Director Edgar Wright has refused to watch Marvel’s Ant-Man and is justified in doing so. During press for his film Last Night In Soho, Wright revealed that he has not seen the MCU movie on purpose. Wright was originally set to direct the 2015 introductory film to the hero portrayed by Paul Rudd and had spent years working on the script. But early into production, Wright left the project over disagreements with Marvel about creative differences in how each wanted to make the film. Given this close connection to the material, and the acrimonious split, it's understandable that Wright has been reluctant to revisit someone else's version of the movie

Following his decision to leave the project, Marvel quickly hired Peyton Reed to replace Wright as director, who has returned to direct both Ant-Man and the Wasp and the upcoming threequel, Ant-Man: Quantumania. However, Wright had shown interest in directing an Ant-Man movie as early as 2006 and was disappointed that his vision of the movie never came to be. Wright’s version of the story would have been quite different from the version with which audiences are now familiar as his script had no mention or inclusion of the Quantum Realm, a concept that has played an integral role in both the Ant-Man arc and the Infinity Saga.

Related: Edgar Wright's Ant-Man Didn't Include The Quantum Realm

Wright’s decision to not to watch the movie stems from the hurt that came with leaving the project. Even though the director went on to work on the box-office hit Baby Driver in the aftermath, he more recently stated that he simply has not watched Ant-Man because he doesn’t want to have to tell people what he thinks about it. Although some may think this is a rude or childish way to handle the situation, Wright is actually smart to avoid watching the movie and giving an opinion on it.

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Wright was not only attached to direct Ant-Man, he had spent years mulling over the story and script. He had a deep connection to the material he had written and was so committed to it that he chose to leave the film rather than to compromise his vision. It would be very difficult for him to watch the film (which still used aspects of Wright’s version of the Ant-Man story, such as some of the heist elements) and see the many changes that Marvel made after he left the project.

On the other hand, if Wright did watch Ant-Man, he would find himself in the uncomfortable position of having to answer people who asked him about it. If he genuinely disliked Reed’s version of the movie, it would be very difficult for him to give an honest answer without sounding bitter and resentful of a fellow director. Since Wright has never mentioned bearing any bad feeling towards Reed for replacing him, it seems safer to avoid the film altogether than to risk negative press for badmouthing his work.

Next: What MCU Phase 3 Would've Looked Like If Edgar Wright Made Ant-Man

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