‘Ant-Man’ Movie Loses Director Edgar Wright
Director Edgar Wright has stepped away from the superhero movie Ant-Man, citing differences in the vision of the movie with Marvel, the studio producing the film. In addition to his role as director, Wright – known for bitingly funny films like Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End, as well as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World — cowrote the movie’s script with Joe Cornish, who worked on the screenplay for The Adventures of Tintin and wrote and directed Attack the Block. Despite his large stake in the movie, the split will not affect the film’s previously announced release date of July 17th, 2015, and the studio said it would announce a new director in the near future, according to Deadline.
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As announced, the movie will star Paul Rudd as the titular insect superhero, who has the ability to shrink himself down to the size of a bug, as well as its alter ego, Scott Lang. Michael Douglas will join him as the original Ant-Man, scientist Hank Pym who had stumbled on the technology and passed his knowledge over to Lang. In the comics, Pym eventually aligns with the Avengers.
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“With Hank Pym’s rich history in the Marvel Universe, we knew we needed an actor capable of bringing the weight and stature to the role that the character deserves,” Marvel president Kevin Feige said of the latter casting in a statement. “We felt incredibly relieved when Michael Douglas agreed to step into the part with the charm and fortitude he brings to every character he inhabits, and couldn’t be more excited to see what he will do to bring Hank Pym to life.”
Other actors attached to the movie include Evangeline Lilly, Patrick Wilson, Michael Peña and Corey Stoll, Variety reports.