The next chapters for most of Avengers: Endgame’s starring heroes have been charted out already, whether it’s on the big screen or through a Disney+ show. But there are still a few protagonists whose futures have been kept under wraps, like Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man. Well, at least that was the case until today, as it’s finally been confirmed that Ant-Man 3 is on the way.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, not only is Paul Rudd lined up to reprise Scott Lang in Ant-Man 3, but Peyton Reed will also resume his directing duties on the threequel, having helmed the previous two Ant-Man movies. Ant-Man 3 will serve as Paul Rudd’s fifth outing as the eponymous superhero, having also played him in Captain America: Civil War and, as mentioned earlier, Avengers: Endgame.
No release date has been set for Ant-Man 3 yet, but THR’s sources say the plan is to begin filming either at the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021, meaning it would likely hit theaters by 2022. There also wasn’t any word about if Evangeline Lilly’s Hope van Dyne (who shared top billing in Ant-Man and the Wasp) and Michael Douglas’ Hank Pym will return for Ant-Man 3, but considering how important they are to Scott Lang’s life, it’s probably safe to assume they’ll be back.
Now that it’s been confirmed that Peyton Reed is directing Ant-Man 3 (and assuming that there isn’t some kind of falling out in the creative process, which is what happened to his Ant-Man predecessor, Edgar Wright), he is one of only two directors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to oversee an entire trilogy.
The other is James Gunn with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, although there was that month-long stretch where we thought someone else would take over Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 because Gunn had been fired. But Marvel Studios eventually changed its mind and rehired him, although Gunn won’t tackle the third Guardians movie until after he’s done with The Suicide Squad.
With Black Panther II filling in the May 6, 2022 slot, that leaves February 18 and July 29 of 2022 as potential Ant-Man 3 drop dates. While July would be familiar territory, it’ll be interesting to see in if Marvel schedules it in February instead, thus making it the first Phase 5 movie, as November 2021’s Thor: Love and Thunder is wrapping up Phase 4.
Naturally we’re a long ways off from learning Ant-Man 3 plot details, but considering how important the Quantum Realm was in Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers: Endgame, don’t be surprised if we explore that dimension again. Should that be the case, that also means it’s likely that Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet van Dyne will return, as she spent decades trapped in the Quantum Realm and knows it better than anyone.
Let’s also not forget that thanks to the five-year jump forward in time in Avengers: Endgame, Scott Lang’s daughter, Cassie, is now a teenager. Since she becomes a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, perhaps Ant-Man 3 could see Emma Fuhrmann’s version of the character following suit.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on how Ant-Man 3 is coming along, including where it ends up on the calendar. For now, keep track of what else is on the MCU horizon with our Marvel movies guide.
