With Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp now in theaters (assuming you’re not in the UK, that is), director Peyton Reed has been chatting to Simon Thompson of Forbes about the future of the franchise. And, while the filmmaker is yet to hear whether Ant-Man 3 is part of Marvel’s plans, he’s keen to get back in the director’s chair for a third outing should that prove to be the case.
“When we were doing the first movie there was absolutely not a three-picture arc in mind other than sort of generalized thing of, ‘Oh, trilogies are cool.’ It seems like if you’re a success you do a trilogy but it wasn’t a thing where we thought, ‘Well, here’s where we get to map that out.’ When we were, particularly when I came on, working on the script with Adam McKay and Paul Rudd, we definitely set things in motion so that if we were lucky enough to do a sequel we knew we wanted to set up and then pay off. Having done the second one and figured out how we could progress these characters, and introducing some of the new characters, it’s still not a fait accompli that there’s going to be another one.
“I can truly sit here at this table with you and say I have no idea. That’s the one thing about Marvel, there’s a lot of stuff that I do know but ten times as much stuff that I don’t. That is, I’m sure, part of their success. They have this plan but there’s also a tremendous amount of fluidity in that. As to if there is going to be a third one, I’d be very interested. I have fallen in love with these characters and we set things in motion where I want to see what happens with these characters, where they’re going and I’d love to be the guy to guide them.”
In addition to Ant-Man 3, Reed has recently revealed that he “dreams” of getting the opportunity to introduce Fantastic Four into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that there is an “amazing” story to tell for Marvel’s First Family.
SEE ALSO: Read our reviews of Ant-Man and the Wasp here and here
From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes Ant-Man and The Wasp, a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink. In the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a super hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside the Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from the past.
Ant-Man and the Wasp sees Peyton Reed returning to the director’s chair and stars Paul Rudd (Scott Lang), Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Michael Pena (Luis), David Dastmalchian (Kurt), Abby Ryder Fortson (Cassie Lang), Judy Greer (Maggie), Bobby Cannavale (Paxton) and T.I. (Dave), while new additions to the cast include Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne, Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Bill Foster/Goliath, Hannah John-Kamen as The Ghost, Walton Goggins as Sonny Burch and Randall Park as Jimmy Woo.
Originally published July 7, 2018. Updated December 3, 2022.
