Evangeline Lilly Almost Quit ‘Ant-Man’ When Edgar Wright Left

When Edgar Wright left Marvel’s ‘Ant-Man’, many wondered if the superhero film would ever happen. Peyton Reed was hired to direct from a retooled script by Adam McKay and the film is still on track for its original release date, so everything worked out OK in the ‘Ant-Man’ world but, it almost didn’t work out that way. Star Evangeline Lilly revealed in a recent interview that when she first heard about Wright’s departure, she was “mortified” and almost quit the film.

The actress spoke to Buzzfeed and revealed that, unlike Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas, she hadn’t yet signed her contract when Wright and Marvel parted ways and she thought very long and hard about walking away with him.

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.’

Lilly adds that she was “shocked” by the news, telling Marvel, “I’m not going to do my [costume] fitting until I see the script.” Marvel eventually convinced her to stay, looping her and her co-stars in on the planned changes.

And, while we’ve all heard Marvel’s take on why Wright left, it’s interesting to hear Lilly’s thoughts on why the creative partnership went south.

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.

It’s disappointing to think that we can’t have standalone-style movies in the Marvel universe (like an R-rated ‘Punisher’ movie, for example) and a more singular artistic vision, but this is the Marvel way and it has proved them very successful. We’re excited to see what Marvel and Reed do with ‘Ant-Man’ and remain equally as excited for whatever Edgar Wright is doing next.