Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

[Jake Lipson]

Title: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction

Director: Peyton Reed

Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton, Bill Murray, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas

Release: 2023-02-17

Plot: The sequel to ANT-MAN AND THE WASP.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Peyton Reed has signed a deal to return as director for Ant-Man 3.

https://deadline.com/2019/11/ant-man-3-peyton-reed-director-deal-return-marvel-1202774969/

Although it always seemed likely, this is the first confirmation that Marvel is actually going to do this, and I'm very glad to hear it as I'm a big fan of the previous films. Also, from a financial perspective, it should get a nice box office bump following Scott's central role in Endgame.

No release date yet, but the earliest Marvel has an open date is 2022.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

This is definitely a case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

Of all the Marvel movies to follow Endgame, I feel like this one has the most potential to explore the fallout from the Blip since Scott Lang's family was profoundly affected by it.

My dream scenario would be to have both Cassie Lang actresses back, with Emma Fuhrmann playing her in the "present day" 2023 scenes and Abby Ryder Fortson playing her in flashbacks to fill in the blanks of what happened to everybody else why the Pyms were blipped and Scott was trapped in the Quantum Realm. If it shoots in late 2020, she'll be about three years older than when she shot Ant-Man and the Wasp, which would be ideal for playing about the halfway point in the five year time jump.

We know Cassie is alive in 2023, but we don't know anything about her mom or her stepfather. That gives Reed and the writing team a lot of flexibility with how they want to play out the fallout.

 

[Tommy R]

Great news! Ant-man is my favorite MCU sub-franchise. I was greatly dismayed when it was previously thought that there would be no more Ant-man films. W00T!

 

[Jeffrey D]

I’m not a huge comic book movie fan, but both Ant-man films have a charm about them because of Rudd. I’ll be interested in the third film.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I think the people spreading the rumors that they wouldn't do another one were looking at the fact that the box office for the Ant-Man films is smaller than those for the bigger MCU properties (no pun intended.)

But you know what, Disney knows that. And they're fine with it because they budget them accordingly.

We've been talking in the Benioff and Weiss thread (thanks @Josh Steinberg) about how Disney doesn't want to make a Star Wars movie that grosses less than $1 billion worldwide. That does not appear to be the case for Marvel. The big team-up films (Avengers, etc.) have to be massive, but there is a little bit more wiggle room on some of the standalone films, budget-wise, so it's okay if they don't all hit that benchmark.

Ant-Man and the Wasp had a nice bump in revenue over the first Ant-Man and was still budgeted responsibly, so they made money on it. The third film will probably be too. Between the two Ant-Man films, Scott had a cameo in Civil War, but it wasn't very central to the plot. Also, because that was officially Captain America's third film, Scott did not appear in an actual Avengers film between his solo entries. His appearance in Endgame was extremely significant and a lot more central to what the team was doing, so I think he will probably get a nice "Avengers bump," as the other standalone sequels experienced after their heroes appeared in an Avengers film. This will be particularly likely if, as @Adam Lenhardt suspects, they spend time focusing on the impact of the Blip on Scott's family and the world.

I also hope that we get both Cassies back. Abby Ryder Fortson was such a highlight of the previous films, and the second one in particular, that it would be a really unfortunate side effect of the time jump to never see her again. But of course Emma Furhman was very effective in her brief Endgame appearance and also needs to come back for present action.

Also on my wish list is a more prominent role for Michelle Pfeifer. It seems ridiculous to me to cast an actress of her caliber if you're not going to give her anything to do, but because the whole plot of the second film was built around rescuing her, of course she had to come in mostly at the end of that. I suspect she probably signed on for the role knowing she would get something more substantial in the future, and the future is this film. I hope she gets it.

Oh, and what are they going to call the movie? After promoting the Wasp to a titular hero for the second film, it would be kind of awkward if they remove her from the title for the third, because of course she's going to be very important to the movie. But "Ant-Man and the Wasp and whatever else" sounds unnecessarily wordy. So they'll have to figure that out.

 

[Sam Favate]

This seems to be set for 2022. (Variety calls that date "likely.") I wonder what that means for Guardians 3? 2023? Six years seems an awfully long time between installments.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/ant-man-3-peyton-reed-returning-direct-1251732

Nevertheless, glad to see this happening and with Reed on board. I think he's added a lot of the levity that is crucial to Marvel's success.

Alan Horn did say the other day that Marvel would be doing "3 or 4" films per year going forward. Obviously, next year is only 2 films, and we know of 4 in 2021 (including Sony's Spider-Man 3, which Feige is producing). For 2022, they have a February date reserved, Black Panther 2 in May, a July date (which would seem likely for Ant-Man 3).

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Disney may also be relaxed on the revenue requirement on Ant-Man, because the character has been a useful part of other, higher grossing films. When Ant-Man appears in a crossover, that crossover makes a billion.

Marvel has also demonstrated that the market will bear at least three of their films in a given year without one canabalizing the other’s grosses. This is also where it helps that each film, in addition to being its own project, is also interlinking with what came before and after. And even if someone doesn’t care enough to see Ant-Man in theaters, the property will still attract streaming eyeballs later on. The MCU cycle is brilliant from a business point of view because each new film can inspire people to rewatch all the old ones to look for clues and connections in a way that isn’t present for just about any other franchise. So it’s still worth it to make an Ant-Man even if it won’t gross a billion, because as long as the MCU is still running, each older film still remains relevant to the series.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I wonder what that means for Guardians 3? 2023? Six years seems an awfully long time between installments.

We all know what caused the longer-than-normal gap between Guardians films, and that mess is all Disney's fault. The question for Guardians isn't Ant-Man, but how long it will take Gunn to make the movie after he completes Suicide Squad. I really don't think Ant-Man will have any impact on Guardians at all. If they're both ready in the same year, then Disney would just put them both out.

I know this isn't what you want to hear because Guardians is a favorite of yours, as it is mine, but I think if it came out in 2023, that would still be fine from a box office perspective. They were so significant to Infinity War and Endgame that it probably won't feel like such a long gap since we've seen them, and if it does, then absence will make the heart grow fonder. Although I'm sure this wouldn't be a factor in deciding when it comes out, that would also allow them to pick up directly after Endgame and actually release in the year that it occurs again, which the five-year time jump has thrown off.

 

[Sam Favate]

They were so significant to Infinity War and Endgame that it probably won't feel like such a long gap since we've seen them, and if it does, then absence will make the heart grow fonder. Although I'm sure this wouldn't be a factor in deciding when it comes out, that would also allow them to pick up directly after Endgame and actually release in the year that it occurs again, which the five-year time jump has thrown off.

I think that’s right, plus I think it’s very likely we will see some or all of the Guardians in Thor 4 in 2021, at least in cameo.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Jeff Loveness was hired to write this before the coronavirus shut Hollywood down and has already begun working.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/ant-man-3-finds-writer-rick-morty-scribe-1288461

Marvel still has an untitled movie dated for October 2022. My guess is that Ant-Man 3 will land either there (when it would follow Captain Marvel 2 in July) or in July 2023 like the other films, depending on when it is ready. October is not a slot that the MCU has used before, so it's possible that they want something specific there

 

[Johnny Angell]

Oh, and what are they going to call the movie? After promoting the Wasp to a titular hero for the second film, it would be kind of awkward if they remove her from the title for the third, because of course she's going to be very important to the movie. But "Ant-Man and the Wasp and whatever else" sounds unnecessarily wordy. So they'll have to figure that out.

How about “2 Itty-Bitty People Get it Done”?

 

[Jake Lipson]

Peyton Reed says that the Wasp will again have her name in the third film's title. Also, it is currently being planned for release in 2022:

Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly Will Share Top Billing in Ant-Man 3

Director Peyton Reed has confirmed that Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly's characters will co-headline the upcoming Ant-Man sequel.

www.superherohype.com

Because we know that the Wasp will be in the title, I am renaming this thread as "Ant-Man and the Wasp Sequel" rather than Ant-Man 3. I will of course change it to the final title when Marvel announces one, but wanted to maintain Wasp/Lilly's name in it in the meantime.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Peyton Reed recently talked a bit about plans for the third film:

“We are working our way through the pandemic…there are some really exciting things in store, none of which I can speak to about right now. As is the Marvel way! I think the third Ant-Man movie is going to be…a much bigger, more sprawling movie than the first two. It’s going to have a very, very different visual template. And that’s all I will say.”

Peyton Reed Says Ant-Man 3 Will Be Much Bigger Than the First Two

Director Peyton Reed has finally revealed a new update on Marvel Studios' upcoming MCU film Ant-Man 3 which is still currently undated.

www.comingsoon.net

 

[Sam Favate]

Jonathan Majors to play Kang.

Marvel's Ant-Man 3 Casts Jonathan Majors in Major Role

It looks like the Marvel Cinematic Universe has found its next major villain in the form of one of [...]

comicbook.com

 

[Atari]

Glad to hear this is likely to happen. After Guardians, this is my favorite sub-series. It probably goes back to a book I read as a kid where a boy was shrunk down and had to live with the ants in his yard. I don't remember the name, but Honey I shrunk the kids covered similar territory too. I've always enjoyed Paul Rudd also.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Glad to hear this is likely to happen.

It's not likely to happen; it is happening. I don't understand why anyone ever thought it wouldn't. Just because the second film didn't gross as much as Black Panther or Infinity War doesn't mean it wasn't a profitable hit. It outgrossed the first film without even having Ant-Man appear in an Avengers film first. Now that Scott was such a substantial part of Endgame, the third one should do even better. (This assumes that the pandemic is over and the box office is back to normal by the time this comes out.)

 

[Jeff Cooper]

Yeah, there was never any doubt, but the fact that at the very least, this is 2 years out, makes it really difficult to have any kind of excitement for it right now.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Well, I'm excited.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Michelle Pfeiffer says the third Ant-Man film will begin shooting in spring 2021. She is of course returning as Janet.

Michelle Pfeiffer Says She's Back For Ant-Man 3 In Spring 2021

The MCU's original Wasp, Janet van Dyne, will return for Ant-Man 3, according to Michelle Pfeiffer. Are you excited she's coming back?

www.comingsoon.net

Because she was a McGuffin in the second film, and then was dusted in its mid-credits scene, she hasn't really had too much to do as of yet in this role. Although I really like her previous appearances, I hope they upgrade her with something substantial to do in the third one.