It’s been a busy few weeks for Marvel’s movie-making efforts, with the long-awaited Ant-Man losing director Edgar Wright, then reports surfacing that hinted at the trio of comedy-friendly filmmakers on the studio’s shortlist for the film, only to have one of those directors remove his name from consideration.
On Friday, The Hollywood Reporter indicated that Anchorman and The Other Guys director Adam McKay was one of the three filmmakers in the running for Ant-Man, along with Rawson Thurber (Dodgeball, We’re the Millers) and Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, Gangster Squad). All three filmmakers have well-respected comedic inclinations, so it’s clear that Marvel wants a director who can handle humor behind the camera for Ant-Man.
While the news was quickly followed by a report on Ain’t It Cool News that Marvel had made an offer to McKay to direct the project, the celebration was short-lived, with The Hollywood Reporter breaking the news less than 24 hours later that McKay had decided against directing Ant-Man (which would have reunited him with Anchorman actor Paul Rudd). McKay used Twitter to address the quick turnaround and his decision.
“And yes, met w/Marvel. Kirby & Lee r my Lennon Mccartney so it was awesome. But have other projects I’m committed to. Not sure it can work,” wrote McKay.
It’s conceivable that the job will now be offered to Thurber or Fleischer, and it’s likely that a decision will have to be made quite soon, given Marvel’s insistence that the film stick to its July 17, 2015, release date as initially planned.
