by Paul Costello
Yes, in case you missed the whole debacle, or at least the beginning stages of a debacle, Edgar Wright has left the upcoming movie adaptation of Marvel superhero Ant-Man. This is actually a pretty big deal, in that it marks both the separation of Wright from a project he has been attached to (and had been actively pursuing) for the better part of eight years and the first time that an MCU property has hit such a public production snag. Gotta wonder what’s going on.
Yes, in case you missed the whole debacle, or at least the beginning stages of a debacle, Edgar Wright has left the upcoming movie adaptation of Marvel superhero Ant-Man. This is actually a pretty big deal, in that it marks both the separation of Wright from a project he has been attached to (and had been actively pursuing) for the better part of eight years and the first time that an MCU property has hit such a public production snag. Gotta wonder what’s going on.
Wright had stayed pretty quiet on any specific reasons for the split, with news coming via both himself and Marvel that it was due to “creative differences” between the filmmaker and the studio. This could mean a multitude of things, although the most noted of potential reasons was Wright’s longstanding desire to have Ant-Man exist as its own entity, separate from the MCU (which didn’t really exist when he first starting lobbying for the job). However, as Marvel have become the steadily growing movie behemoth as we now know it, with continuity and crossover reaching across all of their movies and the Agents of SHIELD television series, Wright’s desire for a standalone product would likely have meant no small amount of creative clashes.
There was a brief glimpse on Twitter of what could be a sign of Wright’s true feelings on the subject when he tweeted out that picture of Buster Keaton holding the now iconic Cornetto. It was up just long enough to be saved (because Internet) before Wright quickly deleted it. Whether it’s a simple indication of the director’s sadness over the project, or a deeper and more nuanced suggestion of his feelings paralleling those of Keaton’s relinquishing his control to MGM back in the day is also a matter for debate.
There was a brief glimpse on Twitter of what could be a sign of Wright’s true feelings on the subject when he tweeted out that picture of Buster Keaton holding the now iconic Cornetto. It was up just long enough to be saved (because Internet) before Wright quickly deleted it. Whether it’s a simple indication of the director’s sadness over the project, or a deeper and more nuanced suggestion of his feelings paralleling those of Keaton’s relinquishing his control to MGM back in the day is also a matter for debate.
One thing’s for sure… Joss Whedon is showing his support for Wright, tweeting out his own picture of himself wielding a Cornetto (on your left). Considering Whedon’s stance in the MCU, it’s a nice show of solidarity from one who has first hand experience with the Marvel production method. Similarly to the potential deeper meaning of Wright’s Keaton tweet, one could note that Whedon holds aloft a mint Cornetto which…
(SPOILER FOR THE WORLD’S END AHEAD!!!!)
… would hold significance for Wright, since it represents his sf flick The World’s End, in which an overwhelming alien force tries to homogenise different people so that they conform to a single vision of functionality… but then that may be reading too far into it. Maybe the corner shop only had mint ones left.
It’s early days at this point to be trying to assign the blame for it all. Was this Marvel being too overbearing, or Wright being too inflexible? Debates shall rage, although should you want to hear more about the ongoing production of Ant-Man and where it’s future could lie, be sure to listen to I’m With Geek’s next podcast. It’s gonna figure in there, so might be worth checking out.
(SPOILER FOR THE WORLD’S END AHEAD!!!!)
… would hold significance for Wright, since it represents his sf flick The World’s End, in which an overwhelming alien force tries to homogenise different people so that they conform to a single vision of functionality… but then that may be reading too far into it. Maybe the corner shop only had mint ones left.
It’s early days at this point to be trying to assign the blame for it all. Was this Marvel being too overbearing, or Wright being too inflexible? Debates shall rage, although should you want to hear more about the ongoing production of Ant-Man and where it’s future could lie, be sure to listen to I’m With Geek’s next podcast. It’s gonna figure in there, so might be worth checking out.
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