Could Joe Cornish Direct Ant-Man?

We've been hearing lots of updates concerning the script of Marvel Studios' Ant-Man which is being written by Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish. The pair previously worked together on Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of The Unicorn that's being produced by Peter Jackson. Last thing we heard is that the duo handed in a second draft which the studio seemed thrilled about. Now word from HitFix is that they're aren't finished the script leading us to believe that a third draft is currently being worked on. Joe also stated Edgar hasn't been announced as the official director and that he would leave all the announcements about the film to him [Wright]. Marvel Studios has neither announced a release date or even a director for the film.


I'm getting the feeling that Joe might be in a better position to direct Ant-Man than Edgar. Cornish is slowly gathering steam as a director with his cult film Attack The Block and unlike Wright doesn't have his plate full of projects. Marvel is notoriously cheap and would likely lock a director into a two picture deal. Something I feel could be too much for Wright who does as much producing as he does directing. Likely wanting the breathing room to make his passion projects such as Baby Driver, Them and World's End along with producing other things. Cornish was recently linked as a candidate to direct A Good Day To Die Hard the fifth film in the Die Hard franchise before John Moore was hired.

Edgar Wright's Ant-Man A Team Spy Film?

We've been getting a few hints on what we can expect from Marvel Studios' Ant-Man which is being written by Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim, Hot Fuzz) and Joe Cornish (Attack The Block, Tintin). From what is known we could be seeing a group of Ant-Men in a high-tech spy heist film. This makes a lot of sense considering neither Pym or Wasp won't be showing up in Avengers.

It will include at least two of the Ant-Men including Dr. Hank Pym and burglar turned-hero Scott Lang (2nd Ant-Man) which was confirmed by MTV. Also the film's leading lady Janet van Dyne wears a similar suit and is known as the Wasp. It would be nice to see another heroine in the film perhaps Lang's daughter Cassie. She becomes a Young Avenger known as Stature who shares the same powers as her father.
 
ThePlaylist was able to speak with Joe Cornish which he became coy when the question of Ant-Men was raised again. However, they mention several "Ant-Men" are rumored which could mean SHIELD Agent Eric O'Grady (3rd Ant-Man) could be in the film as well.

"We had heard that at one point Cornish and Wright were going to put several of the Ant-Men (meaning people that had put on superhero scientist Hank Pym’s suit) into the script, meaning that they could have thrown in our personal favorite Ant-Man – Eric O’Grady, low-level S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent turned shadily “Irredeemable” Ant Man."

Cornish smiled at our implication and said, slyly, “No comment.” He then started to say something, “Well, you know…” before shutting himself off with another “No comment.”


Edgar Wright talked to VanityFair about his vision for the film which will be a "high-tech spy heist film". The espionage angle gives further fuel that a team could be put together. Wright had been in contention to direct Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol which has a similar theme minus superpowers. I wouldn't be shocked to see Ant-Man closer to Bond or Mission Impossible than any of the other Marvel films.

"I think it's a really interesting high-concept idea. [...] I know there's a big stigma attached to it, mostly because every movie about shrinking has been about people in peril. I think it'd be great to do a shrinking film about a bad-ass secret agent. [...] Even something like The Incredible Shrinking Man, which is a fantastic film, is about a guy in trouble. But this is going to be nothing like that. It's essentially a high-tech spy heist film with somebody with a very particular power."

Edgar Wright Gives Small But Promising Update On Ant-Man

BleedingCool was able to report on a quick statement from Edgar Wright concerning the status of Ant-Man. While brief, it sounds like the third draft of the script is done and the announcement of concept art in existence is beyond promising.

Ant-Man and Wasp are of course founding members of the Avengers but it's been stated that the pair would have their origins told in Wright's film rather than overloading Avengers even more.

Joe and I turned in a draft on Monday… we’ve got some concept art… I love it and hope we get to make it soon.

CAST EM'!: Edgar Wright's Ant-Man

With the second draft of Joe Cornish and Edgar Wright's script for Ant-Man complete I figured I go over some updated casting ideas for the Marvel Studios film. I've come up with a list of my favorites for the roles of Hank and Janet.

Previously we've seen actors like Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk and Adrien Brody rumored for the role of Hank. Along with online campaigns for Neil Patrick Harris and Simon Pegg. Pegg suggesting he'd rather play the film's villain rather than Ant-Man himself. I like some of the names being mentioned but I have my own ideas as well.



DR HANK PYM - ANTMAN

Joel Edgerton: Joel is similar to Tom Hardy and Jeremy Renner as he's slowly building up a decent resume of badass roles. He seems like the gruff type of Hank that you could seriously and be threatened by. Depending on how their take on Pym if they want to get a future action star for the part Joel could be their man. (The Thing, Animal Kingdom, King Aurthur, Smokin' Aces, Star Wars: Episode II & III)


 



Jamie Bell: Jamie is an excellent young actor. I've been fascinated with his career as he's been able to go from child actor to slowly developing into an action star. Being the only solid thing about Jumpers and also being able to hold his own in Defiance alongside Daniel Craig. Bell was also involved with the Spider-Man talks so it's likely he's open to a comic book role. If I had to choose a favorite it would be Bell. Not to mention he's already had plenty of motion capture experience with Tintin which could be an asset. It's expected Ant-Man will be mostly motion capture. (King Kong, Tintin, The Eagle, Defiance, Flags of Our Fathers, Hallam Foe)





JANET VAN DYNE - WASP

Mila Kunis: Mila is best known for her television work but has become known for her adaptability taking on many different types of films. She's able to play almost any sort of role dramatic, action, comedic or otherwise. She had been linked for the Lois Lane role with many other actresses but seemed at the time the best choice. As Janet is characterized as a petite woman Kunis' stature fits that aspect along with her bubbling personality which Janet is known for. (Oz, Book of Eli, Sarah Marshall, Black Swan)







Mary Elizabeth Winstead: Winstead on the other hand has more action film roots as a majority of her films have tended to go in that direction. She also has been rumored/linked to being involved with talks for Superman, Spider-Man and The Avengers. It seems she wants to do a comic book film and is on the radar of Marvel Studios as MEW was a possible candidate for Maria Hill. (Death Proof, Die Hard 4, Scott Pilgrim, The Thing, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter)







WHO WOULD YOU CAST IN THE LEAD ROLES? LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS!

Anthony Horowitz Working On Tintin Sequel

Author Anthony Horowitz has announced he will be writing the script for the yet untitled Tintin sequel. Horowitz admits he expects he won't be the only writer working on the script. He also confirmed that the film would use elements from the books The Prisoners of The Sun and The Seven Crystal Balls. Previously Stephen Moffat (Coupling, Doctor Who) penned The Secret of The Unicorn then Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish also came in to work on it. I assume Cornish and Wright will return for writing duties. Currently Peter Jackson who is expected to direct the second Tintin film is working on the two Hobbit films which will likely tie him up until 2014. It's possible Jackson could allow another director or bring back Steven Spielberg to make the sequel then direct the third and final film.

Joe Cornish Confirms Second Draft Of Ant-Man Script Complete

During Kapow!  Ant-Man co-writer Joe Cornish (The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of The Unicorn, Attack The Block) confirmed that he and Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim, Hot Fuzz) have handed in a complete second draft of the script. Which they both are very happy with.

It has been expected that Ant-Man very well could be the second film released by Marvel Studios in 2012. Following The Avengers which is about to start production with a May 4th 2012 release date. Ant-Man could start production at the tail end of the summer or early fall with a late summer release date in 2012. Somewhat similar to how the Thor and Captain America productions took place. Edgar Wright is currently attached to direct but I wouldn't be surprised to see Joe Cornish take the director's chair if Attack The Block does well with audiences and if Edgar decides to make Baby Driver instead.

5 Comedy Directors That Should Be Considered For Deadpool

Daredevil director David Slade recently tweeted that Fox is currently looking for "comedy directors" to make the Deadpool film. It's not surprising as the "merc with a mouth" is full of nothing but one liners and quick wit. While they had previously pursued Robert Rodriquez it's likely they're now looking for someone able to balance the high level of comedy with the extreme action of a comic book film. If Ryan Reynolds is committed to doing the film and making sure it's R-rated I have a few names in mind for Fox to consider.



DAVID GORDON GREEN: One of the only people connected with the Apatow crew that I believe could do this right. David's madness of fusing adrenaline fueled action with slapstick comedy was best shown in Pineapple Express. Your Highness looks like it could be just as crazy this time giving the director the chance to work with a bigger budget and special effects. If Fox wants a comic book film that we've never seen before he certainly could deliver one.



JAMES GUNN: On the same level of "what the fuck moments" that Gordon Green has James Gunn could be just as mad when it comes to bringing Deadpool to the screen. His films Slither and the upcoming Super are set in a surreal world that screams Deadpool. Another director who give us an exciting, violent and bizarre ride.



JODY HILL: Jody is best known for his amazing HBO series East Bound & Down along with his dark comedies Fist Foot Way and Observe & Report. His sense of smart quips and dark humor could be great for Deadpool. My only issue with Hill is that he hasn't had much experience with large scale action setups or special effects and could feel overwhelmed by the action scenes.



JOE CORNISH: Currently Joe Cornish is gaining more commercial writing gigs teaming up with Edgar Wright for the Spielberg/Peter Jackson Tintin trilogy along with Marvel's long in development Ant-Man. Edgar has enough on his plate with Baby Driver, Ant-Man and World's End so he's out of the running in my mind. Cornish on the other hand is getting a lot of buzz for his original film Attack The Block which won over a lot of critics over at SXSW this year. I have yet to see the film but if he's able to deliver a film on the cheap for Fox they would seriously consider him.



RUBEN FLEISCHER: The man behind the resurrection of America's love affair with zombies and more than likely helped AMC commit to making Walking Dead. He's currently working on post-production on 30 Minutes Or Less and has mentioned wanting to start filming Zombieland 2 in the near future. The obvious Zombieland connection to Deadpool screenwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett makes him a excellent choice as Ruben understands how to shoot their scripts properly while also keeping to a minimal budget.



WHO DO YOU THINK SHOULD DIRECT DEADPOOL??

FIRST LOOK: Joe Cornish's Attack The Block

Basement Jaxxx Scoring Attack The Block

Edgar Wright just spilled the beans on Basement Jaxxx's involvement with Joe Cornish's directorial debut Attack The Block. The science fiction action comedy will feature Nick Frost (Paul, Shaun of The Dead, Hot Fuzz) and focuses on a teen gang in South London defending their block from an alien invasion. Wright Tweeted about enjoying Basement Jaxxx's score for the science fiction comedy. Cornish is a good friend of Wright's and the two worked together on the script for Steven Spielberg's Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of The Unicorn. I love the work of Basement Jaxxx with their blending of British Hip-hop, Trip-hop, Bollywood and Electronic music.

Ant-Man Rumor Roundup

 Ant-Man isn't Marvel Studio's highest priorty project as it's been in development for years now. Joe Cornish (Tintin, Attack On The Block) and Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of The Dead) have been working on the film's script but it's unknown when it could start production.

The assumption is that as soon as the script is done Marvel/Disney will see if they want to move forward with the project. There had been talk that Ant-Man could be the follow up film to Avengers in 2012. This is backed up by the shut down of Runaways which was expected to start shooting winter/spring 2011. It's also likely it was put on hold because of the resources and money needed for Avengers.

 Ant-Man writer and director Edgar Wright has come out and debunked the rumor of Alan Tudyk playing the lead role. He previously knocked down other rumors of Nathan Fillon which had him perplexed. Even Simon Pegg had to come out and flat out discredit his chances for a role.

There has also been talk of Pym having a cameo or bonus scene in Avengers. Over the summer Edgar killed any expectations of seeing his hero in Avengers by saying his introduction is an important part of his film and will be kept there.

" I talked to Kevin Feige about that a while back where we just discussed about whether he would be in The Avengers. The thing is, the script that I've written, you know, whether it's next or not I don't know, the chronology of it or the way it works wouldn't really fit in with what they do. And my film is very much an introduction to that character, and so it wasn't something where it felt right to introduce him in that film. Maybe if I do the solo Ant-Man film and maybe there's a later Avengers then they could draft him in later. But it didn't work with the kind of the angle that we were going to do with the origin that I'd written."

MY THOUGHTS

There are three major roles up for grabs which include Dr. Hank Pym, Scott Lang (2nd Ant-Man) and Janet van Dyne (Wasp). One of the actors who keeps coming up during Marvel casting is Chuck's Zachary Levi. He had to drop out of Thor where he would have played Fendral to focus on his TV show. Then was confident about his chances for a role in Captain America possibly playing the lead or his sidekick Bucky Barnes. His Fendral competitor Dominic Cooper did however land a role in Cap as Howard Stark.

Levi seems to have good relations with Marvel Studios and I think he would definitely be on Edgar's radar. So would Zachary make a good Ant-Man? Perhaps, but he seems more heroic than Pym should be and could be a better fit for Lang instead.

So who could play Pym? I still think Simon Pegg could be great in the role but seems way too busy with Star Trek 2 creeping up soon. Jason Schwartzman would be another excellent candidate and has a history with Wright along with a strong presence with audiences.

On the other hand Marvel could hire someone on the brink of becoming a big star. That person is Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons who is the soul of that show and is rising fast. If there was anyone who I can picture as the eccentric scientist it's definitely Parsons. I don't normally focus on TV actors but Jim and Zachary are exceptions to this.

Now comes Janet who eventually becomes The Wasp. My favorite for the role is Anna Kendrick this actress is beyond talented along with being able to keep up Edgar's fast-paced witty dialog. Perfect examples include her films Rocket Science, Up In The Air (Oscar Nominated role) and her scene stealing role in Wright's Scott Pilgrim. Kendrick is a perfect addition to the Marvel universe and I believe keeping the Ant-Man cast slightly younger would help it's success.

Do You Think Marvel Should Make Ant-Man Their Next Film?? Who Do You Want To Star In The Film?? Leave Your Comments!

Simon Pegg Would Rather Play The Villain Than The Hero In Ant-Man

When writer/director Edgar Wright first started working on the Ant-Man script people assumed the lead role would go to his longtime collaborator Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz, Spaced, Shaun of The Dead). Pegg has since gone on to make a name for himself in Hollywood with MI3, Star Trek, Tintin, Burke & Hare, Paul, Star Trek 2 and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Pegg was asked about his involvement in the project by ViewLondon (via CBM) and said he wouldn't want to play the hero of the film. He'd rather play the film's villain if offered instead. I love the thought of Simon playing Ultron, Egghead or one of the other villains. With Nathan Fillion and Eva Longloria rumored for the film's leads the roles could be already filled unless Pegg is referring to Scott Lang who has been confirmed to be included in the film. I feel Pegg has enough of the heroic roles currently and in his future that it would be nice to see him play a villain.