Marvel is working fast to find a replacement for director Edgar Wright after he walked away from the Phase Three adventure Ant-Man exactly one week ago today. The top contender is Adam McKay, Will Ferrell's writing and producing partner who has a strong relationship with headlining star Paul Rudd after making two Anchorman movies together.

Also on the short list are Rawson Marshall Thurber, known for the comedy hits Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and We're the Millers, and Ruben Fleischer, the man behind hits Zombieland and 30 Minutes or Less. Its clear that Marvel is going after someone with a strong background in comedy.

All three directors are meeting with Marvel at some point in the next few days, with the studio hoping to keep its July 17, 2015 release date for Ant-Man intact. While Adam McKay is speculated to be the front-runner, having just wrapped production on Get Hard with Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart, he has a full slate of projects that he is currently serving as producer on and is already quite busy.

Director Jonathan Levine was also said to be in the mix, as Disney and Marvel have had their eye on him for a long time, possibly to direct Doctor Strange. His reps deny that he has been approached, and he is currently prepping the Untitled Christmas Eve Project that reteams him with 50/50 stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen. It begins filming in mid-August, which means he'll be unavailable for Ant-Man unless one of the projects gets delayed.