Edgar Wright reveals how he knew it was "time to leave" his doomed Ant-Man movie

Edgar Wright might be best known for his Cornetto Trilogy, but there was a time he almost directed a Marvel movie.

The director developed his version of the movie in question, Ant-Man, for 8 years. Ultimately, though, he chose to step away from the film, and the final product stars Paul Rudd and is directed by Peyton Reed (Wright and his collaborator Joe Cornish kept story and screenplay credits).

In a recent Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), Wright explained why he walked away from the film.

"Short answer. Joe Cornish and I had written the script long before Marvel became as huge as it did, our screenplay existed before Iron Man came out," he wrote. "But when we came to make it in 2014 – they had a established house style, a way of working, and a continuity that didn't really fit with the more left-field heist movie we'd written. So I knew it was time to leave, because our draft we loved was fading away and I thought it better if someone else did it. I have never seen the film to this day, but don't regret leaving."

That tracks with what he recently told Variety about his decision to part ways with Marvel. "The idea of doing it at the time excited me, because you want to put your own spin on it," he explained. "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."

Wright's new film The Running Man, an adaptation of Stephen King's novel of the same name, is currently in UK cinemas and is arriving to US theaters this November 14. It stars Glen Powell as Ben Richards, a desperate man who enters a televised, deadly game show to win a massive jackpot.

For more, you can check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies of the year, or see our roundup of all the upcoming Stephen King movies and shows.

If you're looking for a binge watch, head to our guide on the best Stephen King movies.