Last week, Marvel announced a sequel to this year’s Ant-Man film, tentatively titled Ant-Man and the Wasp. Following the critical and financial success of Ant-Man, it was hard to tell where the company was going with this franchise. The titular character is set to appear in Captain America: Civil War, but whether or not he would exist in his own series was unclear.
Now that we know Ant-Man and The Wasp are going to be appearing in a future film, here are five burning questions about the sequel.
Who’s going to direct the film?
The production difficulties with Edgar Wright on Ant-Man were well-documented, and initially made me skeptical about the film. However, Peyton Reed (Bring it On) did an excellent job in recovering the project and making one of my best cinema experiences of 2015. Nothing has been announced on who’s directing the sequel, but Reed should be given the first crack, considering how he did a bang-up job with little time to work with.
There’s only one other clear candidate for me, should Reed not get the job: Ant-Man co-writer Adam McKay. McKay has a rich comedic background directing films like Anchorman and Step Brothers, and has expressed interest in directing a Marvel movie in the future. Marvel mastermind Kevin Feige said McKay is “in the running for everything” and there have been rumours McKay is being lined up to do the 2019 Inhumans movie, but nothing has been officially announced.
Will the film suffer with a lack of Edgar Wright influence?
Wright dropped out of Ant-Man months before filming began, but was still credited as a co-writer. His influence was apparent, with his style and humour splashed all over the film. Without actually reading Wright’s draft of the script, it’s hard to tell what ideas were his, but the sharp humour and unorthodox action all had marks of his previous work. Even looking at the leaked test footage for the film from 2012, there are shots that look pretty close to what we saw.
Whatever Wright ended up contributing, Ant-Man and the Wasp is a clean slate for whoever makes the film to put their own stamp on the character. I’d expect we’d see Ant-Man’s powers evolve in the sequel, so we could get a look at Giant-Man, which requires some visual flair to make look real. Ant-Man’s powers are all done with the help of special effects, so making the character work is a challenge — although they have an excellent template to run with. How different will the film look, especially if Reed is given the chance to make it 100 percent his own?
What does this mean for a more inclusive Marvel universe?
Perhaps the biggest repercussion of Ant-Man and The Wasp‘s surprise announcement is Captain Marvel being pushed back four months after its planned release date to March 8, 2019. The news has upset people, with critics calling out Marvel for further delaying the studio’s first female-led Marvel superhero film. In 2017, Warner Brothers is expected to release Wonder Woman, which gives its DC universe a two-year head start. But this is not as bad as some people are making it seem.
For one, Captain Marvel is only getting delayed four months. For a film which doesn’t have a script and hasn’t hired a director or lead star, that’s not the worst news ever. Captain Marvel is a difficult character to tackle and getting it just right is important for numerous reasons. For those clamouring about Marvel not having a female-led film yet, do you realize the company just announced Ant-Man is co-headlining a movie with The Wasp. A female character is not only playing a lead, but being named in the title of the film. That’s great news.
Being the first company to make a female-led superhero movie is a nice feat, but doing it right is more important. Marvel has shown they care about their product, and don’t want to rush something out just for the sake of it. The studio’s upcoming slate includes Ant-Man and the Wasp, Black Panther and eventually Captain Marvel. Their universe will get more inclusive.
Where will the Quantum Realm go next?
(Image via GeekGirlAuthority.com)
The Quantum Realm, the alternate dimension Scott Lang found himself in during Ant-Man, will certainly play a big role in the MCU. I didn’t notice it myself, but the film apparently teased another character being in the realm in which Lang was seemingly stuck, and there are plenty of questions on who that may be and how that could play out.
My best guess would be that person could be Doctor Strange. The Sorcerer Supreme is no stranger to visiting alternate dimensions, and with a 2016 film release on its way, this could be a natural set-up for the character.
What seems more obvious is the person trapped in the Quantum Realm could be Janet Van Dyne, Hank Pym’s wife and Hope Van Dyne’s mother, who shrinks so small that she goes to this other dimension. If that’s the case, future plot lines could include a further exploration of the realm, traveling back in to save her. But that would probably require the help of Doctor Strange, because let’s face it, Scott Lang getting out of there to begin with was a unrepeatable fluke.
I’m not sure where the Quantum Realm will lead us next, but with Marvel’s introduction of the more wacky, time-bending magical side of the universe (with Scarlet Witch, Thanos and Doctor Strange), it has to be an integral part going forward.
Will Michael Douglas reappear as Hank Pym?
Image via ComicBook.com
Douglas brought Hank Pym to life in a performance which was a mini-comeback for the actor. He isn’t officially signed up on for a sequel, and it would be hard to imagine a continuation of this story without Douglas playing at least a minor role. His character is an important link to the MCU’s earlier days, and works as a great buffer for reintroducing important plot devices from the past.
Douglas told the Wall Street Journal that the role was a lot of fun for him.
“It was a wonderful shot in the arm. I’d never done anything like this. I’ve always been a little envious of people who have been in them: Jack Nicholson is a dear friend of mine, Danny DeVito. Then combine that with the incredible batting average that Marvel has. I just thought it was a tremendous opportunity. I was fascinated by the special effects. I hadn’t done any movies with special effects. I was pretty curious to see how it went.”
Douglas has expressed pure enthusiasm on more than one occasion for an Ant-Man sequel, so unless something goes awry, it’s hard to imagine him not coming back as Hank Pym. Yes, it’s a tad worrisome pen hasn’t been put to paper yet, but I’d be shocked if he doesn’t come back.
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