When Edgar Wright slunk out of the director’s chair for Ant-Man, the most inquisitive speculation formulated around one question – Why? Largely thought to be a result of Marvel’s insistence on advertising strategy and product placement, one star who didn’t drop out of the project, Evangeline Lilly, has finally spoken out on the disharmony between Wright and the studio.
“I thought Edgar’s idea to blend the [Hank and Scott] stories was brilliant,” the actress told Buzzfeed about Wright’s original vision. “You’re going to have fans up there who insist that you tell the story of Hank Pym, and fans up there who will be more on the Scott Lang side of it… I think we are going to come close to pleasing them all.”
Shortly after, Wright exited the anticipated superhero caper. Taking with him his ideas for a different approach, Lilly’s reaction seems to match those found tapped out on blogs everywhere:
“I was shocked. And mortified, at first. Actually, I wouldn’t say mortified. You know, a creative project is a moving target. You never end up where you start. But 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.’ Which is what I was afraid of.”