While Marvel‘s "Ant-Man" will probably be more heavily scrutinized than most of their efforts given the drama behind Edgar Wright‘s sudden departure, it’s clear that the filmmaker’s vision and the studio’s growing universe were just not meshing. And indeed, Evangeline Lilly reveals that disconnect was at the root of the the Marvel/Wright rift, one that almost saw the actress herself split from the project, after falling in love with what Wright had put together.
“I thought Edgar’s idea to blend the [Hank and Scott] stories was brilliant,” Lilly told Buzzfeed about Wright’s approach. “You’re going to have fans up there who insist that you tell the story of Hank Pym, and fans up there who will be more on the Scott Lang side of it. … I think we are going to come close to pleasing them all.” But when Wright exited the movie, things were then thrown up in the air.
“[I was] shocked,” Lilly explains. “And mortified, at first. Actually, I wouldn’t say mortified. You know, a creative project is a moving target. You never end up where you start. But we all, I think, signed on very enthusiastically with Edgar. We were excited to work with Edgar. We were fans of Edgar. So when the split happened, I was in the fortunate position where I had not signed my contract yet. So I had the choice to walk away, and I almost did. Because I thought, ‘Well, if it’s because Marvel are big bullies, and they just want a puppet and not someone with a vision, I’m not interested in being in this movie.’ Which is what I was afraid of.”
And for a hot moment Lilly, who isn’t particularly fond of acting anyway, hesitated about staying on the movie. But then she read the new script and realized Marvel were protecting their overall vision and ensuring "Ant-Man" stayed true to what they had spent years building up.
“I saw with my own eyes that Marvel had just pulled the script into their world,” Lilly revealed. “I mean, they’ve established a universe, and everyone has come to expect a certain aesthetic [and] a certain feel for Marvel films. And what Edgar was creating was much more in the Edgar Wright camp of films. They were very different. And I feel like, if [Marvel] had created Edgar’s incredible vision — which would have been, like, classic comic book — it would have been such a riot to film [and] it would have been so much fun to watch. [But] it wouldn’t have fit in the Marvel Universe. It would have stuck out like a sore thumb, no matter how good it was. It just would have taken you away from this cohesive universe they’re trying to create. And therefore it ruins the suspended disbelief that they’ve built.”
So, score one for template filmmaking we suppose… And while we understand where Lilly is coming from, James Gunn‘s "Guardians Of The Galaxy" proved you could push boundaries a bit and still please Marvel fans in a massive way, so we’re still not quite sure just how wildly divergent Wright’s movie would’ve been to the point that it couldn’t be made.
Thoughts? Do you think Marvel made the right call, or In Wright We Trust? Let us know below.
