Peyton Reed and David Wain Contenders to Direct 'Ant-Man'; Michael Douglas Expresses Disappointment

As I noted in a recent episode of Cinema Royale, Marvel is really scraping the bottom of the barrel to find someone to direct Ant-Man, and it's looking more like a project that doesn't need to happen. Edgar Wright spent eight years developing and putting his own spin on it, and without him there can only be issues which may explain why Adam McKay, Ruben Fleischer, and Rawson Thurber decided to pass. Too much has gone into it for Ant-Man to be shelved or anything like that, and so a couple more names have emerged as contenders to take over.

Peyton Reed, who directed Bring It On and The Break-Up, is apparently the "frontrunner" for the job, but as we've seen before that status doesn't mean a heck of a lot. He hasn't directed anything since 2008's Jim Carrey comedy, Yes Man, which I'm betting you already forgot existed. Also in the mix is Wet Hot American Summer and Role Models helmer, David Wain, although one hopes he'll be too busy with a 'Wet Hot' series on Netflix.

As Marvel scrambles, what seems to be lost in the discussion is the effect this is having on the cast. Michael Douglas, who is set to play Hank Pym, revealed to Schmoes Know that he's "very disappointed" by the turn of events. He went to add that Wright's departure “happened very late in the game [and] I don’t think anybody’s quite recovered.  My heart goes out to Edgar. He’s been involved with the project for a long time, but he’s talented enough that you’ll be hearing a whole lot from him, and I’m sure with a little vengeance.”

If vengeance is really on Wright's mind then it's even less likely he'll take on Disney's remake of The Night Stalker. Oh, and last but not least, 22 Jump Street directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller told MTV they wouldn't direct Ant-Man. Not only that, but they think Marvel should just "abandon ship" on it completely. Ouch.  [TheWrap/THR]