Peyton Reed, while initially wary to say he’d be directing Ant-Man and The Wasp for Marvel, is confirmed to return at the helm of the sequel. Now, what about screenwriter Adam McKay? After Edgar Wright publicly dropped out of directing the first film, the The Big Short director came in to work with star Paul Rudd on a rewrite of the script. When asked during the 2016 Golden Globes whether he'd be involved with the sequel, McKay said he didn’t know if he’s officially returning, but he hopes for the same set-up.

Speaking with Vulture, he said:

"I’m talking to them. I just talked to Peyton [Reed, the director of Ant-Man] the other day. I’ve talked to [Paul] Rudd. I think they have a process they do where they bring a bunch of writers in and toss around ideas, so my hope is that they’ll write a script and I can rewrite it again, because that was a great way to work, and I got to really get my imprint on the movie and have a great time doing it. Kevin Feige knows I love Marvel, so I’m game. I grew up on it. Whatever they need, I’m there."


adam-mckay-vice-dick-cheney-movie
Image via Paramount Pictures

McKay made similar comments back in November, though these talks seem to be progressing. Simultaneously, it also lends some doubt on an earlier report, which made it seem like McKay would be breaking the story for the sequel with Rudd, while Rudd, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari would then write the screenplay.

Ant-Man wasn’t the most successful Marvel movie in the cinematic universe, but that’s not saying much by Marvel’s box office standards. Nevertheless, it did hitch a ride on the struggle bus during development. The script got its start with Wright and Joe Cornish before cycling through McKay, Rudd, and the uncredited pair Barrer and Ferrari. It’ll be interesting to see how an Ant-Man story will look with less drama and without an inherited screenplay/story.

Rudd will be seen as Ant-Man next in this year’s Captain America: Civil War before re-teaming with Evangeline Lilly (Hope van Dyne, aka The Wasp) for his film’s sequel. Though Captain Marvel was already announced, this will be Marvel’s first film released to be named after one of its heroines. The announcement was accompanied by a shifting of future movie releases and the reveal of three more mystery Marvel movies, all coming in 2020. Regardless if McKay returns to write Ant-Man and The Wasp, he also told Vulture that he would “heck yeah” direct one of them if his bosses asked.

ant-man-and-the-wasp-paul-rudd-evangeline-lilly
Image via Marvel
ant-man-evangeline-lilly
Image via Marvel Studios