With the accompanying press release for the first Ant-Man trailer came the news that original director Edgar Wright and his writing partner Joe Cornish will not receive a screenwriting credit on the twelfth instalment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, despite spending the best part of a decade working on the script. Instead, the duo will receive a “Story By” credit, with star Paul Rudd and Anchorman helmer Adam McKay contributing enough of a rewrite following Wright’s depature to gain sole credit.
We still don’t know the full details concerning Wright’s departure, but Marvel chief Kevin Feige has briefly spoken about the split during a chat with EW, stating that: “It is true that there were disagreements about the direction the script should take. Everything was above board. Everything was done with everybody else’s knowledge. There was a sense of ‘We’re going in this direction, you’re staying in this direction—maybe it’s best that we end as friends.’”
So, if Marvel and Wright are still friends, does that mean we might see a collaboration between the two parties somewhere down the line? It would seem unlikely, and given the time Wright spent developing Ant-Man I wouldn’t start holding your breath until around Phase Twelve even if it were to happen…
SEE ALSO: New images, concept art and Yellowjacket details from Marvel’s Ant-Man
Ant-Man is set for release on July 17th , 2015, with Peyton Reed (The Break-Up) directing a cast that includes Paul Rudd (I Love You Man) as Scott Lang, Michael Douglas (Behind The Candelabra) as Dr. Hank Pym, Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) as Hope Van Dyne, Corey Stoll (House of Cards) as Darren Cross / Yellowjacket, John Slattery (Iron Man 2) as Howard Stark, Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avenger) as Peggy Carter and Bobby Cannavale (The Long Play), Michael Peña (American Hustle), Abby Ryder Fortson (Togetherness), Judy Greer (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), David Dastmalchian (The Dark Knight), Wood Harris (The Wire), Gregg Turkington (The Comedy) and T.I. (American Gangster) in as yet-unrevealed roles. You can listen to the Flickering Myth Podcast review of the trailer for Ant-Man using the player below:
Originally published January 9, 2015. Updated July 3, 2023.
