornish later went on to write and direct Attack the Block. But before fully committing to the Marvel project, Wright focused on completing his “Cornetto Trilogy”—a series of films that began with Shaun of the Dead, continued with Hot Fuzz in 2007, and finished with The World’s End in 2013.

Looking back, it sounds like Edgar Wright really wasn’t happy with how the script for Ant-Man was changing. He had a very specific vision for the movie, and it seems like the studio wanted it to fit more neatly into the existing Marvel Cinematic Universe. Paul Rudd and Adam McKay were making adjustments, and he just didn’t want to compromise his original ideas, so he decided to leave the project. Thankfully, Peyton Reed stepped in and did a fantastic job – the movie was a huge hit, with great reviews and over half a billion dollars at the box office! It’s a shame Wright didn’t get to see his full vision realized, but it still turned out to be a really fun movie.

Despite its popularity, many people still think the movie doesn’t live up to the hype. The sequels, Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), weren’t as successful with audiences either. Even fans of the film often wonder what director Edgar Wright’s original vision would have looked like.

Edgar Wright Has Already Made A Perfect Comic Book Movie

It’s easy to see why Edgar Wright doesn’t wish he’d directed a Marvel movie. He’d already made a significant impact on comic book adaptations in 2010 with Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s popular series, well before Ant-Man came out.

This action-comedy follows a somewhat lazy guy played by Michael Cera who has to battle seven of his crush Ramona Flowers’ (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) evil exes to win her over. When it came out, the movie was a hit, especially for its unique and groundbreaking style – it mixed real-life action with graphics inspired by video games – and cemented the director’s place as a truly innovative filmmaker.

The impressive visuals of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World might make people even more eager to see Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man. But it’s worth remembering that Wright stepping away from Ant-Man ultimately allowed him to create other critically praised films like Baby Driver and Last Night in Soho, showcasing his unique style.

Ant-Man is available to stream on Disney+.

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2025-11-12 20:37