First Trailer For Marvel's ANT-MAN And A Bunch Of Screen Grabs

Marvel's trailer for Ant-Man is somber and taking a bit of a tone to Christopher Nolan's Batman trailers but at the same time still in on the joke. Having Paul Rudd's Scott Lang asking if he could change the name of the hero. It's a decent enough teaser considering they only recently wrapped production and the film won't be out for another seven months. We're luckily enough to see some of the ant point-of-view shots from the Comic-Con footage included.

Oddly, we don't see any footage from the 60s flashbacks which will have a young Hank working for SHIELD. Peggy Carter and Howard Stark being involved with those scenes, will further link Ant-Man and Wasp to the origins of both SHIELD and AVENGERS.

Below is a bunch of shots from the trailer as well.

First Official Look At Paul Rudd In Costume As ANT-MAN On EW Cover

Ahead of the trailer debut tonight, EW has revealed their first look of Paul Rudd as Scott Lang in his ANT-MAN costume. Check back here later tonight, when we'll post images from the trailer and possibly the HD version of the trailer.

SOURCE: EW

Why Paul Rudd And Evangeline Lilly Are Likely Joining The Cast Of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

It was revealed this week, it's possible the real reason between the split of Marvel and Edgar Wright on the Ant-Man production. The likelihood was due the connectivity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to Edgar's existing script. It's believed that Wright was keen on keeping his characters within his film, along keeping out references and characters from other films. Basically, he wanted to make a Marvel film set-apart from every single Marvel movie since Iron Man. I could see how that would cause massive tension between Edgar and the studio.

I'm unsure if the huge connection between Hank Pym and S.H.I.E.L.D., which is now a key plot point of the film was the main problem or only part of it. It's been confirmed that Agent Carter and Howard Stark will be appearing in the film, to connect Pym to the early days of S.H.I.E.L.D. It's possible he didn't want his film to be a cog in the Avengers machine, which is why they've been kept out of the Avengers films. There's only so long that Marvel could have played that game with Edgar.

We know that this could have been the main reason why both Ant-Man and Wasp were held-back in both Avengers (early storyboards confirm Widow replaced Wasp) and Age of Ultron. The tiny heroes being founding members of the team, along with Pym creating Ultron it all seemed fishy to exclude them from both films. I have a feeling the reason was Edgar wanted to tell the origins within his film, which kept getting delayed due to Wright's other projects and constant script revisions. Now, with Wright out of the picture it looks like at least one of the Ant-Man stories connected to the Avengers can be explored in Captain America: Civil War.

In the comics Hank Pym had a huge role within the Civil War storyline, training meta-human recruits at Camp Hammond. Something I believe was already teased with set photos from Age of Ultron. I wouldn't be overly shocked to see Scott Lang played by Paul Rudd, actually take over this persona along with Pym's daughter Hope played by Evangeline Lilly. Pym used both the personas of Yellow Jacket (will be seen in Ant-Man) and Giant-Man in the Ultimates, so it's possible these could show-up in the films too. We might finally have some heroic characters joining Team Stark.

It should be considered that we've come to expect crossovers with these films, and this Captain America sequel is our last chance for an Avengers-type story until the cosmic epic Infinity War. It's also odd that while we'll be seeing a Guardians sequel, Marvel didn't even mention an Ant-Man sequel as a possibility. Since the cast signed multiple-film contracts it's expected they will appear in a bunch of different movies, without a sequel announced we have to assume they'll show-up in other Marvel movies.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!! 

You might be saying to yourselves, hey we've already have plenty of people returning for this Captain America sequel. To tell you the truth, Civil War's story lends itself to a massive cast and we could end-up seeing something even bigger than we've seen previously with Avengers installments. It's also possible Black Panther might be the only new character getting his origin told in the film, leaving enough room for established characters to mingle.

That's unless Marvel does indeed feel the need to include Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel into the lineup. We've heard that Danvers could be a member of Team Cap at the end of Age of Ultron. Again, this film can handle a huge sprawling cast.

The only two that make sense at the moment are Maria Hill who is revealed to be working for Stark Industries at the end of Winter Soldier. Along with Stark's super-science buddy Bruce Banner, who will likely take the side of his best friend. If rumors are to believed via BadassDigest Cap's side will include pretty much everyone else from Age of Ultron. Such as Hawkeye, War Machine, The Vision, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and even possibly Captain Marvel.

I'm leaving-out both Thor and Black Widow, because we haven't heard how these two could be factoring into the film, it's possible the ending to Age of Ultron will actually explain their fates. I'm actually unsure if Widow survives this installment, due to exclusion in Civil War casting talk.

Not to mention possibly lining-up a starring role in Ghost In The Shell, which will likely keep her out of the production. Her death in Age of Ultron, might also explain why talk of a Black Widow film has been essentially erased lately from the spin-off table. Even when Feige talked about the Widow film recently, he referred to it as a prequel, a clue to Natasha's fate?

I'm sort of thinking Hulk or Ultron ends-up killing Black Widow in Age of Ultron, this shocking event might be enough to spark Civil War. Banner lost control on the helicarrier in Avengers and almost killed Widow once before. Let's not forget Natasha was killed by a team member in the Ultimates comics, and those comics have been influencing these films a lot. She's been revealed to the world and her death could see the government react with the Superhero Registration Act, headed-up by Tony Stark.

If by the hands of Hulk it could also lead to his Planet Hulk banishment that's been rumored for ages now. Pym (or Scott/Hope) might take the place of Dr. Reed Richards in the Illuminati lineup. Since, we'll likely have Doctor Strange, Black Panther and Black Bolt established around Infinity War's release.

In the case of Thor, Age of Ultron reshoots are said to include Idris Elba's Heimdall and Tom Hiddleston's Loki, will likely see Thor too busy with Asgardian affairs to worry about the conflict back on Midgard. I assume these scenes are being shot to setup the events of Thor: Ragnarok, which could be happening during Civil War. The assumption is that Guardians of The Galaxy 2 and Ragnarok, will be planting seeds if not entire plot points for Infinity War Part 1.

Basically, Scott and Hope could fill the void if both Natasha and Thor are being left on the sidelines for this movie. Leading up to the massive all-out galactic threat in Infinity War. It could also be revealed that either Pym, Scott or Hope are secretly Skrulls taking the form of the heroes to spy for Thanos. We've talked about his connection to the Skulls previously, and how Secret Invasion could have Thanos behind it.

ANTMAN Wraps Principle Photography And Concept Artwork For Villain Yellow Jacket

Director Peyton Reed has taken to Twitter to confirm that principle photography on Marvel's Ant-Man has wrapped. The heist film will be released on July 17th, 2015, which was originally the spot reserved for Batman v Superman before moving to 2016.. The cast includes Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lily, Corey Stoll (seen above), Michael Pena, Judy Greer, John Slattery, Bobby Cannavale, T.I. and Hayley Atwell.

And that's it! Principal photography on ANT-MAN is now complete. The ants have left the building. Stay tuned... pic.twitter.com/xj5h9qFyo6
— Peyton Reed (@MrPeytonReed) December 6, 2014

Edgar Wright, who was set to write and direct the film controversially exited the film, and had his script he co-wrote with Joe Cornish completely rewritten by Adam McKay, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari. Peyton Reed was hired to replace Wright and was able to pull everything together to make it work. A trailer should be expected for the Super Bowl, as Marvel will need to make audiences aware of the extremely obscure Marvel hero early-on.

There are also images of concept art (could also be art from the Hasbro line of toys) of the film's villain Yellow Jacket (Corey Stoll) making the rounds online. Below you can see these images which look extremely similar to style used for Ant-Man's concept art poster from SDCC14. Along with a shot of Paul Rudd from recent pick-up shots.

SOURCE: TWITTER

Production On STAR TREK 3 Halted As Roberto Orci Exits And Edgar Wright Linked To Replace

This was a bad idea from the start. Deadline is reporting that first-time director Roberto Orci has exited the director's chair on Paramount's Star Trek 3. Details for the exit aren't being reported, but I've heard he bullied his way onto the job and creative differences have lead to the exit. Originally, directors like Attack The Block's Joe Cornish were in talks to direct. One of the new directors on the studio's shortlist is Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim, Shaun of The Dead, The World's End, Hot Fuzz), who recently exited Marvel's Ant-Man over creative difference.

I hear that that exit was due to Wright's unwillingness to include elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other Marvel films into his script. Edgar Wright wouldn't be a stranger to the Star Trek set as he directed a few shots in Into Darkness, during the fight between Khan and the Klingons. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed that Cornish and Wright are frontrunners for the gig. You might remember that Edgar Wright had also been on Paramount's radar to direct Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

SPECULATION: Marvel Studios Quietly Setting-Up AVENGERS WEST COAST?

Marvel has become the leader in finding new concepts and angles for the superhero film genre. It's a hard business to be in, but they've found their niche and it's not being predictable. The studio has taken some massive risks over their 10 film career. Mainly, releasing a film like Iron Man when a majority of the public had zero awareness or knowledge the character even existed. They took that success from Iron Man and ran full force. Releasing four more films, before making the giant-leap to an ultimate team-up film The Avengers. They went as far as tearing-down SHIELD in Captain America: The Winter Soldier to give us real stakes and prove nothing is safe in the MCU.

In Guardians of The Galaxy, the studio's most risky and ambitious project to date, they gave us our first real glimpse into the massive Marvel cosmic universe. Proving again, that even a talking tree and raccoon can be compelling if done right. The group of characters are way more obscure than previous characters explored on screen, the film becoming the biggest domestic hit of the summer is something of a miracle.

So, how does Marvel move forward without becoming stale? Shaking things-up is what seemingly the studio does best. The comics have a time-honored tradition of roster changes, guest-appearances and crossovers. We do expect The Guardians to cross-paths with The Avengers at some point in the films. However, what can we expect for our Earthbound heroes?

My theory isn't a new one, UnleashTheFanboy have already clued-in to the possibility of a second Avengers team coming in the future. UTF seemingly had word it will happen in Phase 4 (post-Avengers 3). I'm in the belief this has already been happening in-front of our eyes and Age of Ultron/Phase 3 will ultimately setup this new group. The team is being called The New Avengers by UTF, but I would bet that it ends-up being called the more established Avengers West Coast.

Ant-Man will be our first film in Phase Three, and convently enough includes two members of Avengers West Coast. Doctor Henry Pym, the mentor figure to Paul Rudd's Scott Lang and father to Evangeline Lily's Hope Van Dyne (likely Wasp). It's location of San Francisco is a bit telling as well, since we haven't really seen films other than Iron Man set in California. The second team's base of operations is L.A., but could be reworked to fit the more colorful city by the bay.

Another big clue, is that a majority of the team roster is pretty-much established, and there are enough actors to fill a new team. A bulk of them will be appearing in Avengers: Age of Ultron. That lineup includes team-leader Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Doctor Henry Pym (Michael Douglas), Vision (Paul Bettany), Wasp (Evangeline Lily), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Quicksilver (Aaron Johnson) and newly added heroine Mockingbird (Adrianne Palicki former Gamora candidate).

Pym in particular could become the Nick Fury/Stark of the new team, since we might be seeing his origins with SHIELD explored in Ant-Man. Having Pym heading-up Avengers West Coast (like Nick Fury) with Hawkeye/Captain America leading the team could be a very cool way to go about it. We've heard rumblings that RDJ's role as Stark in MCU would eventually become more Fury-like as well.

Joss Whedon has talked about his destain for Wonder Man and wish to include Tigra into the film universe. These characters are also well-known West Coast Avengers heroes. He's changed his tune already concerning Carol Danvers, maybe he'll come-around concerning Wonder Man.

Another West Coaster we all love and are dying to see show-up is the complex supernatural vigliante Moon Knight, who just happens to live multiple personas (besides his superhero one). A TV show was in development for ages, but couldn't come together. The character might be a bit too dark and violent to get his own movie, but we've been rooting for Moon Knight to become apart of the second wave of Netflix's Marvel series (aka Midnight Sons).

What happens when these Avengers leave for California? Others will take their place of course. Characters like Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Doctor Strange (?), Black Panther (?), Ms Marvel (?) and others getting their own solo adventures on screen (Daredevil, Fist, Cage, Jones) could easily fill the gaps moving forward. Marvel could expand their Earthbound heroes doing it this way, and can interchange the lineups. This is where we might also see a rebranding of the Avengers name aka The New Avengers.

Why setup a second Avengers team? Well, the Civil War storyline has been mentioned before as a possibility by Kevin Feige. The storyline was slightly teased with the forest-fight in the film first. However, for it to even happen you'd need to established two groups, before the clash could start. That is a lot of Marvel characters to introduce and explore. Netflix characters like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage could also come into play here (there have been possible hints they could make the jump to movies). Civil War could also be the entry-point for Thanos, and his minions to invade Earth, perfect timing for the Mad Titan.

A set photo from Age of Ultron seemingly reveals that Stark and Rogers are recruiting candidates. Perhaps, developing a new version of SHIELD together (HAMMER/SWORD?). The extras are unlikely Ultron bot stand-ins, mainly because they aren't wearing motion-capture suits. But, more like warm-up/active wear, I assume Rogers is training them.

Having Hawkeye taking-charge of his own team might sound like something out of left-field, but we've been hearing his role in Age of Ultron is getting bulked-up from the last one. Not to mention Jeremy Renner's own teases he'll show-up in Captain America 3. If Marvel is able to develop Clint Barton into a capable leader of a splinter Avengers team, I think they might be unstoppable. Turning-around public opinion of the least-liked team member, would be a giant leap-forward.

Renner himself is an established action star, he is about to begin shooting Mission: Impossible 5 and his sequel to Bourne Legacy. Having him in a more active-role in the MCU sounds like a no-brainer. We've seen what the Russo Brothers can do for these action-based spy characters, so hopefully they're able to amp-up the character to the point we want to see him lead a film (even if it's not a solo one). We also haven't seen his other superhero personas come into play, since Barton has become alternate heroes in the comics (mainly, Goliath and Ronin).



What do you think? Is Marvel prepping for a second Avengers team, or will they keep adding-on to the existing group?

WATCHMEN Actor Patrick Wilson And Others Exits Marvel's ANT-MAN

Production on Marvel's Ant-Man is about to begin, but they'll have to do it without Patrick Wilson and a few others. The Watchmen actor was cast in an unnamed role (rumored to be a young Hank Pym or the secondary villain), but seemed a bit upset when production delays began after the departure of director Edgar Wright. Payton Reed has stepped-in to direct and Adam McKay will make rewrites to the script.

There were rumors that other actors, hand-picked by Edgar could also walk from the project. It seems like that is coming true as Matt Gerard (Avatar) and Kevin Weisman (Alias) are also exiting, they are stating that their characters have been removed from the newly updated script. Considering that Michael Douglas and Paul Rudd have been the only two actors Marvel would confirm in recent press releases, it's likely we could be seeing more casting shake-ups. Deadline also mentions that Evangeline Lily (Hobbit, Real Steel, Lost, Hurt Locker) will indeed be in attendance for the panel, but her character hasn't been confirmed.

Ant-Man is set to released on July 15th, 2015.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

New Marvel Release Dates For 2017-2019, Will BLACK PANTHER Finally Make His Film Debut?

We've been helping beat the drum that Marvel needs to be releasing three movies a year. The studio has at least three production studios setup to shoot these films on stages, so it's not hard to imagine. Kevin Feige has mentioned that it could stretch out the studio's creative teams, but with each production taking-up one third of the year to film. This makes sense that Marvel won't be overwhelmed, even with their television division expanding with Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter and the new series on Netflix (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage).

PHASE TWO
-August 1, 2014 (Guardians of The Galaxy)
-May 1, 2015 (Avengers: Age of Ultron)
PHASE THREE
- July 15, 2015 (Ant-Man)
- May 6, 2016 (Captain America 3)
- July 8, 2016 (Doctor Strange?)
-May 5, 2017 (Thor 3?)
NEW DATES
-June 27, 2017 ?
-November 3, 2017 ?
-May 4, 2018 ?
-July 6, 2018 ?
-November 2, 2018 ?
-May 3, 2019 ?


Apparently Disney-Marvel have picked-up upon the fans wish to see three movies a year. As the studio has set a bunch of new release dates for untitled projects. The dates also include three release dates in 2017 and 2018. We have to assume this move is to allow the studio to roll out sequels and new franchises in a timely fashion. Above are the new dates announced by Marvel, along with the existing schedule. It's been expected that a majority of these unknown titles will be revealed at Comic-Con.

The public is demanding an Iron Man 4, but movies like Doctor Strange, Black Panther and Inhumans haven't even been shot yet. James Gunn is bringing-up his desire to make a Thunderbolts movie, stating Feige might be on board for that to happen. There are also scripts for female-driven Marvel films such as a new one for Black Widow written by Guardians of The Galaxy's Nicole Perlman, and a Ms Marvel script from an unknown writer is also in development.

The assumption is that these films could include a Guardians of The Galaxy sequel, along with whatever the new Hulk film turns out to be (GOTG2, Planet Hulk or Indestructible Hulk). Basically, we have twelve Marvel movies on their way from now and until May 2019. Feige has also stated they have things planned-out all the way until 2028, hinting that the studio could be already working on Phases Six and Seven (and beyond).

We've been hearing Marvel downplay the possibility of Planet Hulk and Ms Marvel. Two arcs that will likely be seeds planted within Age of Ultron. Since we've been hearing that they are indeed in the movie, as some of the plot points are coming directly from Whedon's script (by people who have read it). I don't blame Feige for wanting to keep some stuff about their massive sequel quiet.

Wakanda will be mentioned or even shown in Age of Ultron, so there is the hope this a similar case to when Stephen Strange was given a direct shout-out in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Foreshadowing the future films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which they've already did for Black Panther in Iron Man 2. He's the most likely of the group to get his own film next, and I'll bet cash he's one of the new franchises announced at Comic-Con.

SOURCE: MARVEL

RUMOR: Does Villain Darren Cross Steal The Yellow Jacket Suit In ANT-MAN?

There have been a couple of rumors circling via JoBlow and TheWrap concerning who the villains of Peyton Reed's Ant-Man will be. There is talk of actors Corey Stoll and Patrick Wilson taking the roles of the villains, with Stoll playing main industrial baddie Darren Cross. I assume the pair are the ones who are hellbent on stealing Hank Pym's technology, which leads us to the "big heist" of the picture.

BadassDigest seems to try to clear things up a bit, mainly noting that it very well could be the Yellow Jacket suit that is being stolen from Pym. The suit is best known as giving Hank Pym a personality disorder, which leads to him hitting his wife Janet. A rather large and shocking plot-point for comics in that era, since domestic abuse wasn't the subject of hero's daily lives back then. It's uncertain who Stoll and Wilson will be playing, but Devin confirms Darren Cross is one of the villains. Also, hinting one of the two could be donning the Yellow Jacket suit. This would make a lot of sense and allow the darker side of Pym to be explored without making Hank out to be total piece of garbage.

SOURCE: BADASSDIGEST

Director Peyton Reed Confirmed For ANT-MAN With Adam McKay Touching-Up Script

After Edgar Wright's departure from Marvel's Ant-Man, there was a lot of "what-now" and speculation. Even more so, a wave of directing candidates and denials. Until, Yes Man's Peyton Reed became the front-runner via TheWrap. There is more developing concerning that news.

Marvel has confirmed Peyton as the new director and also announces that Adam McKay (Step Brothers, Anchorman, The Other Guys, Talladega Nights) will complete the rewrites to Wright-Cornish's script. Production is expected to begin soon with it's release date set for July 17th, 2015. We finally have our first synopis of the film as well, which pairs Pym and Lang together.

Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang (Rudd) must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas), protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world. 

I'm still convinced that with Reed's addition to the project, my hope of Zooey Deschanel playing Janet (The Wasp) is a very strong possibility. The pair have worked together on Yes Man and The New Girl. It doesn't hurt that she's previously worked with Paul Rudd. We haven't seen a complete casting announcement from Marvel concerning cast members besides Rudd and Douglas, so it's unknown if the studio has signed-off on Edgar's choices. Evangeline Lily has been named as having leading female role, but is said to be playing the daughter of Hank Pym (Douglas). I'm unsure if Marvel is about to make Janet the daughter of Hank, it's possible that Lily is playing another character.

SOURCE: MARVEL 

Peyton Reed Is The Frontrunner To Replace Edgar Wright On ANT-MAN

I've been a bit hesitant to post anything on the crazy amount of contenders linked for replacing Edgar Wright as the director of Marvel's Ant-Man. It all started with Wright exiting over massive rewrites to his script (alleged to be spearheaded by Disney's Alan Horn), that he and Joe Cornish had been developing together for almost decade. Fair enough, and good on Edgar to sticking to his vision.

Well that started a good ol' rumor shit-storm and it came blowing in hard. We got a bunch of names linked for job, which included Rawson Marshall Thurber, Ruben Fleisher, Adam McKay, Nicholas Stoller and Michael Dowse. A few of the directors went out of their way to remove themselves from the running, by either revealing to trades other projects. And, in other cases flat out denials via Twitter or blogs. Ouch, it's a tough situation for Marvel and the cast of Ant-Man, even worse for Wright's replacement.

TheWrap seemingly has more concrete news and states that Peyton Reed (Yes Man, The Break-Up, Down With Love) is now the frontrunner for the director's chair. Which is a solid choice, as Reed is the type of hired-gun Marvel needs at this point. He's also got a quirky side to his directing, which I assume will work well for the project. I really do hope this is the last name, and Marvel confirms the news soon. Production is expected to begin sometime this summer, we should get confirmation in the coming days.

Plus, if there's even a hint to getting Zooey Deschanel involved with the MCU by hiring Peyton, I'm 100% on board for it. I'm fine if Evangeline Lily takes the Janet/Wasp role, but Zooey playing Janet opposite Paul Rudd would be magical. I just picture Janet having that quick-wit and sassiness that Zooey is known for. It also doesn't hurt the pair worked together on Our Idiot Brother and The New Girl.

SOURCE: THEWRAP

Edgar Wright Walks From ANT-MAN Over Marvel's Script Rewrites?

Looks like we might finally have the skinny on why Edgar Wright left Ant-Man. It's apparently Edgar who quit, he wasn't fired by Marvel Studios, as some had assumed. LatinoReview is reporting from inside sources that Wright and Cornish we trying their best to appease production notes from Marvel. That didn't seem to be enough and two low credited writers were making massive rewrites to their script. To the point that Wright's vision had been lost, this is according to this article. I guess we'll hear from Edgar soon, but it's unlikely he'll be giving straight answers. Considering he still has a project or two in-development over at Disney.

About 3 months ago, Marvel had notes. The meat of the notes were about the core morality of the piece, must include franchise characters. etc., These notes came from the big four at Marvel. Joe Cornish and Edgar Wright did two drafts to try and answer the notes without compromising their vision.

6 weeks ago Marvel took the script off them and gave the writing assignment to two very low credit writers. One of the writers were from Marvel's in house writing team. Edgar stayed cool, agreed to stay on the project, and read the draft.

The script came in this week and was completely undone. Poorer, homogenized, and not Edgar's vision. Edgar met with Marvel on Friday to formally exit and the announcement went out directly after.

I have my own theory that these "writers", could in fact be Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus. Since the pair, have had their hands in doing rewrites to "troubled" scripts. Most recently adding their "magic" to Thor: The Dark World, when the script wasn't up to the studios' standards. It would be even more insulting, if Marvel had unknowns reworking the script that Edgar had been writing off-and-on for around eight years.

SOURCE: LATINOREVIEW

It's Not The End Of The World, ANT-MAN Will Find A New Director

You'd think the sky was falling, if we accurately gaged the response of Twitter today. News broke this afternoon that Edgar Wright will no longer be directing Ant-Man. A project he had been writing for Marvel since 2006, and would eventually see Joe Cornish join to co-write on the script. Wright was eyed for the directing gig, but Marvel allowed him to go off to make Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim and The World's End before locking him down as the official director. The studio obviously wanted Wright's vision for the film, even though it's being reported his departure is over "creative differences"

We just learned about this news, but people are already choosing sides, and making Marvel out to be the villain. The full story hasn't been revealed and Wright hasn't even weighed-in on the departure. It's basically the worst we've come to expect from fandom, reactionists just spouting conspiracies and misplacing their anger over what-ifs. If only half of these people actually supported Edgar Wright's film when they were released in theatres, he wouldn't have such a poor record at the box office.

I'm not overly shocked, as Marvel has moved up the date twice and Wright already seemed a bit overwhelmed by the amount of special effects needed for the movie. It's possible that Wright actually got cold-feet about the looming release date and couldn't meet that deadline. This doesn't make Edgar a terrible director, just someone who obviously wasn't ready for something of this scale. Of course, this is just one of many theories that are circling the internet at the moment. Let's not forget that Wright has a bunch of other films in development and could have been offered a bigger project as well.

A majority of this will be Edgar's movie no matter who end's up directing it. Wright blocked a bunch of film's shots, helped with storyboards, hired most of the cast and even co-wrote the script. It's safe to say the film will be 70% Edgar's even with a new director taking over for him. He's done basically all the prep-work, so it's not the case of Marvel removing all of Wright's fingerprints from the project. The new director will simply help finish casting and will just aggressively shoot the production extremely fast.

I have a few names I'd like to put out there for consideration. Variety has pointed out while Marvel is zeroing-in on someone, a deal hasn't been made. So they could end-up looking at other people for the gig.

RICHARD AYOADE: Richard has very similar sensibilities to Edgar Wright, both have a love of topical pulp culture and dry British humor. Ayoade comes from the indie world of filmmaking which should appease the film nerds. His films Submarine and The Double, wouldn't give the impression he'd make an excellent superhero film. However, neither did the Russo Brothers with their work on the show Community. He's sort of a diamond-in-the-rough director you'd want Marvel to search for.

BEN WHEATLEY: Another friend of Edgar Wright, Ben has walked the line of insane and brilliant. His films The Kill-List and A Field In England are projects you'd expect Stanley Kubrick to make, but then makes a black-comedy like The Sightseers (produced by Wright). He's the kind of unpredictable director that I believe Marvel would be attracted to. Ben recently agreed to direct an episode of Doctor Who, something you wouldn't expect him to be into. The only problem is that Ben is about to start shooting his next film High Rise starring Tom Hiddleston.

JOE CORNISH: A lot of people are dismissing Cornish getting involved because he's lined-up another feature, which will focus on the origins of MI6. Joe is the co-writer of the script and could easily direct the hell out of an Ant-Man movie. The people at Marvel must have seen Attack The Block, and the star of that film John Boyega landed a role in Star Wars. I could see Cornish dropping that other project if given the deal from Marvel.

Some honorary mentions include Eran Creevy (Welcome To The Punch, Autobauhn) Sam Miller (Luther), J Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed) and Paddy Constantine (Tyrannosaur).