A week after losing its director, Marvel has reportedly picked Adam McKay to helm the superhero flick "Ant-Man." McKay, who is better known for his comedies, will replace Edgar Wright. The news was first reported by Ain't It Cool News and confirmed by Variety.
McKay co-wrote and directed both "Anchorman" movies and according to Variety, that was a major factor in helping him land the gig. It was rumored that he was in a three way "battle" for the job with directors Ruben Fleischer and Rawson Marshall Thurber.
Because of McKay's relationship with "Ant-Man's" Paul Rudd, he was able to secure the directing job over the others. Rudd played Brian Fantana in both "Anchorman" films. There have been rumors that the script for "Ant-Man" is still not complete and that is why Wright abruptly quit.
Last week Marvel Studios and Wright confirmed his exit in a joint statement. According to Deadline, the statement said the split was "due to differences in their version of the film."
The statement also said the departure was "amicable." Wright had been attached to "Ant-Man" since 2006 but sources told Deadline that the director and Marvel were beginning to have problems.
The superhero movie is based on a comic book, under the same name, and follows Ant-Man, the alter ego of biochemist Hank Pym. Pym used subatomic particles to create a size-altering formula but things don't go as planned and he soon realizes that he can communicate and control insects.
"Ant-Man" stars Rudd as Scott Lang and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, as well as Patrick Wilson, Evangeline Lily, Corey Stoll and Michael Pena.
Marvel said the change in directors has not affected the July 17, 2015 release date.
