Marvel movie fans know that in Stage 4, Ant-Man played a pivotal role in Endgame. It can be said that it is he who put forward the theory of crossing the parallel universe through the "quantum field" that he has the setting of finally saving the defeat. But in fact, the earlier movie "Ant-Man" did not have a quantum field setting at all, and Marvel almost caused the plot of Phase 4 to be completely different from the current one because of this lack. What's going on here?
It's all about a director named "Edgar Wright." Edgar Wright was involved in the production of the first installment of Ant-Man. In the film directed by Payton Reid, Scott Lang, played by Paul Luther, is seduced and led to the wrong path of crime after being released from prison at the instigation of a group of "fox friends", and their goal is a safe among scientists. Unfortunately, he breaks into Hank Pym's (Michael Douglass) home and steals the contents of a huge safe. But then he was disappointed to find that there was only one old uniform inside, but he never expected that it was not an ordinary uniform.
It turns out that the theft was originally a plan of Hank Pym, who took a fancy to Scott Lang and wanted him to become the new Ant-Man. Pym said that his partner Darren Crosscross wanted to sell the technology similar to the Ant-Man variation to the highest bidder, which would cause the technology to be leaked and a very dangerous thing for society, so Pym wanted Lang to inherit Ant-Man's theft of this technology.
In fact, before Payton Reed took the helm of the film, Edgar Wright was the director and writer of Ant-Man. Long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was born, the filmmaker had been working on the project for several years, even working with another screenwriter, Joe Cornish, to create Ant-Man for Lionsgate Entertainment's Artisan Entertainment. After meeting with Marvel's Kevin Feige, Wright joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2006, working alongside Cornwall, where he also filmed test screening footage as director of Ant-Man and aired at The San Diego Comic-Con in 2012.
However, when the film began to be produced, Marvel did not accept Wright's idea alone, but let other writers also participate in the writing of the script. Soon due to creative differences of opinion, Wright and Marvel parted ways shortly before filming began, which caused an uproar during the production process, and Paul Luther, who played "Ant-Man", almost quit Ant-Man, and The actress Who played "Wasp Woman" Hope Van Dahn, Evangeline Lily, also almost quit. Fortunately, the storm eventually subsided with Paul Luther and Adam McKay starting to write the script, and Reed directing it, and the film became more in line with Marvel's taste.
It's also been seven years since Wright quit his job at Marvel Films in 2014, but the details of Wright's script have become increasingly known over the years. It was found that while Wright's script was still the "backbone" of the film, there were some fundamental changes. Wright's script is more full of British humor; there is no setting for the "quantum realm" that plays an important role in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; the characterization is also different, and after Wright's departure, Lily plays a more important role. In addition, judging from the exposed Wright script, his "Ant-Man" does not have much connection with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and is more of an independent existence.
Wright's script remains the "core" of Ant-Man
Edgar Wright worked on Ant-Man for about 8 years, and after his departure, his original screenplay was still adapted into the film. That is to say, although Wright quit Marvel Studios, his script was retained, and the final release of the film was still based on his script as a basis for change. In an interview on a set visit, successor director Peyton Reid called Wright and Cornwall's scripts the "backbone" of the film. The director explained that, similar to the Disney+ To Steal An Ant-Man animation released in 2012, Wright's version was set to steal, but Hank Pym passed on the role of Ant-Man to Scott Lang, which according to Reed was a "mentor/student" story.
The July 2015 issue of Hip Hop Empire also supports this view, noting that Wright and Cornwall's screenplay is largely based on the main line of 1979's To Steal An Ant-Man. The screenplay depicts Scott Lang and Pym fighting the evil Nano Warrior, who eventually becomes the "Wasp Warrior". During a test screening at Comic-Con 2012, Wright also specifically mentioned how his Ant-Man blended Silver Age heroes with contemporary heroes. From this point of view, in many aspects, the rewriting of the "Ant-Man" script does retain the core story.
Wright's script itself isn't that serious either
In the cover story of 2015's Hip Hop Empire, Lily talked about the film's changes, saying, "I think the biggest difference between the two scripts is that Edgar Wright's script doesn't take itself seriously." She also said the initial script was "funny" and "humorous" and described it as "classic British frolicking from start to finish". For Lily, in the end, the new film is more American, not only full of fun, but also emotional. In addition, in Empire of Hip Hop, Reed talks about Marvel allowing him to "explore the tortured, guilt-ridden side of Hank Pym." While Ant-Man is indeed more comedic than other Marvel Cinematic Universe films, the film also deals with heavy emotional themes, especially Pym's pain and guilt of losing his wife, Janet Van Dane, because of the malfunction of his Ant-Man uniform.
While Wright's version of Ant-Man may be "more playful" than the Marvel Cinematic Universe version, the film won't be entirely a farce either, as Wright talked back at 2006 that his Ant-Man incorporated a lot of comedic elements, but he stated that his idea wasn't meant to be a spoof. "I wanted to make it more like an action adventure," he said. ”
The script does not have elements of the "quantum realm"
In Avengers: Endgame, Ant-Man's "quantum theory" eventually provides the key to time travel, however, these concepts and theories barely appear in the Ant-Man movies. In a 2015 interview, Reid explained that he and Adam McKay changed Marvel's Microverse, which was later renamed Quantum Realm, and incorporated that element into adaptation of Ant-Man. Reed also tries to further "shrink" the quantum realm to a higher level in the third episode. "It's something that has never been in a draft that was drafted earlier," Reed said. Marvel's new history book, Marvel Studios Story: The Formation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, confirms this fact and reveals that there was no "quantum realm" setting in the original script. Since the "multiverse" of marvel movies at this stage still relies on the "quantum realm", this setting, and even more "microscopic world", will become one of the most critical elements in the new Ant-Man script.
Many of the characters behave completely differently
Wright's Ant-Man script still involves most of the film's main cast as well. But he is more focused on the story of "Ant-Man". After Paul Luther and Adam McKay took over as writers for Ant-Man, several other characters began to stand out. According to Evangeline Lily, she herself once approached Luther and McKay and asked them to "reinforce" her role. Due to the change in the script, the later "Wasp Woman" had a chance to perform better in the film, and even because of this, Lily was even allowed to bring physical qualities to the character.
Darren Cross, the "Wasp Warrior" played by the film's villain "Cory Storr", also said that his personality in the film was also "much deeper" than the original script. Among other important character changes, Reed also gave Michael Penner more story clips to His Ant-Man friend Louis. Reid said "it's also something that never existed in the original script, and I wanted to bring this in to make the story smoother."
Wright's Ant-Man is more like an independent film
During the years that Wright worked on Ant-Man, the Marvel Cinematic Universe underwent dramatic changes, even changing its own Ant-Man story in Marvel Comics long before the first Ant-Man was made. For example, Hank Pym created Ultron in Marvel Comics, not Iron Man Tony Stark from 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron. According to Empire Entertainment, Wright's film incorporated characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and had an impact on Avengers 2, but the director also said his films were more independent. In an interview, Wright also said: "The way we connect it to other people is very independent". From this point of view, Wright wants to put the story background more in the real world, so that it can resonate like the first Iron Man, but in doing so, it somewhat ignores the previous work associations of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, nor does it consider the development of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future.
Marvel's business is to make the MCU an immersive, interconnected experience, so Wright's script doesn't necessarily pay off. Instead, McKay and Luther helped the film better integrate into the MCU, even adding a cross-battle sequence between Ant-Man and Falcon. McKay recalled in an interview that he and Luther made Ant-Man "a little bigger" and "more aggressive." According to McKay, although he and Luther rewrote the script for Ant-Man, many of Wright's past achievements are still in it. "I really think we put some great stuff in it, but it's based on Edgar Wright's already strong script," McKay said.
In terms of the huge impact that the addition of the "quantum realm" has had on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, McKay's statement is indeed very modest. It can be said that Marvel almost couldn't save the world from the defeat in "Endgame".
Today's movie story is shared here, what do you think of the earlier script of "Ant-Man" and the subsequent film setting? Welcome to leave a message and like me.