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As Phase 4 of the MCU comes to a close with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Phase 5 approaches very soon with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicking off the new phase in 2023. Since November 2019, Peyton Reed has been attached to direct the series' third installment and round out the story of the titular small and mighty hero, becoming only the second MCU director to complete a trilogy after Jon Watts' work on the Spider-Man movies. Though there is no mention yet on whether this will be the last appearance of Ant-Man or not, the 31st Marvel film is set to be an epic launch into this next chapter for the character and the whole cinematic universe.
The Ant-Man series has been an underrated part of the Marvel repertoire that has provided some comedic relief amid all the serious or cosmic action of the other films. It also served as an overlooked cornerstone that led to the time-travel events of Avengers: Endgame. Now, Quantumania is set to create another ripple effect for this next phase after Kevin Feige stated during San Diego Comic-Con that the film is "a direct line to...[Avengers:] Kang Dynasty". With the Multiverse taking center stage after Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it's more than fitting for Quantumania to set things into motion for Phase 5. In the lead-up to next year's release, here's a helpful guide for everything we know so far about the next Ant-Man film.
Editor's Note: This article was last updated on February 13.
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When Is Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Coming Out (And What's the Run Time)?
The third Ant-Man film will kick off next year's slate of movies, with its release date set for February 17, 2023. The date has gone through some changes, having been temporarily delayed to July 28, 2023. However, the film later swapped dates with The Marvels due to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania being further ahead in production. The movie has the longest runtime of any Ant-Man film yet, clocking in at 125 minutes, or two hours and five minutes long.
Watch the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Trailer
Marvel finally dropped the long-awaited trailer on October 24, 2022. Set to Elton John's "Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road", the trailer jumps right in with Paul Rudd's Scott Lang enjoying his new-found fame and recognition after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Scott and Hope's (Evangeline Lilly) family are next shown together in the lab experimenting with a device that can apparently send a signal to the Quantum Realm. Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) has reservations though and asks for it to be turned off, only for the contraption to open up and suck them all into the hidden universe. While the Quantum Realm has been mentioned and minimally explored in the first two films, the trailer suggests that the third film will most likely be spending almost all of its time in this strange land. Between a hidden developed city and a society of people who seem to have survived in the Quantum Realm (including the first look at Bill Murray's character), the family will work together to try and find a way back home. The trailer's big mic-drop moment is revealing the first proper look at Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror, who crosses paths with Scott and will most likely cause trouble for him.
More recently, we also got some new footage from the film during Brazil's Comic-Con Experience focusing more on Scott, his growth, and his relationship with his daughter. It also teases the inevitable fight between Ant-Man and Kang and we are here for it!
The latest trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was released during the college football playoffs. It features more of Kang, his fight with Scott, and teases that the two will make some sort of a deal that's bound to go wrong. We also see a quick shot of a certain classic Marvel villain with a very large head (more on that below). Check out the video below:
What Is the Plot of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania?
The film's trailer does its best in keeping most of the plot under wraps, considering the major repercussions that will most likely result from its story. Some teasers were provided during San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year, which included Rudd mentioning Scott's new lease on life as he rides the coattails of fame after helping the Avengers. He even wrote a book called "Look Out for the Little Guy", which details his role in the events of Endgame similar to the alleged podcast he has that was referenced in the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel. Turns out the book will become a reality and it'll hit bookshelves on September 5, 2023.
Descriptions of the SDCC exclusive teaser footage from the film showed that this new mindset and priority of Scott's serves as a potential point of conflict that gets between him and his family, particularly with his daughter Cassie. Interviews with the cast also added that the Scott-Cassie dynamic will be a major plot point with Cassie now being older and Scott having been MIA for five years of her life. When the entire Lang-Van Dyne family is sucked into the Quantum Realm, Scott has to give his all to keep his family safe and get back home, especially with the sinister Kang, whose presence will continue beyond this film. Marvel has released the following synopsis for the movie:
In the film, which officially kicks off phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible. Jonathan Majors joins the adventure as Kang.
Who's In the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Cast?
The film continues with the same powerhouse cast from the 2018 film Ant-Man and the Wasp including Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lily as Hope Van Dyne/Wasp, Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym and Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne. Kathryn Newton joins the cast as the grown-up version of Cassie Lang (who looks like she might have gotten her own suit and powers), replacing the previously cast Emma Fuhrmann who starred in the role in Avengers: Endgame.
During Brazil's CCXP 2022 event, Paul Rudd gave us some details on where Scott is in his life as we enter Quantumania. Here's what he said:
"A lot has changed since the last movie, for sure. For one thing, we saved the universe. That hadn't happened yet, so now, a lot has transpired since the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp. I think Scott is trying to figure out, 'Where do we go in life now?' He's still very close with his daughter and he's looking forward to the next chapter, and much like it is in life, the chapters are not what you expect them to be. And so, pretty quickly, a chain of events happens, and we are thrust into a pretty big story."
Randall Park is confirmed to return as Agent Jimmy Woo, who also starred in the previous film and notably returned in WandaVision. Unfortunately, Scott's beloved misfit friends Luis, Dave, and Kurt (played by Michael Peña, T.I., and David Dastmalchian respectively) will reportedly not be returning, most likely due to the film predominantly being set in the Quantum Realm. That being said Dastmalchian will still be appearing in the film, just as a different character, as he'll play the role of Veb. In terms of other comedic stars, Bill Murray made news as a big addition to the cast in the role of Krylar, a former acquaintance of Janet Van Dyne.
The other significant star in the cast is Jonathan Majors who will portray the prolific villain of Kang the Conqueror, after previously playing a variant of himself, He Who Remains, in last year's Disney+ series Loki. Extensive hype surrounds Majors arrival as Kang, who will be the next Thanos-level villain for these upcoming MCU phases, collectively titled the Multiverse Saga. During CCXP 2022, director Peyton Reed spoke about the threat Kang poses to the multiverse saying:
"We're starting off Phase 5 in a big, big way. This is the biggest adventure that Ant-Man and Wasp have ever gone on. We're going to strange places and we're encountering an antagonist that's unlike anything they've ever experienced — and that includes Thanos. I think that He Who Remains in Loki is very different than Kang the Conqueror in our movie. They're Variants, but they're extremely different people. Kang is someone who has dominion over time, but he conserves his energy. He's a very, very scary character to deal with, as Ant-Man and Wasp will find out first hand."
During SDCC, it was also revealed that the villain MODOK will appear in the film, with a later trailer revealing that he'll be played by Corey Stoll who also played Darren Cross / Yellowjacket, the villain from the first Ant-Man movie who was crushed down to the Quantum Realm at the end of that film's climactic final battle. Gregg Turkington will also be back in his role as Dale, a Baskin-Robbins manager. It's also been reported that. In more recent news, William Jackson Harper (The Good Place) has also been cast in the movie as Quaz, a telepath who lives in the Quantum Realm. Katy O'Brian, who has had minor roles in shows such as The Mandalorian and The Walking Dead is also set to appear in the film as Jentorra, a freedom fighter from the Quantum Realm. The first trailer also revealed that Ruben Rabasa of I Think You Should Leave fame will have a cameo in the film as a coffee shop barista.
When and Where Did Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Film?
Pre-production began in February 2021 and filming for the movie took place in Cappadocia and other regions of Turkey. Filming continued at Pinewood Studios in the UK during July and ran till November. Additional filming was also done in San Francisco in June 2022.