The year 2017 was a notably crazy one for Marvel Studios. Not only did Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 have a 12-month schedule bringing together all the heroes of the cinematic universe, but simultaneously productions were also going for both Black Panther and Ant-Man and The Wasp. If that seems like a lot, it was, and as director Peyton Reed explained during an on-set interview, it required a lot of shuffling and intense scheduling. Said Reed,
Scheduling-wise, it's a challenge, but it's a challenge we knew was going to be there. It's made easier, obviously, by the fact that we're all down here on this Pinewood [Atlanta] campus, all working together, so there's behind the scenes shuffling, and scheduling stuff.
As part of a group of journalists visiting the set of Ant-Man and The Wasp last year, I had the chance to participate in a roundtable interview with Peyton Reed, and the subject of Avengers: Infinity War/Avengers 4 was broached in conversation. At the time of the interview there hadn't been any specific encroachment, however, the director mentioned that there was going to be some crossover schedules that October in reaction to certain needs of the other production.
Because Paul Rudd's Ant-Man and Evangeline Lilly's Wasp don't appear in Avengers: Infinity War (which we didn't know for sure until the blockbuster premiered), the set of Ant-Man and The Wasp benefited -- and not only due to freed schedules. As Peyton Reed explained, the movie had the chance to be built in its own small segment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe much like the first one did, having been released the same summer as Avengers: Age of Ultron. Said the director,
It definitely is that feel of the first movie -- we came out in the wake of Avengers: Age of Ultron, which was the sequel to Avengers. It's Age of Ultron! So we could kind of be working in this little corner, and it feels the same way again, because now we're coming out right after Infinity War. And again, I like that. I personally feel that's the position I want to be in. I think it's good.
Of course, we still don't know for sure how exactly Ant-Man and The Wasp will sync up with the cataclysmic finale of Avengers: Infinity War, but those answers will be coming soon. The 20th film from Marvel Studios will be out on July 6 -- and between now and then we'll have plenty more set visit coverage coming your way!
