This is getting old. Ant-Man used to be the wild card Marvel flick many of us were looking forward to. Now, it’s Marvel’s albatross. You’d think it would be easy to find directors that wanted to take part in the massive success machine that is the MCU, but it feels like Adam McKay, Ruben Fleischer, and Rawson Thurber have stepped around a turd on the sidewalk. Did Marvel offer each of them a raw deal? Not enough creative control? A disastrously bad script? Whatever the hell is happening, Marvel has egg on its face, and they know we all see it.
From my understanding, Marvel and Disney execs sent out their paramilitary goons to track down Yes Man director Peyton Reed (who was hiding in Costa Rica) and Wanderlust director David Wain (who sought asylum in Sicily). Since their capture, Reed and Wain are being held at Disneyland. A blood magic ceremony may determine who will ultimately become the fleshy vessel for the demon they’re summoning to direct the film.
Thanks to The Hollywood Reporter for breaking the news.
UPDATE: AICN, based on an exclusive from The Wrap, has named Peyton Reed director of the film. They also say that the script was indeed a total disaster, and that the shooting script will include a rewrite from Adam McKay.
UPDATE 2: The news reported over at AICN has been confirmed by Marvel: Peyton Reed will direct, and Adam McKay is taking a pass at the script.