Marvel’s search for a director to replace Edgar Wright on Ant-Man is now past a week. The situation grew dire over the weekend, when Anchorman director and frequent Will Ferrell collaborator Adam McKay abruptly pulled out of negotiations.

In a matter of hours, the media went from reporting that McKay was a frontrunner to in talks as the guy to replace Wright. But then, just hours later, McKay ended talks himself for unknown reasons.

On Saturday, McKay took to Twitter to confirm that he did meet with Marvel and has a great appreciation for the history there, calling creators Jack Kirby and Stan Lee his “Lennon/McCartney.” However, he said he has too many other commitments and he wasn’t sure he could make it work.

Wright left Ant-Man back on May 23 due to creative differences. There were later reports that the script was taken away from him, even though he’d been working on the project since 2006. The British director has a quirky sense of humor, which was on display in his Cornetto trilogy - Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End. This would have been his second big studio film, and first since Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

McKay sounded like a good idea for a moment, as he’s already worked with star Paul Rudd on the Anchorman movies. However, despite his work with the big studios and Ferrell, he has never done a special effects spectacular or a super hero movie.

Ant-Man is still scheduled for July 17, 2016, but that may be in danger if Marvel can’t find someone quick to fill the director’s chair. The other possibilities are Rawson Marshall (We're the Millers) and Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland).

image courtesy of Jennifer Graylock/INFphoto.com