The comic book movie world was shocked late last week when it was revealed that director Edgar Wright and Marvel Studios would no longer be working together on the 2015 superhero blockbuster Ant-Man. In the days since, we've read many reports and heard plenty of speculation as to exactly what happened between the filmmaker and the studio, but in the mind's of many fans the big question isn't about what has happened, but instead what will happen. Is Ant-Man still going to be made in time for next summer? If the most recent trade reports are to believed, the answer is yes.
In their full report about the Edgar Wright/Ant-Man story, The Hollywood Reporter peppers in details saying that the comic book movie is still on schedule and that Marvel expects the finished product to be ready in time for the set release date on July 17, 2015. The studio is still searching for a filmmaker to take Wright's place and they must also replace some production department heads that left when it was revealed that filming wouldn't begin on schedule, but the plan is still to have the feature ready to come out just a few months after Joss Whedon's The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Paul Rudd is still attached to play Scott Lang, but THR doesn't mention the status of any of the other actors who were previously announced for the project, including Michael Douglas (who is playing Hank Pym), Evangeline Lilly, Patrick Wilson, and Michael Pena.
Recapping exactly what went down between Edgar Wright and Marvel, THR's sources also basically confirmed the reports that came out this past weekend. As the story goes, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige wasn't happy with the Ant-Man script that had been written by Wright and Joe Cornish. He authorized a rewrite done to be done without the director's input, and upon learning about and receiving the revisions, Wright decided to walk away from the project. It's a pretty stunning development considering that the Shaun of the Dead filmmker had been attached to Ant-Man since 2006.
If Ant-Man is actually going to hit its announced release date next summer, then we can probably expect to hear some very big news about the film soon. Who will they be able to get who could pick up from where Edgar Wright left off and work fast enough to get the movie ready on schedule? We're very excited to learn the answer and should have one in the next couple of weeks. For now, read about our suggestions for the gig and tell us what you're thinking in the comments section below.
