Ant-Man Writer Reflects on Edgar Wright’s Script, What Made the MCU

Prior to the 2015 film Ant-Man releasing, director Edgar Wright was originally set to direct and co-write the project. While Wright’s involvement eventually came to an end, co-writer Joe Cornish still sees some similarities between the original film from what Wright and he came up with.

Speaking to ComingSoon, Cornish — who co-wrote a screenplay for the film with Wright — was asked about whether or not the finished product that is 2015’s Ant-Man resembled any of what he and Wright had planned. According to Cornish, he thinks about 35% or more of the movie is material from Wright and himself, especially the final section of the film, which takes place in a bedroom with toys and other objects shrinking and enlarging.

“No, it does. I think there’s probably … the first Ant-Man is probably maybe 35% our material, maybe even more,” said Cornish. “Weirdly, some of the bits that people think are Edgar’s bits are not Edgar’s bits. Some of those incredible whip transitions are actually Peyton’s contributions. But a lot of the design is Edgar’s, the casting is Edgar’s … especially the last half hour of the movie where the fight in the bedroom with the toys and the bit in the swimming pool … a lot of that section is how we envisioned it.”

On the topic of making the screenplay, Cornish said that it was a “wonderful experience,” not only because he got to work with Wright, but because he got to work with Marvel, and experience what that type of large-scale production was like.

“For me, that was a really wonderful experience,” Cornish said. “I wish Edgar had got to make his movie, but I got to work at Marvel for years and years and years. I got to work with Edgar for years and years and years. I got to experience what it’s like to work on a big production like that. Marvel are maybe the most successful movie production house in the world. So it’s a win-win situation for me. And I really enjoyed the first Ant-Man. I really enjoyed the second one and I’m really looking forward to the third one.”

Wright was originally announced as director of the film in 2006, with he and Cornish writing the screenplay for the project. However, by 2014, Wright had left the project, infamously noting that while he wanted to make a Marvel movie, he didn’t think Marvel wanted to make “an Edgar Wright movie.” Wright also said that, at one point, Marvel wanted to write a draft of a script without him, which he found tough to deal with considering that he’d written all of his movies. By 2015, most of Wright’s crew had left the film, and director Peyton Reed was announced as stepping in behind the camera.

The third film in the franchise, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, is once again being directed by Peyton Reed from a screenplay written by Jeff Loveness. It is slated for release on February 17, 2023.