Marvel’s Ant-Man director might return for the sequel

By Rick Marshall October 22, 2015

Peyton Reed — Zade Rosenthal/Marvel

Marvel’s tiniest superhero didn’t make a big impact at the U.S. box office, but that isn’t stopping the studio from bringing Ant-Man director Peyton Reed back for the sequel.

A new report indicates that Marvel Studios is currently in talks with Reed to helm the recently announced Ant-Man sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, negotiations are underway with Reed to get behind the camera for the character’s next adventure — one in which Ant-Man will share the spotlight.

While the first film earned positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, its $178 million gross in U.S. theaters put it near the bottom of the Marvel cinematic universe from a box-office standpoint and initially made a sequel uncertain. However, the film has turned a tidy profit overseas, and has earned more than $455 million overall so far — putting it ahead of series-starters Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger in global ticket sales.

Paul Rudd is expected to reprise his role as Scott Lang, the thief-turned-hero known as Ant-Man, in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War before getting to work on the Ant-Man sequel with co-star Evangeline Lilly. Lilly will return as Hope Van Dyne, the winged hero nicknamed The Wasp.

Currently, the next phase of Marvel Studios will begin with Captain America: Civil War on May 6, 2016, then continue with Doctor Strange (Nov. 4, 2016), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5, 2017), the untitled Spider-Man solo movie (July 28, 2017), Thor: Ragnarok (Nov. 3, 2017), Black Panther (Feb. 16, 2018), Avengers: Infinity War — Part I (May 4, 2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6, 2018), Captain Marvel (March 8, 2019), and Avengers: Infinity War — Part II (May 3, 2019). That phase will conclude with Inhumans on July 12, 2019.

There are no screenwriters attached to Ant-Man and the Wasp at this point and no official timetable for it to begin production.

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