It was announced late last night that Hot Fuzz / Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright has exited the production of Marvel's Ant-Man with immediate effect. A short statement from Marvel stated that Wright had left the project - which he had been trying to get off the ground for close to ten years - due to 'creative differences'.
Marvel went on to say that the release date of July 17, 2015 will not be changed and that another director is already in place and will be announced shortly.
Initial thoughts? We kind of saw this coming, believe it or not. Edgar Wright is a noted perfectionist and it's possible that he fell way behind schedule - so much so that Marvel had to bring someone else to get the film finished in time. It's a shame, especially considering the love that Wright has for the source material.
The most logical person to step into the director's chair is Joe Cornish. Not only did he write the script with Wright, he's also been in talks to direct a number of high-profile franchise films. Just recently he was mentioned to be in the running in for the third Star Trek film, although it now appears that screenwriter Roberto Orci will be taking up that project.
It's a shame, but there's a stellar cast and a great script so whoever takes over has the best materials to work with.