Evangeline Lilly Says Edgar Wright’s ANT-MAN Wouldn't Have Fit in the Marvel Cineverse
In a lengthy interview with Buzz Feed, Evangeline Lilly talks about how she fell into acting. She also talks about her love of writing and her journey to becoming a published author. Lilly also talks about how she nearly quit acting until she got a call from Peter Jackson to join The Hobbit. As a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and Jackson, taking the role of Tauriel was a dream come true.
She also relates how after The Hobbit she was ready again to move away from acting to focus on her writing career when Edgar Wright offered her the role of Hope Van Dyne in Ant-Man.
“Initially, I was like, no way. No way.” Lilly starts laughing. “And then they said, ‘Paul Rudd’s playing the lead.’ And I was like, ‘Oh shit. I love Paul Rudd. I really want to work with him!’ So I was like, ‘OK, well, send me the script. I’ll read it and I’ll consider it.’ And then I started watching Marvel [Studios] movies, which I hadn’t done before. … I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to movies — like, the popcorn-munching movies, I never go see them. I was pleasantly surprised. I thought, these are actually incredible — they’re making fantastic films.”
While not a comic book geek, Lilly did her research on Ant-Man before even reading the script.
“I thought Edgar’s idea to blend the [Hank and Scott] stories was brilliant. You’re going to have fans up there who insist that you tell the story of Hank Pym, and fans up there who will be more on the Scott Lang side of it. … I think we are going to come close to pleasing them all. And what’s cool is that, you know, Janet Van Dyne is my mom. Hank Pym is my father. I was raised by two superheroes. I’m no schlump. I’m a pretty smart, competent, capable, kick-ass female. She’s very cool.”
Then in May, Wright left Ant-Man over creative differences. Lilly, having not signed a contract yet, wanted to see the new script before officially committing to the film.
“[I was] shocked,” she says. “And mortified, at first. Actually, I wouldn’t say mortified. You know, a creative project is a moving target. You never end up where you start. But we all, I think, signed on very enthusiastically with Edgar. We were excited to work with Edgar. We were fans of Edgar. So when the split happened, I was in the fortunate position where I had not signed my contract yet. So I had the choice to walk away, and I almost did. Because I thought, Well, if it’s because Marvel are big bullies, and they just want a puppet and not someone with a vision, I’m not interested in being in this movie. Which is what I was afraid of.”
But she didn't walk away and waited for the new script to come in so she could see how this would differ from Wright's vision.
“I saw with my own eyes that Marvel had just pulled the script into their world. I mean, they’ve established a universe, and everyone has come to expect a certain aesthetic [and] a certain feel for Marvel films. And what Edgar was creating was much more in the Edgar Wright camp of films. They were very different. And I feel like, if [Marvel] had created Edgar’s incredible vision — which would have been, like, classic comic book — it would have been such a riot to film [and] it would have been so much fun to watch. [But] it wouldn’t have fit in the Marvel Universe. It would have stuck out like a sore thumb, no matter how good it was. It just would have taken you away from this cohesive universe they’re trying to create. And therefore it ruins the suspended disbelief that they’ve built.”
It seems to me that Wright made a smart choice in walking away. Compromising his vision or style to fit the Marvel cineverse would have made a lesser film in the end. It's reassuring to know Marvel Studios has a firm grasp of the world they are building. Lilly is really confident in the script and the director which gives me a lot of hope for the film.
I'm looking forward to seeing what Lilly has in store for her first novel which is a sci-fi/fantasy story. The full interview with Lilly is really interesting and worth checking out.
H/T:/Film