A director search had been underway to helm the Marvel superhero tentpole since Wright officially exited the project on May 23. The film is set to star Paul Rudd as the title hero.

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We're the Millers director Rawson Marshall Thurber and Zombieland's Ruben Fleischer were also in contention along with McKay to get the directing job, THR had earlier reported.

Wright, the helmer behind Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, had shepherded the project for the studio. In a statement announcing his departure, Marvel stated that the "studio and director have parted ways on Ant-Man due to differences in their visions of the film."

Update: After the news broke, McKay commented on exiting talks to direct the project.