Wow, it’s turned into quite the day for Ant-Man news, hasn’t it? In fact, the tiny little Avenger has been dominating the news cycle for a couple weeks now, ever since Edgar Wright left the project and sent Marvel scrambling to find a replacement.
We’ve heard several names tossed about, from Anchorman director Adam McKay (who went into negotiations and then promptly dropped out), We’re The Millers helmer Rawson Marshall Thurber (who turned it down), Zombieland’s Ruben Fleischer (who left after McKay was offered the job), Neighbors director Nicholas Stoller (whose involvement was later called “unfounded”), and What If director Michael Dowse.
Now, we’ve got another name to toss onto the pile, though he’s reportedly the new frontrunner. According to The Wrap, Down with Love director Peyton Reed is a “serious contender” for the gig.
Like the other candidates, Reed has a history in comedy, with movies like Bring It On, Down With Love, The Break-Up, and Yes Man. However, just because he’s never helmed a big budget action movie before doesn’t mean he can’t, as seen by what the Russo Brothers managed to do with Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Interestingly, Reed was in the running to helm the first Fantastic Four movie over a decade ago, but his unique vision for the property (A Hard Day’s Night-inspired period piece) was too much for Fox executives. Perhaps he could take some of those sensibilities and bring them over to Ant-Man, the kind of hero who benefits from such quirky and fun ideas.
Personally, I think it would be great to see Reed take on the project, as I absolutely loved Down With Love. Sure, he’s no Edgar Wright, but he’s one of the better directors in contention at the moment and the first namedrop that’s really piqued my interest.
While Reed reportedly “has the edge,” we’ve learned by now to take everything with a grain of salt and wait for official confirmations. Until that happens, tell us your thoughts about a Peyton Reed directed Ant-Man in the comments below!