As Marvel scrambles to find a new 'Ant-Man' director to replace the departed Edgar Wright, a few names have bubbled up to the top of the list. The Hollywood Reporter says that 'Anchorman' writer-director Adam McKay, Ruben Fleischer ('Zombieland') and Rawson Thurber ('We're the Millers') have met with Marvel this week and are among the top candidates. We've also heard that Marvel Studios co-president Louis D'Esposito (who directed the Marvel shorts 'Item 47' and 'Agent Carter') is in the mix as well.

It's interesting to note that all three of the external choices have strong comedic backgrounds. McKay is a particularly inspired choice, one that likely came directly from 'Ant-Man' star Paul Rudd, who worked with McKay on the two 'Anchorman' movies. But, would he take the job? McKay has written all the films he's directed so far and it would be a surprise to see him take a hired gun type job. But, he's talked for years about branching out into action (his work in 'The Other Guys' certainly hinted at that) and this might be his introduction to the genre.

Fleischer was once one of the hot names thought to direct 'Justice League' at Warner Bros. but then 'Gangster Squad' hit theaters, fizzled badly and Zack Snyder swooped in to take control of the DC universe. With 'Zombieland' and '30 Minutes or Less,' Fleischer worked well with action-comedies and could fit into this world. Thurber, who's been in demand since 'We're the Millers' was a surprise success last summer, would be a surprising choice, but Marvel has been known to take risks.

D'Esposito seems like the safe/fallback choice if they can't get any of the names above. Those three directors agreed to at least meet with Marvel, but whether they'd actually take the job - one in which a fellow director walked away from because of corporate meddling - remains to be seen.

What do you think of these choices? Do they get you interested in 'Ant-Man' again?

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