Another Director Passes on Marvel’s ‘Ant-Man’

For Marvel movie fans looking years ahead, past next summer’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron and into Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe where even more new heroes and properties will be introduced, today’s news saw another director join the studio. Essentially confirming that the long-rumored Doctor Strange movie will be hitting theaters in 2016-17, horror film writer and director Scott Derrickson (Sinister) has been confirmed to take charge of the Master of the Mystic Arts for Marvel.

It’s great to see Marvel Studios opening another facet of the comics universe and introducing magic through Stephen Vincent Strange (who was namedropped in Captain America: The Winter Soldier), but what about the solo character film that was supposed to begin shooting this week? Ant-Man is without a director ever since Edgar Wright, who made the project a reality for Marvel and worked on it for eight years, left at the last minute after the studio took the script away from him and co-writer Joe Cornish and turned it into something that didn’t mesh with his vision.

Whether or not the latest draft is good or bad for the standalone story or the bigger picture plans of the franchise, it’s something Edgar Wright wasn’t interested in making. Of the directors reportedly shortlisted to replace him, the job isn’t attractive enough either, evidently, because none of them are going to take it. What happens now?

Its start date has been moved to July, giving Marvel Studios and whoever helms the feature just enough time (hopefully) to get the film out next July without compromising the final product. Marvel looked towards directors with proven comedy backgrounds as potential replacements, with names Adam McKay (Anchorman 1 & 2, The Other Guys), Rawson Thurber (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, We’re the Millers) and Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, Gangster Squad) making the shortlist.

McKay was deep into talks to take the gig but has since passed. As for Fleischer, he might be helming Ghostbusters 3 and reportedly isn't interested in jumping into an immediate major shoot since he and his wife just had a child. That leaves Thurber who The Wrap reported was the new frontrunner, but This is Infamous was quick to report that he turned down the offer as well. AICN reports he wasn’t offered the gig though so it may have just been at the meeting stage.

More here.