Marvel Studio’s Phase Three set of films has just gotten a little more crowded as the studio announced today that a sequel to this summer’s Ant-Man has been scheduled to hit screens on July 6, 2018. And the film won’t be just be called Ant-Man 2, but, in a move that is sure to excite fans, Ant-Man And The Wasp.
Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lily are expected to be returning to reprise their roles as Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne. At the end of Ant-Man, it was teased that Lily’s Hope Van Dyne character would also have a size-changing suit in her future and this title reveal is the fulfillment of that promise. There is no word if Ant-Man director Peyton Reed will be back behind the cameras for this follow up.
If that July 6, 2018 date sounds familiar, that is because that was the original slot for Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel film. Captain Marvel was pushed back to November 2, 2018, but with this sequel announcement, Marvel’s parent company Disney also announced a move for Captain Marvel to March 8, 2019 release. The November 2, 2018 date is now reserved for an as-yet-untitled Disney Princess film. Black Panther, which is the movie that Captain Marvel vacated the July 6, 2018 date for has now been moved forward to February 16, 2018.
Marvel also staked out three release dates for 2020 – May 1, July 10 and November 6. The studio declined to name the actual films that would fill those slots, but it should be noted that these will be the first three films of Phase Four.
Ant-Man cleared nearly $410 million at the worldwide box office, and while those numbers make it a solid hit, it wasn’t the biggest grosser that the studio has had. The studio must be happy with that return though, if it is willing to get a sequel into its already crowded Phase Three cycle of films. And let the speculation begin over what the title means in relationship to where the movie is being released in that group. Given the first Ant-Man‘s tumultuous pre-production history, hopefully the studio will have a smoother time getting this sequel up and running.
Rudd’s Ant-Man will next be seen in next spring’s Captain America: Civil War, which is set to feature appearances from a majority of the heroes who have already been seen throughout Marvel’s interconnected movies.
Here’s a rundown of the new, adjusted schedule for Marvel’s Phase Three films –
- May 6, 2016 – Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- November 6, 2016 – Doctor Strange
- May 5, 2017 – Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol. 2
- July 28, 2017 – Untitled Spider-Man Reboot
- November 3, 2017 – Thor: Ragnarok
- February 16, 2018 – Black Panther
- May 4, 2018 – The Avengers: Infinity War – Part 1
- July 6, 2018 – Ant-Man And The Wasp
- March 8, 2019 – Captain Marvel
- May , 2019 – The Avengers: Infinity War – Part 2
- July 12, 2019 – The Inhumans
