Ant-Man editor Colby Parker Jr. shared some new details on Edgar Wright‘s vision for the Marvel superhero that ultimately never became a reality.
Parker Jr. revealed during a chat with The Direct that the acclaimed director wanted to lean deeper into the movie’s heist theme by equipping protagonist Scott Lang with a much bigger team. “His film, it was still a heist film. But remember how we have three mains. I think there were, like, 15 people within the gang, the gang that was going to do the big heist,” the editor recalled.
Another major aspect that Wright really pushed for was a separate story that was largely isolated from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “I don’t think there would have been any other Marvel characters set up. I think he was going to be a standalone,” Parker Jr. said. “He didn’t want any other Marvel characters in the film… I don’t think the Falcon would have been in Ant-Man.” The final version of the film, which was helmed by Peyton Reed once Wright departed the project, included a brief scene wherein Scott Lang visits the Avengers Compound and tussles with Sam Wilson aka The Falcon.
Wrighter’s Block
While Wright was originally attached to pen the story and direct Ant-Man, the Shaun of the Dead creator ultimately dropped out of the project before production began. Reports claim that Marvel Studios commissioned one of its in-house writers to rework the script after months of struggling to break the story, and the final draft lacked Wright’s distinct voice and tone. Despite this, several aspects of his narrative made it into the final version.
Even though it was one of the more low-profile MCU releases of Phase 2, Ant-Man proved to be a success with fans and critics alike. Starring Paul Rudd as the titular hero, many praised its unique theme and visual effects, with the film being so popular that it spawned two sequels, neither of which proved as critically successful.
Ant-Man is available to stream on Disney+.
