Wow! After 8 years of involvement, Edgar Wright (“The World’s End”) has left Marvel’s “Ant-Man.” Here is the official statement:

“Marvel and Edgar Wright jointly announced today that the studio and director have parted ways on Ant-Man due to differences in their visions of the film. The decision to move on is amicable and does not impact the release date on July 17, 2015. A new director will be announced shortly.”

What on Earth happened here? If there was a “vision” problem between Wright and Kevin Feige things wouldn’t have progressed until this point of development: A release date was set, production was planned, and the main roles were cast (Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, Corey Stoll and Patrick Wilson).

The conflict between Edward Norton and the studio, and the Robert Downey Jr. contract negotiation weren’t positive PR stories, but this is the highest amount of “drama” associated with a Marvel production to date.

“Ant-Man” co-writer and “Attack the Block” director Joe Cornish could be the best choice to assure fans some degree of continuity, but some outlets have reported that nobody has yet been approached by the studio.

A couple of years ago, at the San Diego Comic-Con, he promised to fans that his “Ant-Man” was going to “kick ass.” Now we will never now.

“Biochemist Dr. Hank Pym uses his latest discovery, a group of subatomic particles, to create a size-altering formula. Though his first self-test goes awry, he develops an instrument that helps him communicate with and control insects.”