Edgar Wright Drops Out of Marvel's 'Ant-Man'

Here's why fans shouldn't be surprised by the news.

For the better part of two years, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have learned about the dance surrounding Director Edgar Wright's Ant-Man, a project at least a decade in the making. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has supported the unique nature of the project, stating emphatically that it's been Wright's force of will that's kept the project going.

That is, until now.

According to a statement released by Marvel Studios, Wright has departed the project. The statement, released on Friday - gives the standard "differences in their vision of the film" as the reason, but also tries to assure the reader that its July 17, 2015 release date is unaffected by the change.

Good luck with that. While Marvel has become the most successful studio in recent memory, it has had its significant share of issues in keeping directors around through sequels. The list starts with Jon Favereau, who was vocal about the failure of Iron Man 2 being tied to Marvel's unyielding demands to keep a tight schedule and their hardnose tactics in renegotiating his contract. Then, you see the departure of Captain America: The First Avenger Director Joe Johnston and Thor helmer Kenneth Branagh. And while Alan Taylor stepped in nicely to director Thor: The Dark World, we learned of production problems - including unfinished scripts and last minute rewrites poisoning the process.

Granted, Directors Joss Whedon and Joe and Anthony Russo have had nothing but positive things to say about their experiences, but clearly something is not gelling with some of these creative teams, with Wright being the most recent one to depart. A franchise and studio can only weather so many of these departures before quality issues seep through, and Wright's sudden leave spells more trouble than usual. It was his unique style and take on the character that won him early praise from Fiege and then strong support from fans when teaser footage surfaced at 2013's San Diego Comic Con. With most of the cast filled and filming soon set to get underway, Marvel will need a director with strong vision and a willingness to forge through the inevitable "What happened?" questions as the media soon descend on the production.

Until then, we'll just have to hope that Marvel has a winner in their back pocket who can step in to what's become an all-too familiar trend for the studio.

Ant-Man stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Patrick Wilson, and Michael Douglas, and opens July 17, 2015.

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