Rawson Marshall Thurber Turns Down 'Ant-Man' Gig

Marvel is having a heck of a time finding someone to replace Edgar Wright as Ant-Man director, and the reasons why are obvious. They'd be taking over a project that another filmmaker had his hands on for more than eight years, making it more difficult to establish a presence and add their own style. And even if they found a way to do so, Marvel is making it pretty clear they just want this film done with the minimum of fuss and personal imprint. So we've already seen Adam McKay pass on the job when he was the frontrunner, and now the other top contender, We're the Millers' director Rawson Marshall Thurber, has also passed on the job...

Jeff Sneider over at The Wrap reported the news of Thurber's decision to take his name out of contention...

So Rawson Marshall Thurber already passed on ANT-MAN, the movie that no self-respecting director appears to want to adopt?
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) June 4, 2014

 The only other name left on the list was Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), and he's said to be in consideration to direct Ghostbusters 3. Marvel may need to expand their search or go with a lesser known filmmaker if they have hopes of hitting Ant-Man's target July 2015 release date.

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Rawson Thurber the Frontrunner for 'Ant-Man' Gig; Ruben Fleischer Eyed for 'Ghostbusters 3'

For the second Friday in a row Marvel is dominating the headlines, and again it's Ant-Man at the center of a lot of it. Earlier today we learned that Josh Brolin would be voicing Thanos in Guardians of the Galaxy, and then a short list of contenders to replace Edgar Wright as director of Ant-Man emerged. On that list were Rawson Thurber, Adam McKay, and Ruben Fleischer, but now it's looking as if Thurber has the edge.

The Wrap reports Thurber as the frontrunner for the gig, sighting his willingness to "serve a studio's vision", something Wright was unwilling to do. It helps that Thurber is red hot after last year's $270M hit, We're the Millers. Those factors give him the edge over McKay and Fleischer, who perhaps have greater cred with the crowd Marvel is trying to reach. McKay would have been the big score but an imperfect fit as he is similar to Wright in wanting to tell his own stories. Besides, he's got more than enough to do already. He's producing an animated version of The Flintstones, has the financial world drama The Big Short developing, and he may direct his buddy Will Ferrell in Border Guards.

As for Fleischer, he's still in the mix but The Wrap says he has family commitments that could prevent him from jumping into the job right away, which is something Marvel clearly wants. A better fit may be Ghostbusters 3, which Fleischer is apparently being sought for but is still a long ways off from going into production.

Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Patrick Wilson, Evangeline Lily, and Michael Pena are presumably still on board for Ant-Man, which Marvel hopes to open July 17th 2015.

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'Ant-Man' Director Shortlist Includes Adam McKay, Rawson Thurber, and Ruben Fleischer

The dust is beginning to settle after Edgar Wright's ugly departure from Marvel's Ant-Man with most of the details out in the open for all to see. While fans can't be too happy to learn editorial pressure forced Wright's exit, a new director still needs to be found and now Marvel is starting to weigh their options.

According to THR, Marvel is set to meet with Adam McKay, Rawson Thurber, and Ruben Fleischer about the job, which would see them tossed right into the fire in hopes of having the film ready by next summer.  What's immediately obvious is that all three are known as comedy directors so perhaps some of the irreverent tone crafted by Wright and co-writer Joe Cornish will remain intact.

McKay is Will Ferrell's primary wingman, directing both Anchorman movies and showing a deft hand for action with The Other Guys, making him perhaps the best option of the three and the hardest to secure. Fleischer is best known for helming Zombieland and Gangster Squad, while Thurber is coming off last year's $200M smash, We're the Millers.

Other rumors going around were that James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) would take over, but he shot those down pretty harshly, and Agent Carter director Louis D'Espositio may also be in the mix. Whoever Marvel chooses they'll need to hustle to get Ant-Man ready by July 17th 2015.

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Gary Ross to Pen 'East of Eden' for Jennifer Lawrence; 'We're the Millers' Sequel Moves Forward

* Last fall we learned Jennifer Lawrence was looking to re-team with The Hunger Games director Gary Ross for a two-part adaptation of John Steinbeck's East of Eden. Ross was already directing but now he's agreed to pen the screenplay, as well.  The book "tells of two families over the course of two generations, loosely alluding to the biblical tale of Cain and Abel, focusing on a father, his two sons, and the children's mother, whom they thought was dead." It was famously adapted into a 1955 film starring James Dean. This one's still a ways off as Ross is in line to direct Peter and the Starcatchers first.

* Not that this will come as any surprise, but New Line is looking for a sequel to last year's $270M-grossing comedy, We're the Millers. According to THR, they've hired Adam Sztykiel (Due Date) to pen the follow-up, with Rawson Marshall Thurber expected to return as director. But what about the cast? Jennifer Aniston, Will Poulter, Jason Sudeikis, and Emma Roberts are all expected back although no deals are in place. Expect that to be rectified soon.

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Alexandre Moors to Remake 'Failan'; Rawson Thurber Marshall Chooses His Adventure; Justin Lin Plans 'Toymageddon'

* Last year Alexandre Moors made his directorial debut with the sorely overlooked DC sniper drama, Blue Caprice, a film that should have earned star Isaiah Washington a Best Actor nomination. That's something to gripe about later, but for now Moors is moving forward with his next project, a remake of South Korean film, Failan. Written by Jose Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries), “the story of a young Russian woman who flees to America, but finds herself caught in a human trafficking operation. She arrives in New York through an arranged marriage with a gangster, but she dies before ever meeting him. He gets to know her and her tragic story through the letters she wrote him.” [THR]

* Here's a project that could be amazing and potentially groundbreaking if done right...or it could be an utter disaster. We're the Millers director Rawson Marshall Thurber is set to helm an adaptation of those Choose Your Own Adventure books you read as a kid, the ones that sent you in wildly different directions depending on the decisions you made. Night at the Museum and Reno 911 duo Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon will pen the script, and it's unclear how they intend to incorporate the decision-making process into the feature film. Maybe this will go straight-to-DVD where it would make more sense?

* Now that he's free from the Fast & Furious franchise, Justin Lin is filling his schedule with all sorts of projects. Recently he picked up the rights to remake Sundance documentary, The Battered Bastards of Baseball, and of course he's also set to helm a sequel to The Bourne Legacy. Now he's set to produce and possibly direct Toymageddon, a live-action adventure about a toy factory that runs amok. A writer still needs to be found, and how the script turns out will go a long way in Lin's decision to direct.

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Peter Segal Hopeful of Live-Action 'Jonny Quest'; Rawson Marshall Thurber Lands 'Central Intelligence'

* We've heard next to nothing about a live-action movie based on 1960s animated adventure series Jonny Quest, not since 2008 when Peter Segal was attached to direct and Zac Efron circling the lead role and Dwayne Johnson as his bodyguard, Bannon. But the project isn't dead according to Segal, who hopes to make it his next project, telling Comingsoon " "I would love to make that my next movie...We just hired a writer to do another pass. We already have a very good script. Then we go through budgeting hell and trying to get it into shape." That script would presumably still be by writer Dan Mazeau. Segal's latest film Grudge Match hits theaters on Christmas Day.

* Coming off the improbable $270M success of We're the Millers, Rawson Thurber is looking to direct co-star Ed Helms in Central Intelligence, a spy comedy which originally had Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest) in the director's chair. Thurber will produce and rewrite the script which has Helms as an accountant thrust into the spy world after reconnecting with a Facebook friend.

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