The Shaun of the Dead director is no longer helming the upcoming Marvel superhero movie Ant-Man, set to be the first of the 'Phase Three' slate of films.

Marvel's size-changing hero is about to undergo some big changes. In a statement, Marvel Studios said: "Marvel and Edgar Wright jointly announced today that the studio and director have parted ways on Ant-Man due to differences in their vision 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."
Edgar Wright Edgar Wright

While no clear reason is given for the split, the fact that the film has yet to begin shooting may be one of the mitigating factors. With the release date just over a year away, it needs to begin filming as soon as possible.

The change is seismic as far as the Marvel Cinematic Universe goes, with Wright's plans for the character preceding even the first Iron Man movie, having been developing the film since around 2006. It was also very much a pet project for Wright, whose passion for the character had silenced naysayers doubting the merits of pushing ahead with such a niche character. Test footage of the size-changing hero in action proved popular when revealed to the public, showing both proof of concept and progression on effects and visuals. Wright's departure may do more than delay production -- it could shake audience confidence in the film.

Plans for the movie had even impacted development of the entire on-screen Marvel Universe. Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, had previously told Empire Magazine, "We changed, frankly some of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) to accommodate this version of Ant-Man. Knowing what we wanted to do with Edgar and with Ant-Man, going years and years back, helped to dictate what we did with the roster for Avengers the first time."

The film, which is still going ahead, stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man, with Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, the first to wear the mantle in the comics. Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, and Michael Peņa are also set to appear in the film. No statement has been made as to whether Marvel Studios will at least keep the movie's script, written by Wright and Joe Cornish