I’m not at all surprised that Wright walked. I’m actually surprised it didn’t happen sooner, as Marvel has increasingly become a blockbuster factory and, I mean, you can’t argue with the methodology when there are stacks of cash being flown into the DIsney Vault, right? As great as it would be for a director like Wright and a screenwriter like Cornish to do a “Marvel movie,” A) They sort of tried that with Ang Lee’s Hulk and, well, we all know how that turned out, and B) Why would they need to let Wright off the leash when they can get somebody cheaper/more willing to connect-the dots?
Honestly, I’m a little bummed Adam McKay’s out of the running, because he knows how to direct comedic actors, and really, that’s all Marvel needs at this point, somebody to photograph the actors. The other two names sound a little blah, but The Marvel Blockbuster Machine sort of takes care of a lot of those movies, so who cares? I mean, they made Jorts Wheaton look like a halfway decent director (!!!) with The Avengers, when he really just showed up and shot coverage of already-charming actors being charming. I mean, the guy who directed You, Me & Dupree directed 2 Cap 2 Furious: The Winter’s Shoulders, and that was a pretty great little action movie. They’re not looking for visionaries because they don’t need visionaries.
This piece from Alex Pappademas at Grantland breaks it down pretty well. At one point, Marvel needed this sort of thing to look legitimate and cool, but then they literally made billions of dollars using much less-talented/-fussy directors, so why bother?
As far as the Fantastic Four rumors go, I actually think it’s a good idea to maybe let them chill out on the bench, drink some Gatorade or something, until somebody can figure out how to make them work in the Year of our Lord 2014? The idea of them trying to freeze out Fox is a little much (nobody reads comics, bro), but after trying, and failing, twice in the last few years to get a “fresh look” at the FF, once with Fraction’s Fantastic Four/FF combo and now with James Robinson’s relaunch, maybe they need to go away to come back, you know?
As far as books go, like real books? Cat’s Cradle. The Crying of Lot 49. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Pattern Recognition. Cannery Row. Dune. Anything by Roald Dahl.
I have a big “to-read” list, but I have become very bad at reading real books over the last few years. I’ve been 47% through Al Ewing’s The Fictional Man since I red it on the plane to and from ECCC. I am a complete failure at life.
Re: Adam McKay and Ant-Man. I really don’t get why McKay would’ve taken the gig, outside of the obvious “Hey, money!” gig. As is obvious from the Wright situation, there’s no true creative freedom with this role, and any conflict with the studio will be one you’d lose. The script and cast are set, and the movie is already behind schedule from the moment you sign on. McKay has a pretty successful career as is; signing on for Ant-Man feels like something he’s well past by this point, to me.