After a four-year hiatus, Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and the Wasp/Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) are headed back to the big screen with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in 2023. Even after the COVID-related delays that plagued many Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, release date shuffling means that the third Ant-Man-related film will be heading to theaters sooner than later. And with an off-beat title like Quantumania and the MCU’s multiversal turns as of late, the third Ant-Man film will surely be another classic Peyton Reed romp through time, space and the quantum realm’s endless possibilities.
Here’s what we know about Quantumania so far, including casting news, plot speculations and release date.
What Is Ant-Man 3’s Story So Far?
The MCU last left Scott and Hope reunited and celebrating in Avengers: Endgame. After many ups and downs, including a brief break-up following Scott’s stint as a member of Team Cap in Captain America: Civil War, a reunion of rom-com proportions in Ant-Man and the Wasp and Hope getting blipped in Endgame, Quantumania will hopefully show the two heroes finally getting to settle down and enjoy life together. Of course, the superhero life means that things like relationships never come easy. But the effortless way Scott and Hope work as a team and how they fight better together means it’s inevitable that they’ll find each other again even after being separated.
As of publication, Quantumania has no official synopsis. Initial speculations about plot possibilities arose with the release of the film’s working title Goat Rodeo, a phrase alluding to a story with screw-ups of the cosmic and quantum proportions. But the introduction of Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) in the Season 1 finale of Loki may force Scott and Hope to travel through the quantum realm to stop him from taking over multiple dimensions. That means the movie will likely take the beloved characters far beyond the closer-to-home stories from the first two Ant-Man films.
What Is Ant-Man 3’s Release Date?
Quantumania’s release dates have been all over the place, having been pushed back to July 2023 from a February 2023 release. The creative team, screenwriter Jeff Loveness included, even took to jokes about the delays back in October of 2021. Quantumania is now back to its original release date of Feb. 17, 2023, but the news came as a shock since the Captain Marvel sequel The Marvels was slated for the Feb. 17 slot when the film’s first delay got announced.
Disney and Marvel Studios have offered no comment on why the change occurred, but Variety reports that Quantumania is further along than The Marvels in production. And without any other delays, Quantumania will be the MCU’s first 2023 outing. Its near-Valentines Day release date, retained from its first announcement, might mean the film will lean into the rom-com feel that Reed and the Ant-Man franchise is known for.
Who’s in Ant-Man 3’s Cast?
Like its many release date snafus, the casting situation for Quantamania has had its fair share of ups and downs. Leading man and lady Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly will be returning as Scott and Hope, respectively, along with Michael Douglas as Hank Pym and Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne. Jonathan Majors will appear as Kang the Conqueror following his stint as He Who Remains in Loki as the film’s main villain/antagonist character. Cassie Lang, Scott’s daughter, will return as well — only this time, she’ll be played by breakout star Kathryn Newton, suggesting Cassie will have a bigger part in the MCU’s future. Bill Murray is also set to make his MCU debut in an undisclosed (but villainous) role.
But other familiar faces from the Ant-Man cast are not returning. T.I. will no longer be involved with MCU projects as Dave, one of the ex-cons Scott worked with. David Dastmalchian — who recently starred as Polka-Dot Man in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad — also told Screen Rant he’s likely not returning in Quantumania as tech whiz Kurt. Even more shocking is the lack of confirmation on the return of Luis, played by Michael Peña, who is infamous for his humorous and long-winded story-telling style.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
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