Production on Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man just got a little more hilly: after losing its original director Edgar Wright over “creative differences,” three cast members are now leaving the project.
Patrick Wilson (Insidious) will be unable to act in Ant-Man due to a scheduling conflict, doubtless caused the by the delay in production after Wright’s departure. (He was eventually replaced by Bring It On filmmaker Peyton Reed.) Although his character in the film was unknown, Patrick Wilson was rumored to be playing anyone from the film’s main villain to a younger version of Michael Douglas’s character, Hank Pym, the creator of the Ant-Man suit that gives the film’s hero Scott Long (Paul Rudd) the ability to shrink.
Related: Comic-Con 2014: Ant-Man Revealed in New Marvel Studios Concept Art
Also departing Marvel’s Ant-Man are Matt Gerard (G.I. Joe: Retaliation) and Kevin Weisman (“Alias”), whose characters – according to the report at Deadline – have simply been written out of the script after Edgar Wright left the project. That screenplay is now being rewritten by Adam McKay (Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues) and Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari (Haunt). Their characters were also unconfirmed.
Given the last-minute nature of this announcement, it seems unlikely – but not entirely out of the question – that Wilson’s replacement in Marvel’s Ant-Man will be announced at the studio’s panel tonight in at Comic-Con 2014. But we do expect some fireworks as Marvel perhaps confirms the casting of Doctor Strange, probably premieres footage from Avengers: Age of Ultron and likely announces some exciting new projects in their mysterious (and very ambitious) upcoming Phase Three.
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
