Marvel Picks Peyton Reed To Direct ANT-MAN, Adam McKay To Rewrite Script


The weeks of suspense are over! Ever since Edgar Wright left Ant-Man, the geek community has waited with bated breath over who would succeed him at directing Marvel’s tiniest hero. We watched as almost every comedy director passed on the project, and some even suggested that the film be delayed or cancelled.

Well, Marvel wouldn’t hear of it, and after an aggravating search, they have finally confirmed that Peyton Reed (Bring it On, Yes Man) will direct Ant-Man, which is still set for release on July 17, 2015. There’s more: although he passed on directing it, Adam McKay (Anchorman, Talladega Nights) will  be “contributing to the film’s script,” which basically means he’s rewriting it.

Peyton Reed (left), Adam McKay (right)

Peyton Reed (left), Adam McKay (right)

The studio also released the first synopsis for Ant-Man, although most of it we already could have inferred.

Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang (Rudd) must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas), protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

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Like I said, nothing really new here. We knew a heist would be involved, and going off of Marvel lore, we figured that Hank Pym would at least be the creator of the shrinking technology. However, look closely: the synopsis suggests that the Ant-Man suit will allow Lang to shrink. What does this mean for Pym Particles? If they’re included, will they somehow power the suit? If they’re not included, what’s allowing the suit to shrink and increase Lang’s strength? These are the important questions, people.

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Needless to say, Reed has a difficult journey ahead of him. Production is still chugging along at full speed (seriously, the last movie that cut it this close was X-Men: First Class), and he barely has time to catch up on a project that his predecessor had eight years to work on. Plus, Reed’s work isn’t that versatile. Obviously very few directors have been able to helm superhero projects, but the guy has rarely ventured outside romantic comedies, and they’ve been decent at best. I’m not saying Reed will necessarily give us a bad film, but he’s certainly not the strongest candidate. At least Wright had Scott Pilgrim under his belt.

The silver lining is that McKay is working on the script. Granted, most of his comedies are off-the-wall and extremely ridiculous, but I think he’ll be able to tone down the absurdity for Ant-Man. Just don’t bring the rest of the Marvel heroes in to cameo in a street brawl, McKay. I think we’ve seen enough of those.

SOURCE: Marvel