After 8 years of developing the Marvel movie, Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright didn't make Ant-Man because "the thing that attracted me about it had gone away"

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Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright has talked about why he never ended up making Ant-Man.

Wright developed the project for eight years, but ultimately left the film in 2014. The movie that ended up being released, starring Paul Rudd, was directed by Peyton Reed (Wright kept story and screenplay credits).

"The idea of doing it at the time excited me, because you want to put your own spin on it," Wright told Variety. "But between pitching the idea and doing it, the whole franchise had blown up. There was a house style. The thing that attracted me about it had gone away."

Rudd's Ant-Man will soon return in next year's Avengers: Doomsday, along with the likes of Anthony Mackie's Captain America, Letitia Wright's Shuri, and Chris Hemsworth's Thor.

As for Wright, his next film is an adaptation of Stephen King's novel The Running Man, starring Glen Powell. The film follows Powell's Ben Richards, who joins the deadly game show The Running Man to try and win enough money to care for his sick daughter, dodging assassins as he tries to survive for 30 days.

Wright has also talked recently about why he's not keen on making a Shaun of the Dead sequel. "There are a lot of franchises where the sequels don't really earn their keep because all the story has been told in the first movie," he explained. "When a character has gone through a massive change, it's very difficult to have a second installment. Shaun of the Dead has him going from being a kind of sad sack to being a hero by the end of the movie. So it's very difficult to start the next movie when there's no obvious arc. We are very happy with it being a one-and-done."

The Running Man hits theaters this November 14, while Avengers: Doomsday is coming December 18, 2026.

In the meantime, keep up to date with our guide to all the most exciting upcoming movies, or all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows.