Ant-Man introduced us to one of the most quirky, nerdy, super-hero in the MCU, we owe our gratitude to Edgar Wright. Scott Lang’s story was thought and developed by the renowned auteur — Wright, who worked with Marvel for many years to make Ant-Man. At that time franchise was focused on creating stories that were interlinked so that it could establish its position as a franchise. However, Edgar Wright had developed the story as a stand-alone, and he did not agree with the interlinked story.
Due to these and other differences Wright left the project before it could be released in 2014, and Reed replaced him. Ultimately Wright was credited for the story and screenplay because the franchise took most of his storylines and plot for the film. They believed that he deserved credit for the ideas he developed over the years.
Edgar Wright believed that Marvel could not pull it off
One of Wright’s closest collaborators has recently opened up about what transpired between the two parties, roughly ten years. He spoke about the sad incident that led Wright to depart from the MCU.
Writer of Ant-Man Joseph Cornish disclosed significant details on The Playlist podcast that explains why director Edgar Wright departed the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie in 2014. Wright and Cornish co-wrote the screenplay for the film as it was being produced, therefore both of them are given credit for the story and script. He said,
“When Edgar and I first met Marvel, they were in offices above a BMW showroom in Beverly Hills. It was around the time of Ang Lee’s ‘Hulk,’ and [Jon] Favreau hadn’t even started working on the first ‘Iron Man.’ Superhero movies were not a thing… I guess because VFX hadn’t evolved to the point where they could put what was on page on the screen. So, they always felt like they were reaching for something they couldn’t achieve.”
Joe Cornish Continued,
“We worked on [‘Ant-Man’] for something like eight years, on and off. And in that time, the landscape changed completely. Technology changed completely. Audiences fell in love with superhero movies. All the stuff that people loved in the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s in comic books were suddenly translated on screen in a really direct way that had never happened before.”
As Wright and Cornish worked on the screenplay, people started loving superhero stories. During the eight years, there were also significant changes in technology, it reached a place where VFX was strong enough to bring comic books to life.
Creative differences that finally lead to Edgar Wright’s departure from MCU
Joe Cornish emphasized the fact that Edgar Wright is an auteur who makes films that are like Edgar Wright, one can recognize his style and presence in almost all films that he has made. Marvel was not ready for auteur films, they were looking to produce films that would come under the umbrella of the franchise. The films that Marvel would produce were all a part of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe but Wright was not ready for that. He was intent on telling the Ant-Man story his way, leading to his departure. Cornish said,
“That kind of overtook us in the sense that Marvel didn’t necessarily want the authored movie that Edgar and I wanted to make because, at that point, they had this behemoth on their hands. They had this universe where the movies had to integrate. Edgar is an auteur. Edgar Wright makes Edgar Wright movies. In the end, that’s why it didn’t happen, I guess.”
Joseph Murray Cornish cleared the air by talking about why Wright was credited for the story and screenplay. He ardently believes that it was because Wright spend years developing the idea and screenplay, his “little ants” were all around the film, and so were his designs. Cornish Continues,
“Having said that, a lot of our stuff is still in there, and I like that movie. We’re as excited as anybody to see where it goes next. We feel connected to that cast as well because Edgar cast it. The designs are still in it. There are still a couple of little Edgar Wright ants scuttling around invisibly in those movies.”
It was due to this contribution that they had to credit him even though he was not with the project throughout. There is no animosity between the duo and Marvel, they continue to appreciate and enjoy the films that Marvel has produced over the years. Edgar and Wright have re-connected over time, and they remain good pals. Today Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be the first major film as MCU transitions into phase five.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will release on 17 February 2023.
Source: ThePlaylist
