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Updated: Two Directors Pass on Marvel's Ant-Man

Updated: Soon after this story was published, word came out that Ruben Fleischer is the third director to decline taking over the Ant-Man reigns from Edgar Wright, per Hypable. Perhaps Marvel should check out Danny’s picks. His original story is below. – Heath McKnight, Web Content Manager

By Danny F. Santos (doddleNEWS)

Ever since Edgar Wright left Ant-Man, the project has been in a bit of a holding pattern. Marvel doesn’t want to move the release date for July of next year, but they have yet to hire on a new director. While I had my own choices on who should pick up the reigns after Wright’s departure, Marvel had other ideas.

The three front runners were Rawson Marshall Thurber (We're The Millers), Adam McKay (Anchorman, Step-Brothers), and Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), with McKay as the number one choice. Unfortunately, he bowed out because of prior commitments, and it looked unlikely he could fit it into his schedule.

And yes, met w/Marvel. Kirby & Lee r my Lennon Mccartney so it was awesome. But have other projects I’m committed to. Not sure it can work.

Adam McKay (@GhostPanther) May 31, 2014

We’re down to two, Thurber and Fleischer. My favorite pick has always been Fleischer, since his visual sensibilities and voice were the closest to Wright’s, but apparently he’s hoping to go off and direct?Ghostbusters 3. So we have Rawson Thurber was the last man standing — or we had Thurber as the last man standing. According to a tweet by Jeff Sneider from The Wrap and a report from This is Infamous, he too has passed on the project.

So Rawson Marshall Thurber already passed on ANT-MAN, the movie that no self-respecting director appears to want to adopt?

Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) June 4, 2014

Where does that leave us? Well if Marvel isn’t going to listen to my suggestion and go with Gareth Evans (The Raid?films), then they could go back to Fleischer. At this point, I’ll believe Ghostbusters 3 will get made when I’m in theaters watching it.

Or…

Why not go back to Wright? He and Joe Cornish already delivered a script that took Marvel’s notes into account, and Kevin Feige has always said he was a fan of Wright’s vision for the film. Reports are conflicting as to who issued the rewrite that made him leave the project, but rumor has it that it was someone at Disney above Feige who made the call to have a rewrite.

Is this an unlikely scenario? You betcha, and I’m sure there’s a lot of directors who are still available to take up the reign,s but I really wish they would just take a chance on Wright and let him deliver his film with his vision. Or hire Gareth Evans.

Ant-Man should premiere July 17, 2015. Maybe. If they can find a director.

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