No offense to Inhumans, but the most famous Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster that never got made is undoubtedly Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man. At the time, the studio exerted a little more control over its filmmakers and kept them on a tighter creative leash than it does now, which caused the Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy filmmaker to walk away.
When asked about it, the Baby Driver director was pretty succinct in admitting that while he wanted to make a Marvel movie, they didn’t want to make an Edgar Wright movie, and a compromise couldn’t be reached. Peyton Reed ended up taking the reins, and he’s done a solid job so far, with third installment Quantumania coming to theaters in July 2023.
One of the driving forces behind the Ant-Man series has always been the Quantum Realm, which has ties to every single one of the principal characters, and possibly even Kang the Conqueror if that recurring Loki fan theory turns out to be on the money.
However, it’s revealed in The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe via ScreenRant that it was Paul Rudd and Adam McKay who brought the Quantum Realm into the story, with Wright and Joe Cornish’s draft not mentioning it at all. Looking at how important the dimension has been to not just the Ant-Man films but Avengers: Endgame, it’s fascinating to think that it was added so late in the day.
