Edgar Wright talks Ant-Man; says it will be an origin tale told in a “slightly different way”

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Director Edgar Wright (SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ, SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD) is busy at work on his latest film, THE WORLD’S END, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who will help close out the final chapter in the “Blood and Ice Cream” trilogy.  IGN caught up with Wright and posed some Marvel-ous questions, to which the director divulged some interesting details about his next film, the much-anticipated ANT-MAN. 

For those not in the know, the character of ANT-MAN has been embodied by many characters in the comics, but it’s most likely this will be the original, Hank Pym, a biophysicist who created the technology to grow larger or smaller, creating a helmet that helped him control ants and use the insect universe to his crime-fighting advantage.  His girlfriend, Janet Van Dyne, would later join him (and THE AVENGERS) as The Wasp. 

Wright on his take on the origin story:

“It’s a way of doing a superhero film within another genre. I wanted to tell an origin tale in a slightly different way. It’s part of the Marvel cinematic universe, but it also feels like its own piece.”

Wright on his priorities:

“I’ve been collaborating with [Marvel boss] Kevin [Feige] during the whole of that cycle” he explained. “I think people have always assumed… ‘Oh why is it taking so long to make?’ Part of it is because I wanted to make two other movies first. I wanted to make World’s End… me and Simon were very keen to make it and it felt like it was unfinished business and we wanted to wrap up the trilogy. The script came together really fast. Well not really fast, but it came together at a certain point where it was like ‘I really want to do this next.’”

Wright on his special effects education:

“But to be honest, the later I do it, it feels like I could learn more, especially about special effects. It’s a big effects movie, so I’m pleased to go into it having done Scott Pilgrim and The World’s End because you’re always learning more about that side.”

Wright on the mysterious ANT-MAN promo shown at Comic-Con last year:

“I hope that at some point we’ll be able to show that at some venue all finished” he added. “Because obviously at Comic-Con we showed it unfinished. All done it looks really good.”

Wright on his favorite Marvel films:

“I guess my two favourites would have to be IRON MAN and THE AVENGERS. I’ve enjoyed all of them and I think those two are the ones that score highest on the popcorn metre. That totally work as great crowd-pleasers. And I think what they’ve managed to do in terms of The Avengers coming after a five-film cycle, is kind of extraordinary and unprecedented in cinema history. To bring together four other franchises into one. It couldn’t have gone better could it? It’s amazing.”

Although I’m not a huge fan of ANT-MAN, I’m beyond excited to see Edgar Wright on a superhero movie.  I love his style and feel he’s primed for the genre.  And, really, ANT-MAN (at least Hank Pym) is actually a very compelling character in the comics and it will be interesting to see how they portray him.  He’s always been an arrogant, but briliiant, hot-tempered individual, so seeing Wright tackle that should be fun.

ANT-MAN, part of Marvel’s Phase Three, is set to debut late 2015.