'Ant-Man 3' Director Gives Brief Update on Paul Rudd’s Threequel

Thanks to the pandemic induced scheduling halt on film production, many of the Phase 4 MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) films and series were put on hold. There is finally an update for the final installment of the Ant-Man trilogy from the director himself, Peyton Reed. A fan recently asked Reed how things were progressing on the film on Twitter. Reed replied, “Going well sir.”

The Director

Disney recently announced updates to all of the upcoming Phase 4 films. The Ant-Man movie’s release is slated for 2022 at the earliest. Given this future release date, Reed and his team are clearly still in the early stages of development. Much like the Russo Brothers, Reed started out in directing comedies such as Bring It On and The Break-Up. He was brought in relatively late on the first Ant-Man film. The development process was already underway when the original director, Edgar Wright, left the project. Wright and Marvel announced his departure, citing “differences in their vision of the film.”

That first Ant-Man film grossed $519.3 million. Reed was involved in the second film, Ant-Man and the Wasp, from the beginning. It grossed $622.6 million. Once Reed completes the third film, he will be one of only a handful of directors to have been in complete control of a character’s trilogy arc for the MCU. Thus far, the only others to do so have been Jon Watts for Spider-Man and James Gunn for The Guardians of the Galaxy team.

The Writer

It has been confirmed that Jeff Loveness is penning the script. He has previously written for Rick and Morty on Adult Swim, Miracle Workers on TBS, and The Oscars award shows. Loveness will undoubtedly bring his style to the final installment of the Ant-Man trilogy while maintaining the quirky, comedic tones of the previous two films. Upon announcement of his attachment to the project in April, Loveness posted on Instagram that he had ‘found his Lear.’

Scripts for comedic films are often reviewed and edited by multiple writers to elevate the humor and overall script. Both previous Ant-Man films had several writers. Paul Rudd also received writing credit. However, Marvel Studios does not always like to do this. The box office returns speak for themselves. The addition of Loveness to the Peyton Reed and Paul Rudd duo should produce an excellent script that is in keeping with the tone of the other two pictures. Rudd has always been keen on the family-friendly nature of his character’s movies, making them unique in the broader MCU.

The Cast

Paul Rudd will, of course, return to portray the Ant-Man/Scott Lang. This will be his fifth time playing the Ant-Man. His character was crucial to the resolution of the Big Snap and defeat of Thanos. Evangeline Lily and Michael Douglas are also set to reprise their roles as The Wasp and Hank Pym, respectively. Fans should also get to see Michael Peña reprise his role as Luis as well. Thus far, no other names have been announced for the project.

The story will most like include references to time travel via the Quantum Realm, as shown in Avengers: Endgame. The big bad of the film will most likely be a villain the audience already knows. Now that time travel is shown to be possible, others may be interested in exploiting the Quantum Realm for their own nefarious purposes.

Amazingly, the returning cast has been able to remain remarkably tight-lipped about what they do know about the new film. Chris Evans, who played Captain America in the MCU, even attempted to get Rudd to give him a little hint in an exchange during an Actors on Actors chat between the two hosted by Variety.

Chris Evans: Are there plans on shooting [the third Ant-Man film]?

Paul Rudd: I’m not going to be able to say anything, Chris.

Evans: I might as well ask you what your paychecks are. Paul, what’s your penis size?

Rudd: It’s even bigger than my paycheck

Fans are eager to see the same connection between these films and the MCU at large. The Ant-Man films were crucial in laying the groundwork and foreshadowing for the overall Infinity War story arc. As things return to a new normal around the world, plans for big-budget blockbusters are being fleshed out. Production is now set to start on Ant-Man 3 during the summer of 2021 in Atlanta, GA.