Edgar Wright Shares New Details on His Scrapped ANT-MAN Movie - "Scott Lang Was an Actual Criminal"

As you all know, Edgar Wright was originally set to direct the original Ant-Man movie for Marvel Studios. He was actually working in the film back 2006, but ended up exiting the project several years later over “creative differences.”

Wright was eventually replaced by Peyton Reed, who made an entertaining film. But, fans like myself would’ve loved to see Wright’s vision of the film brought to life because chances are… it would’ve been a better movie. All these years later, we are getting some details regarding Wright’s original vision of the film.

While a guest on The Reel Feedback Podcast, the filmmaker talked about how his Ant-Man movie was different from the movie that Marvel released and he explained that one of the most important differences was that Scott Lang was an actual criminal as opposed to someone who only went to prison because he'd tried to do the right thing by exposing his corrupt ex-employer. He explained:

"Having signed an NDA when I left, there's not a lot I can say. I guess the biggest (pun intended) differences in our screenplay was it was self-contained and didn't have cameos from other MCU characters (apart from an end tease) and it was much more of a crime heist movie, with interlocking robberies and heists throughout, a little like Donald Westlake's The Hot Rock.

"I think the crucial difference too was that (like the original comics) Scott Lang was an actual criminal at the start of the film and not already a 100 percent good guy. We felt it was a more satisfying redemption arc if he went from criminal to hero. Lots more to say, but can't for legal reasons!"

It’s so stupid that Wright can’t talk about a years-old project like this. It’s not like we don’t already know that Wright would have delivered a better movie.

When previously talking about the film, Ant-Man editor Colby Parker Jr. offered additional details saying that Wright was looking to lean deeper into the movie’s heist story and Scott Lang would have had a much bigger team. He said:

“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.”

Another major aspect that Wright really pushed for was a story that was completely 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. He didn’t want any other Marvel characters in the film… I don’t think the Falcon would have been in Ant-Man.”

That’s most likely why Wright didn’t make his movie. Kevin Feige was keen on setting up this shared universe and Wright didn’t want to play that game with Ant-Man, so he left. Wright was on the right track with this movie. When previously talking about leaving the project, the filmmaker said:

"The most diplomatic answer is I wanted to make a Marvel movie but I don't think they really wanted to make an Edgar Wright movie. I was the writer-director on it and then they wanted to do a draft without me, and having written all my other movies, that's a tough thing to move forward. Suddenly becoming a director for hire on it, you're sort of less emotionally invested and you start to wonder why you're there, really."

When asked if he had ever seen the film that was released, Wright said:

“Do you want to watch your ex-girlfriend have sex?” Like, 'No, I’m good.' The closest I came to it was that somebody sitting near me on a flight was watching it. And when I saw that the person sitting next to me was going to watch the movie, I thought, hmm, maybe I’m going to do some work on my laptop.”

While he’ll never watch the film, Wright explained that the last person you'll hear speak ill of the film is him:

“I’ll never be pressed into kind of bad-mouthing it, because the truth of the matter is my friends are in it. Paul Rudd is a friend of mine and we’re still very good friends. And in fact, I saw him in New York the other week and we had dinner and it was the first time we’d had a chance to properly sit down since that whole thing. And the one thing I’ll say about that movie is I’m pleased that I got a writing credit on it, because it sort of makes up for having worked on the script for like eight years. Two is that I got my friend, Paul, a part in a major film. And I did say to Paul – he knows I haven’t seen it – I said, ‘You know, I haven’t seen the movie, and I will never watch it. I did see you in Civil War, and you were the funniest bit.’”

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, it’s a shame that we never got to see Wright’s vision of Ant-Man brought to life.

Via: CBM