Ant-Man and the Wasp

[Cue Barenaked Ladies] IT’S been…a minute since the last update on Ant-Man and the Wasp, but today’s casting news seems like a fairly significant development — if nothing else, Scott Lang’s next adventure is picking up a bit of steam with the addition of Black Mirror star Hannah John-Kamen. The actress has reportedly been cast in a “key role” for Marvel’s upcoming sequel, but given the history of that phrase in the MCU, it’s entirely possible that role is somewhat small (sorry).

It could be awhile yet before Ant-Man or The Wasp get back in action on the big screen, but Disney XD is here to help. Check out the first of Marvel’s gorgeous new Ant-Man shorts, featuring Wasp, Yellowjacket, Hank Pym and more.

Even as Marvel continues to crank out massively scaled spectacles, they’re always keeping one eye on the future. Ant-Man sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp won’t shrink down and infiltrate theaters until July 6, 2018, but the wheels of pre-production have begun turning on the sequel audiences apparently asked for.

With Peyton Reed serving as a fine replacement for Edgar Wright on Ant-Man, fans are curious to see what the Marvel director can do with next year’s Ant-Man and the Wasp. Despite the smaller (get it?) stakes of the first film, it’s worth noting that the sequel will be the first Marvel move to have a female co-star named in the title. That’s both exciting and disappointing for fans, especially those who wonder why Scarlett Johansson still hasn’t been given her own le Carré-esque superhero spy story. Will Ant-Man and the Wasp live up to its promise, or will it be another supporting role for a female superhero?

Fake news alert! Our precious readers who also scan less reputable publications than good ol’ Screencrush may have noticed an eye-catching item on Showbiz 411 last night. The “exclusive” headline defiantly asserted, “Jeremy Renner NOT in ‘Mission Impossible 6,’ Said to be Too Busy with ‘Avengers’.” The article explained that Renner’s ongoing gig as the Avengers’ resident archery expert Hawkeye would keep him too busy to rejoin Ethan Hunt for what would be a third go-round in the Mission: Impossible franchise. But when word got back to director Peyton Reed, he set the record straight and called this less-than-factual bit of showbiz reporting out for the act of international subterfuge that it truly is.

Ant-Man and the Wasp isn’t scheduled to hit theaters until next July, but with Marvel gearing up to start production this July, you’d think that everyone who’s returning from the first film would know about it by now. That’s not the case for both Michael Peña and Judy Greer, neither of whom seem to know if they’re coming back for the Ant-Man sequel. Your guess is as good as theirs.

We knew from the title that two actors would definitely be returning to Ant Man and the Wasp: Paul Rudd, who plays Ant Man, and Evangeline Lilly, who plays Hope van Dyne a.k.a. the Wasp. Michael Douglas enjoyed his stint as original Ant Man Hank Pym, and was enthusiastic about possibly returning but didn’t know for sure. That is, until today, when he revealed that, yes, he would indeed be coming back for the second one.

The addition of Ant-Man was one of the best parts of Captain America: Civil War, and his self-contained solo debut was a far cry from the Very Big And Huge movies of the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ant-Man’s director Peyton Reed actually thought the the character’s narrative was too pint-sized for these other big superhero movies, and recently revealed that, had he had his way, Ant-Man wouldn’t have appeared in Civil War at all.

We’ve yet to see Hope Van Dyne make her on-screen debut in the Wasp suit, but don’t expect it to happen in the form of a cameo. Evangeline Lily’s character didn’t make an appearance in ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ leading fans to wonder just when the character would suit up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The most likely place we’d catch up with her seemed to be ‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ but it turns out we’ll have to wait a little bit longer.

It’s a testament to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that Ant-Man was a critical and commercial success despite its highly publicized production issues. While many of the other films in the series deal with world domination or destruction, Ant-Man lowered the stakes a little bit and gave us an old-fashioned heist film about a group of lovable losers and an evil corporation. And none of these losers were quite so lovable as Michael Pena’s Luis, who stole an entire film from both Michael Douglas and Paul Rudd.