Former Ant-Man Director Edgar Wright Reveals The 'Crucial Difference' In His Film
"Shaun of the Dead" and "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" director Edgar Wright has carefully given fans a peek into what he had intended for his "Ant-Man" film.
Wright, who co-wrote his screenplay for "Ant-Man" with Joe Cornish and was slated to direct the film, eventually parted ways with Marvel over creative differences. Peyton Reed took over as director of the 2015 film and went on to helm its two sequels — 2018's "Ant-Man and the Wasp" and 2023's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."
At a recent live presentation of the "Reel Feedback Podcast" at the Prince Charles Cinema in London, Wright discussed different aspects of his career and took questions on his Instagram account. Addressing his time working on "Ant-Man" prior to leaving the project, Wright dove into as many details as his non-disclosure agreement would allow — like the difference between his version of Scott Lang-slash-Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and the version of the character fans got with Reed's 2015 film.
"I think the crucial difference too was that [like the original comics], Scott Lang was an actual criminal at the start of the film and not already a 100 percent good guy," Wright said during the podcast (via Comic Book Movie). "We felt it was a more satisfying redemption arc if he went from criminal to hero. Lots more to say but can't for legal reasons!"
Wright said there was only one MCU cameo in his version of Ant-Man
In "Ant-Man," Paul Rudd stars as ex-con Scott Lang, who burglarizes the home of Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and unknowingly steals a suit that, when worn and powered by Pym Particles, will shrink him to the size of an ant. What Lang doesn't realize is that the theft of the outfit is the first part of a test where Pym enlists Lang and his crew to go on a heist mission to steal a similarly functioning Yellowjacket suit from his former colleague, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll). Cross' use of the shrinking technology is driven by sinister intentions.
Tiptoeing around what he could reveal during the podcast about the NDA he signed when he left "Ant-Man," Edgar Wright noted during the "Reel Feedback Podcast" that perhaps the major difference between his and Joe Cornish's screenplay and what fans eventually saw was that their version of the tale was more self-contained. "[It] didn't have cameos from other MCU characters [apart from an end tease] and it was much more of a crime heist movie, with interlocking robberies and heists throughout, a little like Donald Westlake's 'The Hot Rock,'" Wright said, referring to the screenwriter of the 1972 action crime comedy starring Robert Redford.
Despite additional work on the "Ant-Man" script by "Anchorman" filmmaker Adam McKay and Rudd, Wright and Cornish also received co-screenwriting and story credits on the superhero film. The character originated at Marvel Comics, of course, as the creation of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Larry Lieber.