Ant-Man - WTF Happened To This Movie?

Hollywood has had its fair share of historically troubled productions. Whether it was casting changes, actor deaths, fired directors, in-production rewrites, constant delays, budget cuts or studio edits, these films had every intention to be a blockbuster, but were beset with unforeseen disasters. Sometimes huge hits, sometimes box office bombs.
In our latest episode we explore 2015's MCU hit, ANT-MAN, starring Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena and Corey Stoll. Eventually directed by Peyton Reed, the film was long-in-development by Edgar Wright (HOT FUZZ) and Joe Cornish, who carried the film for a long time from script to pre-production. Eventually, Wright left the project after clashing with Marvel Studios and the film commenced without him, even though he shares a writing credit with Cornish on the final film. So, how did a project that Wright developed for so long get away from him and what led to the film we finally got? Seriously, WTF Happened To This Movie?
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#AntMan #PaulRudd #MCU

[@brycevo]

Man. I feel so sorry for Edgar Wright. He deserves more

[@MattSaysHello]

I really enjoyed Ant Man, but would have loved to have seen what Edgar Wright could have done with the character.

[@MisterUnknown707]

@Kyle Reese Not really, it was pretty good.

[@DownLow0099]

Without Antman there was no rescue plan, not even a possibility of one.

[@natsohigh5552]

Didn't they basically keep all of what Wright did? And just added extras to make it connect to the MCU

[@MattSaysHello]

@@natsohigh5552 I don’t think so. I read that it’s was mostly Payton Reed’s project.

[@ammagnolia]

The repeated lines about nothing getting by Baskin Robin's REALLY felt like a Wright script. And also the way homeboy tells epic stories and everyone acts out his narration is TOTALLY Wright.... He did it on Spaced multiple times like such as first episode when Tim and Daisy talk about their childhood, or when they plan their ideal night out and one sees it as a comic and the other kinda like Antman did. He did it on Shaun of the Dead when discussing the many plans to get to safety. I feel it would have been just a LITTLE bit more special with Edgar.

[@eon001]

Honestly I'm actually happy with how Ant-Man turned out with all things considered.

[@LordRae]

Ant Man is possibly one of my favorite movies in the MCU. Incredibly easy to rewatch and it has it's own flair. It's not a perfect movie but I love it.

[@_Katzenberg]

I always consider Ant-Man as the underdog of the MCU, that's why I like this movie, is weird, is different and has amazing production, using macro photography into the shrinking scenes is masterly done, plus the trippy third act is something remarkable. Balanced light humor and a lot of heart. Literally a family heist movie, that's why I love it.

[@davidjames579]

Underdog just like Scott Lang and Hank Pym

[@theshadowman1398]

The most likable cinematic universe character in my opinion

[@GeneralBulldog54]

Actually... yeah. I mean, his plan was what ultimately saved the universe and created "the blip" despite losing 5 years with his daughter. However, what's really interesting is how the movies shone a light on former felon recidivism. You have Lang (an overall good guy, did an activist move against his employer, went to San Quentin, did his time and lost his wife in the process), when came time to take care of his daughter he wanted to very much but despite his electrical engineering training the only job he could get was Baskin Robbins who fired him because 1. he lied on his application because 2. many businesses don't hire felons so what did he do, got back with former felons and committed a crime. Traditionally, he'd get arrested and go back to prison for a parole violation, get out, not be able to get work, go back to crime wash rinse repeat. Scott Lang is such a fascinating character. It's amazing the lack of respect he gets. Without him (and Hawkeye), there's no Endgame.

[@krixpop]

@@GeneralBulldog54 well said !

[@captainz454]

Would love to see a video on WTF happened to Spider-Man 3

[@Bit2brain]

17:05 - I count it. Norton may have been difficult to deal with but he was a damn good Banner.

[@shoesncheese]

Ant-man is one of my favorite Marvel movies. Seems like we're lucky to have it at all.

[@Girundy]

I feel like the Character and movie is severely underrated in the MCU. The movie is one of my favorite in the MCU and find myself rewatching more than the others. I hope we get more movies and see the character more.

[@mr.sand7899]

I'm more interested in learning what del Toro's Dr. Strange was.

[@dcmarvelcomicfans9458]

Wait what?

[@mr.sand7899]

@@dcmarvelcomicfans9458 yeah originally del Toro was going to direct a Dr. Strange movie.

[@dcmarvelcomicfans9458]

@@mr.sand7899 really? tell me everything.

[@mr.sand7899]

@@dcmarvelcomicfans9458 idk much about it but it would've been set during phase 1 of the MCU. And Strange would've had a love interest that was some being of light or something. It didn't happen because del Toro is a busy man.

[@dcmarvelcomicfans9458]

@@mr.sand7899 so that explains why there was a love interest in the doctor strange movie honestly she felt pointless and unnecessary I thought more time should be focused on developing Doctor Strange.

[@DBSG1976]

Top 5 best series on KZbin. The editing, narration, and painstaking research make these videos beyond entertaining. Thank you!

[@repulore13]

Constable 1976 yes!

[@JoBloOriginals]

Really appreciate the compliment! We work very hard on these, from scripting to narration to editing, etc. and are beyond happy you guys are enjoying them. Many more to come!

[@bigjohnnyy4488]

JoBlo, we need a "WTF Happened to this Movie" for Liz Taylor's Cleopatra!!

[@andrew4029]

Very much agree. "Cleopatra" is pretty high up there in the annals of catastrophe.

[@bigjohnnyy4488]

@William Hutchinson yeah Mutiny on the Bounty also!

[@Eggsther]

This should be good

[@swirlershark-dragon8393]

John Wayne's Ghenghis Khan

[@swirlershark-dragon8393]

Or why people like Tom Hank's movies? LOL

[@marcgo13]

With the long wait, glad they used the ageless Paul Rudd

[@davidjames579]

No de-ageing tech needed there.

[@MrHantz101]

That dude got the Dick Clark package. Looked exactly the same for 50yrs

[@christopherdon1437]

Ant-man is one of my favorite MCU movies and Paul Rudd was a breath of fresh air and not only in those movies but also in his later appearances in infinity war and endgame

[@mew888]

@12:35 There was also a villain called Yellow Jacket in the comics. Rita Demara was using the name during the mid 80s.

[@LankyDutchman]

These videos are great, I watched one and it turned into a marathon. I am officially a fan. Keep up the good work, JoBlo!

[@toriagalaxy1566]

Sad to see that Wright worked so hard for so many years and ended up with empty hands, especially when he's so very skilled. It would have been great to see his vision. But my real question...who wrote Thomas into the script? On behalf of my train-obsessed toddler, I'm dying to know...

[@matthewronson5218]

Thomas is owned by Mattel, who also owns Fischer Price, so it was a product placement advertisement.

[@toriagalaxy1566]

@@matthewronson5218 of course, as all things are 😄 But any train representation in media is enthusiastically supported in our household lol. Even if it's a train passing by in the background. And since many of the big action blockbusters often have a drawn out pursuit or fight on or among trains, it was a stroke of comic genius to have an Antman battle among the miniature toy trains. And the big collision scene where they switch to the full sized frame as it clunks and falls over...perfection. Lol

[@matthewronson5218]

@@toriagalaxy1566 Yeah. it was cute. To a Toddler, I'd just say something like 'the movie people talked to the Thomas people... :)

[@wstine79]

I'm glad that the Kevin Feigee (and more so the Disney big wigs) are allowing the directors to be more creative with the MCU movies.

[@repulore13]

wstine79 yes!

[@matthewronson5218]

Kevin Feige

[@themadtitan7603]

Yep, had Marvel done so earlier, we could've got Edgar Wright's Ant-Man movie.

[@frankallen4833]

Tell that to Scott Derrickson

[@davidjames579]

@@frankallen4833 Edgar Wright: "It won't be in the MCU". Scott Derrickson "It'll be Marvel's first horror film".

[@joeyteter9383]

I actually really enjoy the Ant-Man films. They’re two of my favorites

[@kristversoza]

Edgar Wright watched the movie that's for sure.

[@Life-Row-Toll]

Ant-Man was a pretty nice, fun, and a solid small film.

[@davidjames579]

it's a nice, charming, fun distraction. As is the sequel.

[@harrypothead42024]

Ant-Man is my favorite Marvel movie by far. I never had any interest in the character before the movie

[@salvatronprime9882]

I agree, absolutely. It's the only one that I have re-watched.

[@vhscopyofseinfeld]

Harry Pothead same

[@Blitzo8390]

I just wish that Edgar Wright will get the chance to direct a superhero movie. I’d be happy if he becomes the director of Deadpool 3

[@bigbabysld]

ANTMAN was a great movie with great green screen effects. I was pleasantly surprised how good this movie was

[@monasteryintibet]

YOU GUYS SHOULD DO ONE FOR “NEW MUTANTS” 😂 that movie is stuck in purgatory!!!

[@dcmarvelcomicfans9458]

Watching a movie in terms of reshoots and the trailers are released the problem is they can't get the movie out in theaters because of delays

[@davidjames579]

Excellent video, but one minor complaint. You said Eric Fellner was diagnosed with Cancer in late 2013, which spurred Wright to then make The World's End. However that was rel in Aug 2013, and filmed in Fall 2012. I have read elsewhere that Fellner's diagnosis did change Wright's mind to get World's End done as quick as possible, which meant asking Marvel to put back Ant Man. This was in 2011, which fits with End being shot in 2012. deadline.com/2013/07/comic-con-q-how-working-title-partner-eric-fellners-health-scare-put-the-worlds-end-before-marvels-ant-man-548997/

[@AngusStewart01]

Underrated movie of mcu

[@maximusareilius2262]

Go fuck yourself

[@chrisjimenez2192]

*_Great video my dudes!_* 😊😃

[@terryhurley3568]

I believe it was Adam Buxton, who was interviewing Joe Cornish , who asked him about this whole episode. Cornish was very diplomatic , but reading between the lines, it doesn't sound like it was totally Fiege's fault for the departure of Wright. Cornish eludes to a battle going on within the MCU, and after Wright left, the right man within The MCU won the internal battle, according to Cornish. Now to me, that sounds like Cornish is talking about the ousting of Ike Perlmutter, and the way Cornish put it during the interview, he did make it sound like it was Perlmutter who was the real "villain" throughout the making of Ant-Man. Having said that, Cornish did not mention any names, so I am just extrapolating Really good video though, as most of yours are

[@davidjames579]

Wonder if that means Wright can come back. Or maybe for Star Wars/Indiana Jones?

[@zonesproductions]

I hope they bring Edgar Wright back as a director at some point. They're doing it with Sam Raimi so... hopefully

[@zonesproductions]

@@purestrangeness1839 I read he was directing Dr Strange 2

[@nekro5342]

I doubt Edgar Wright would want to go through that again. Probably some ill will there which was mentioned in this video.

[@44excalibur]

Wtf happened was they used Edgar Wright's Avengers-incompatible Ant Man script rather than a script more compatible with the MCU Avengers storyline. Omitting Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne from the Avengers, making Tony Stark Ultron's creator, making this Hope Van Dyne character the Wasp instead of Janet, and shifting Hawkeye and Black Widow into Hank and Janet's roles in the Avengers were all too many unnecessary compromises and alterations to accommodate one filmmaker who never wanted to make an MCU movie and only ended up quitting.

[@swanpride]

...the main reason why Ant-man kept getting delayed in the beginning was that Wright kept getting distracted by other projects. Marvel waited patiently for years for him to get into gear before finally pressing for the project finally getting into gear. Only for Wright jumping ship over "creative differences".

[@davidjames579]

You're right, but Marvel did keep stalling him on when they wanted it. They're as much to blame for putting it back and back (it's the same as Matthew Vaughan leaving Thor because Marvel kept waiting to see how things in the MCU turned out). And at crunch time they got another writer to do a draft behind Wright's back, and then forced him to film that, despite years of letting him write it.

[@Locadel2003]

Antman and the wasp was more fun, action packed and entertaining but the first one is more simple and better script. The second has a better villain but I love the origin story of the first. Paul Rudd brilliant

[@matthewronson5218]

Ant-Man and the Wasp were the exact opposite of what you describe, at least for me- tedious and a nearly complete disappointment. A cluster-fork that put Ant-Man in the back seat. However, Rudd is brilliant. He nailed the character along the lines of Iron Man, Cap, Thor and the Vision.

[@Everan614]

Ant-Man and the Wasp reduced Scott to a funny moron, so no

[@Aezeus]

Last time I was this early, coronavirus

[@antuanos]

Can someone explain this comment?

[@johnk6123]

First time you were a huge piece of shit-idiot was always

[@Brad772006]

Wow, I knew part of this story, but didn't know all the details. Such a tragic thing to do to Wright. Although around 2013 is when Marvel seemed to start hiring directors who didnt mind being told what to do. I do wish I could have seen a Wright directed Ant-Man.

[@Red_Sun329]

There is a really good round table interview on the Hollywood reporter with Jordan Peele, Ricky Gervais, Thomas Middleditch, Will Forte, Fred Armisen and Don Cheadle. Jordan Peele mentions in the interview that he was considered for the role of Scott Lang/Ant-man

[@mew888]

@08:33 Hank Pym is referenced in Thor. Not by name but as Selvigs colleague that had dealings with S.H.I.E.L.D. Kevin later confirmed this in interviews.

[@JamesASharp]

Poor Edgar Wright. Showbusiness is just plain brutal. Oh well.

[@ajtaylor8750]

As solid as the first Ant-Man film was, seeing what Edgar Wright had in store would've been special. He seemed very passionate and enthusiastic about the project, but it was obvious he and Marvel had different plans and his film didn't fit into the long-term MCU plans.

[@fishermclemore9120]

Tbh I thought Ant-Man was one of my favorites of the MCU. It was a good set of movies that felt separated enough from the MCU but when it interacted with elements from the MCU, it didn't break the story of the movie for me. I thought it was a delight in the same way I thought the Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man movies were.

[@michaelstrong5383]

As much as I like this movie, a part of me would really love to see what it could have been if Edgar Wright stayed during the whole production.

[@fulcrum6760]

Michael Strong The movie wasn’t even gonna the part of the MCU meaning if it came to fruition-Scott would never be in Civil War or Endgame.

[@michaelstrong5383]

@@fulcrum6760 True, but it would have been cool to see what a comic book movie directed by Wright could have been like. Then again, I guess that's what Scott Pilgrim was.

[@OutoftheWayFilms]

14:48... Did you forget to add in a clip from the Inhumans here?

[@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9r]

The first Ant Man film is one of the rare instances where the film still turned out great regardless of it's production. I love the first movie and I still think it's one of the best movies in the entire MCU.

[@thomassalas5191]

I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt but I don't know how would have felt him being Ant-Man

[@WiseUp89]

Besides Iron Man (2008) this is my favorite marvel film

[@satelitemikedatapro2498]

what's the 'bad look' reference at 14:48?

[@davidjames579]

James Gunn's firing?

[@Christos-V-Bakolas-1988]

What is the score used in this video??

[@NaglfarCommando]

Was there at Comic Con's panel got the Iron man shirt from it.. Great day.

[@jt.5431]

No Edgar Wright happened to this movie.

[@jamesgarrett8833]

Do a WTF happened to this movie on Black Panther

[@MarkoLomovic]

I have no clue what happened there but it went to shit lol

[@gridlo]

"The worst look marvel had. At least until THIS whole debacle. Oh, the humanity." (PHOTO NOT AVAILABLE)

[@joshualarue1624]

Yeah whats that all about

[@corncake29]

He actually said “oh, the inhumanity”. I’m assuming it was a reference to Inhumans (the other big Marvel disaster) and the video is just missing a cut to that footage.

[@gridlo]

@@corncake29 Ah, good theory

[@ryandowney8743]

I hope you do one on the 2005 Fantastic Four film.

[@gustavgnoettgen]

Also: remember when the first footage of Klaue appeared _and it was rumored_ that it was Pym?

[@lablueguy2000]

i love the first film, the second not much

[@pdzombie1906]

I only knew the half of it... thanx!!!

[@wrlord]

Dude, Lang became Ant-Man years before the movie. Pym had already been Yellowjacket for decades.

[@44excalibur]

Decades? No he wasn't. Hank Pym was only Yellowjacket in the late 70s and early 80s. He'd been Goliath and Giant Man far longer than that.

[@JohnDoe-ug3su]

I love this movie, rare to see an actual family movie that is fun for the whole family

[@ramaravindmuppavarapu8461]

Maybe all of Wright's versions should be turned into a animated movie

[@MsFreshadenu]

Nick Frost played Daisy Steiner in Spaced? I never knew...

[@theknave4415]

"Ant man" was a fun ride, with a completely different take on superhero movies.

[@buddhidev7877]

I like this film a lot. One of the best film, by budget scale, of the MCU.

[@bigginsd1]

You would hope that some point in the future Edgar Wright gets his shot at an Ant-Man Movie. I love his Pegg/Frost films and was blown away by Baby Driver. I was quite happy with the Ant-Man film we got though, and it was nice to have a film in the MCU that wasn’t so interconnected with the other films.

[@davidjames579]

Baby Driver was actually made with a lot of the crew Wright worked with on Ant Man, and after spending time in Atlanta on pre-production of Ant Man, he then choose to set and shoot Baby Driver there (originally it was set in L.A.)

[@AngusStewart01]

I use to watch Incredible Hulk re runs on tv with my parents

[@thepaintingbanjo8894]

I'm just happy Ant-Man was such an integral role in Endgame and it gave him the Avenger justice he needed. It still felt dirty how they retconned Tony Stark as Ultron's creator in Avengers 2. It could have been a good launching pad for Hank Pym and the Ant-man side of the MCU.

[@shobhitsingh6330]

I must say that Ant Man has really cool superpower.

[@bigbabysld]

17:00 don't diss THE INCREDIBLE HULK, probably the most underrated movie in the MCU.

[@scase15]

You guys really need to tone down the volume on the intro and outros to match the video, I go deaf everytime.

[@rosspert4688]

KZbin is a nightmare when listening through a proper HiFi. sourceforge.net/projects/equalizerapo this is great has inbuilt compressor and can load vsts.

[@asdAS3]

Why is the music so bleak ?? Jesus dude the same music is used in Coronavirus cases status stream...

[@tobyham9536]

I loved this movie! Being a comic book fan, I also liked the connections with the other Marvel characters.

[@anubusx]

I wish got to see Edgar Wright's version.

[@accutronitisthe2nd95]

My mom has watched this movie like 20 times and loves Paul in it!

[@SuperOmnicronsj44]

Great and underrated film 👍🏽

[@TheMikadoOfLondon]

Shops sell tons of popcorn on a daily basis. Doesn't mean it's real food. Regardless, I also enjoy watching an occasional Marvel film, but at the same time, I wish they would have channeled their money and efforts into making individual non-superhero blockbusters not based on anything but an original screenplay.

[@keithmoonshine]

Can you pls tell us WTF Happened to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen?

[@OMGmyFACE]

Oh man, that would be so good.

[@KhaosKontroller]

Who the hell is "Joss Waydon"?

[@misantrope]

Edgar Wright should come up with his own super-heroes, put them in a cornettoesque style movie and they should be played by Pegg and Frost.

[@lasvegasloner4621]

I agreed with the rogerebert.com review. This film is underrated. They balanced comic book hero abilities and the science fiction (and some fact) with reality better than all the other Marvel films, and I felt by the end of the film that I knew the characters personally. I used to wonder why there even was an Ant man in the comics when I was a kid, but eventually came around to understanding he is actually quire a force when the powers are used right. The film did the same thing for me all over again, at the same time the cast was far more believable than most films in the genera.

[@Sanghelli]

14:49 what debacle is he referring to?

[@williamcharron4683]

Inhumans

[@TheVideoMaker1999]

17:03, uhh, Marvel themselves? they included it in their box sets after all

[@jordansweet8054]

I love Ant-Man and think it gets too much crap because of Wright's departure. I like Wright as much as anyone else but I like what we got.

[@youkilledmyduck187]

thank u

[@JBob08]

One of my favorite Marvel movies. I'm a sucker for Paul Rudd and Heist movies.

[@VCYT]

You could say that edgar wright got ants in his pants.

[@BrooklynBeTheBoro]

Thank God they got rid of Edgar Wright! It's always a mistake to give directors like him free reign to fuck around with the property as they see fit. All of the worst MCU films had directors and writers that didn't stick to the MCU blueprint, and the films suffered because of it.

[@dlancer2k]

I would definitely love to see what Edgar Wright's Ant-Man would look like, but I can't help feeling they made the right call in letting him go considering he didn't want to connect it to the MCU the way Feige wanted. Connecting the movies together is what the MCU is all about.

[@MarkoLomovic]

I think this movie should never have been made like this. They should have just dropped Wright's idea and start blank. What Wright wanted was his vision of ant man. They should have made Hank pym antman(because he has such interesting personality and adds to avengers dynamic ) for MCU . Feige made a mistake of not even planning for Ant man which is weird since you can't really have avengers without ant man. It is same as not having Iron man. Movie ant man has weak story and weak character, there isn't anything special about him. It is so blend that you don't even notice him in avengers movies. Check out how he is portrayed in cartoon the avangers: Earth mightiest heroes. What I really hate about MCU antman is that he is just "dude" that is antman.

[@dlancer2k]

@@MarkoLomovic If you go by the comics, Wasp is more important to the Avengers. She was one of the original leaders.

[@MarkoLomovic]

@@dlancer2k Yup, cartoon I mention even shows her coming up with name Avangers. Hank is pacific and he and wasp have special relationship since she is the one that convinces him a lot of times to spring into action. Ant man and wasp have a lot more depth and watching movie really made me feel like it was missed opportunity.Something I didn't feel when I watched Iron Man 1 or First Avenger for example.

[@MikePuorro]

I remember correctly, the ability to shrink was definitely used to heroic proportions. When the Ant-Man character starts to figure out all the cool things he can do, the movie really takes off. All that aside, Hollywood isn't in the business of realizing the dreams of writers and directors. Unfortunately, the producers and production companies are usually completely out of touch with the target audience.

[@jordanherkowski5052]

I wouldn't want to see a movie that was only part of a shared universe because they said it was. Like Wright apparently wanted.

[@michaelmazzajr6234]

Are doing one with X-Men origin wolverine,dark Phoenix and spider Man 3

[@kbsanders]

14:47 what was the debacle?

[@williamcharron4683]

Inhumans

[@ShallowDepression]

I couldn't finish this film, but I did enjoy the 2nd one.

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

#PymCreatedUltron

[@King-ci8sk]

I'm of the opinion that they phased out Edgar because the studio guys preferred Waika's sense of humor and they had plans for him

[@sup7673]

I loved Ant Man! "Darn good film" : )

[@SuperStuda]

Spaced starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes, lets get this right.

[@Joecbg100]

When you fire Edgar Wright you deserve what you get, a meandering filler film.

[@LastBastian]

Don't know what Wright would have brought to it, but I really enjoyed what we got.

[@Azaisdaking]

Ant-Man has some fun moments, and I love Paul Rudd, but both it and it's sequel are pretty forgettable. Would have been cool to see an Ant-Man movie made by someone with an actual vision and personality.

[@MrNpc81]

Wright is not perfect, Baby Driver and The Worlds End are poor movies. But it would've been nice to see Wrights version of Ant Man

[@alienboy1322]

@@MrNpc81 Baby Driver was one of my favorite films of 2017.

[@Joecbg100]

@@MrNpc81 World's End is great what are you smoking?

[@sammywestenberger9303]

Falcon Loves You!

[@supremelordoftheuniverse5449]

It’s one of my favorite MCU movies

[@calvinfisher5886]

This makes me think of Doctor Strange 2

[@mustakimrahman1098]

I loved Antman!!!