That moment came when director Peyton Reed’s “Ant-Man” hit theaters. By far one of the biggest swings Marvel took in terms of giving a character the spotlight who didn’t have a guaranteed audience by any means, it became a sizable hit, taking in $519 million worldwide against a reasonable $130 million budget.
It helped catapult the already very popular Paul Rudd to another level of global superstardom. It gave the MCU yet another franchise to build upon, and it made Reed into a much, much bigger director than he’d previously been. And yet, 10 years removed, for all of the movie’s success, there remains the sore thumb of it all. That sore thumb is director Edgar Wright, who after making beloved cult classics like “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz,” spent years developing a version of “Ant-Man” that never saw the light of day.
A full decade later, Wright’s version of the movie still feels like the MCU’s biggest missed opportunity, and one that feels particularly relevant today. Wright spent years working on “Ant-Man,” even appearing at one of Marvel Studios’ earliest San Diego Comic-Con panels to tease his take on the character. He would get pulled into other projects, like “The World’s End” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” and Marvel’s schedule would fill up with other projects, including everything from “Thor” to “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
