The Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken quite a few risks in recent years, but few can compare to 2015's Ant-Man. An endlessly strange blend of comedy and heist-based adventure, the film ultimately worked as well as it did because Marvel opted to scale the movie down to match the diminutive size of its protagonist. That said, now that the hero has received a proper introduction, it's time for Scott Lang's (Paul Rudd) world to get slightly bigger with next year's Ant-Man and the Wasp. On that note, the Ant-Man and the Wasp's cast has grown by one, as Black Mirror's Hannah John-Kamen has officially joined the cast of the upcoming sequel.
This new casting announcement comes to us courtesy of Variety, and while it doesn't provide many (if any) real details about Hannah John-Kamen's character in Ant-Man and the Wasp, it's enticing nonetheless. Primarily a TV actress, John-Kamen has cut her teeth on many popular sci-fi and fantasy properties like Game of Thrones and Black Mirror. Beyond that, she also made recent forays into the silver screen world with 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens and she will appear in next year's Alicia Vikander-fronted Tomb Raider reboot. When we put all of those qualities together, we get the resume of someone who will likely feel right at home in a big-budget superhero blockbuster like Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Although Hannah John-Kamen is the first new member of Ant-Man and the Wasp's ensemble to receive an official announcement, she joins a cast that's expected to remain relatively intact. Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly will return as the two main heroes of the project, with Michael Douglas' Hank Pym reportedly returning to the fray as well. Additionally, actors David Dastmalchian, Michael Pena and T.I. are also confirmed to be reprising their roles -- meaning we can look forward to the Three Wombats returning to cause trouble and help Scott Lang pull off his heists in his next adventure.
Things will also look considerably familiar on the other side of the camera as well, because original Ant-Man director Peyton Reed is also slated to return to take control of the sequel. With so many great aspects of the first film returning to the fray, it will be fascinating to see how a newcomer like Hannah John-Kamen fits into a well-worn system.
Ant-Man and the Wasp will have a tremendous responsibility in setting up the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With a summer 2018 release date, the film will mark the first post-Infinity War entry in the MCU, which means the Phase 3 deck will likely be shuffled around quite a bit when Thanos (Josh Brolin) finally makes his way to Earth. We have no idea how this cosmic threat will directly impact Ant-Man's comparatively smaller (literally) story, but the odds of The Avengers: Infinity War going unnoticed in the next Marvel movie seem remote. At this point, we will just have to wait and see what happens.
We will bring you more information related to Ant-Man and the Wasp (as well as Hannah John-Kamen's character in the film) as new details become available. Scott Lang will return for more microscopic adventures when Ant-Man and the Wasp hits theaters next summer on July 6, 2018.
