2015’s great game of musical release dates continues apace with Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man moving into the July 17, 2015 release date recently vacated by Batman Vs. Superman. The Marvel property was previously scheduled for August 14 but has leapt (scurried?) into the now tentpole-free mid-July weekend.
But not so fast, Hank Pym and co.! Warner Bros. wasted no time parking another tank on the lawn, in the lissom shape of Joe Wright’s Peter Pan. Yes, July 17 is officially a Wright-off.
Of course, Zack Snyder’s Batman Vs. Superman has been pushed back by nearly a year to May 6, 2016. The reasons behind this remain cloudy, but either Snyder just needs more time to realise his super-mash or Warner Bros. has a stealth Justice League movie taking shape. Either way, the studio sees J. M. Barrie’s boyish scamp as the perfect character to fill the gap. “The summer release corridor is also perfect for Joe Wright’s ambitious new Peter Pan adventure, reimagining the ageless story of the beloved and forever-young hero for audiences worldwide,” read a Warners statement last week.
News from Camp Ant is coming thick and fast now as Wright gets close to kicking off principal photography. As previously reported, Paul Rudd is aboard as Scott Lang and Michael Douglas will play Hank Pym. For more hints on how the pair will co-exist in the Marvel universe, Wright’s 2006 interview with Superhero Hype offers a clue of two. “The idea that we have for the adaptation is to actually involve both,” he said.
“[It]’s to have a film that basically is about Henry Pym and Scott Lang, so you actually do a prologue where you see Pym as Ant-Man in action in the 60's, in sort of Tales To Astonish mode basically,” Wright told. “And then the contemporary, sort of flash-forward, is Scott Lang's story, and how he comes to acquire the suit, how he crosses paths with Henry Pym, and then, in an interesting sort of Machiavellian way, teams up with him.”
Watch this space for more casting announcements on both Ant-Man and Peter Pan. And to get you started, here's news of Garrett Hedlund's recent addition to Team Pan.