"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" Movie Preview

Intro

It was recently announced that the US theatrical release of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" will be preponed to February 17, 2023. It thus swaps the release slot with the "Captain Marvel" sequel "The Marvels". The early premiere is all the more reason to take a quick look at the 31st film in the MCU and check out the cast, the script and everything in between. What adventures will Scott Lang and Hope experience in this film, and what special role will Scott's daughter Cassie play? We have dealt with all these questions and will answer them for you in this video, so stay tuned!

Time Frame

Unfortunately, it is not really known yet as to what time period the plot is set. It is certain though that the story will take place after Endgame, since the older version of Cassy is supposed to play a big role in the movie. It is also possible that quite some time has passed since Endgame and that the relationship between Scott and Hope has developed further. Like many of the Avengers, Ant-Man will surely have taken some time off after the hardships of battling Thanos. Chronologically, then, the movie can probably be put between "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." However, we assume that the plots do not affect each other. The Disney+ series "Loki" has greater significance in this respect. Everyone who has not seen it yet should do so before watching "Quantumania". We will explain why later. Also, as in many of our other videos, there is an imminent risk of spoilers!

The Cast

In the meantime, quite a bit is already known about the cast, which is mainly due to the fact that filming is quite advanced at the time of making this video. There are some new faces, including a surprise or two. In addition, there will be someone returning, which fans certainly were not expecting anymore. So we are even more excited to see how the writers plan to incorporate him back into the story. 

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Everyone was surely aware that there would be no major changes to the characters of Ant-Man and The Wasp. Of course, Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly will once again play the title characters Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne. Whether and how their suits will be modified in the third part, we do not know so far. Neither are there any changes to Hope's parents: Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym and Janet Van Dyne are also part of the team and will again be played by Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Cassie Lang, the Third 

The first new cast member is Scott's daughter Cassie. This character will now already be played by a third actress. In parts 1 and 2, the young Cassie was portrayed by Abby Ryder Fortson. In "Endgame" she got the first recast where she is embodied by Emma Fuhrmann. This is mainly due to the fact that she survived the Snap and thus aged by 5 years. However, it is now clear that a new actress has been hired for "Quantumania" too. This time it is Kathryn Newton who will play the role of Ant-Man's daughter. What is controversial here is that Fuhrmann was not even informed about the recasting in advance. 

Kang's Grand Entrance 

He was first introduced in the series "Loki", though not really as a villain. Nevertheless, fans know that he is a many-faced character. The talk here is about Kang the Conqueror, whose real name is Nathaniel Richards. In the Marvel Universe, he is related to Reed Richards aka Mister Fantastic, the head of the Fantastic Four and, at least in some universes, the smartest person on Earth. So this could be another step in slowly but surely incorporating the Fantastic Four into the MCU. Kang is played here, as in "Loki", by Jonathan Majors. 

A Return of a Familiar Character? 

Already in the first "Ant-Man" film, main character Scott Lang met the villain Darren Cross, also known as Yellowjacket. In the end, Ant-Man was finally able to defeat his opponent by manipulating his suit and thus seemingly crushing him. In the past, the theory that Cross could have survived the entire event came up more often. Not least because director Peyton Reed himself spoke of Cross possibly just being trapped in the quantum realm. That's not a definite announcement yet, of course, but combined with an image released by Evangeline Lilly, things are slowly but surely starting to take on a clear shape. The Wasp actress put the name of Yellowjacket actor Corey Stoll in her hashtags and deleted the picture again shortly after, which is a pretty clear sign, as we think. 

Bill Murray

Another celebrity joining the movie is Bill Murray. Murray is probably one of the most popular actors in Hollywood. It is not known yet which part he will play, and the actor himself was not allowed to reveal anything up to now. When asked by a reporter what his superpowers are, he replied, "My power is, that I'm a bad guy." Ant-Man could therefore have to deal with a multitude of antagonists. Rumor has it that Murray could take on the role of Krylar. Appropriately enough, he's up to mischief on the quantum realm.

The Production

It was clear fairly quickly that a third Ant-Man film would be made. The first two parts together grossed more than $1 billion. Peyton Reed was soon brought in again as director, having already taken the reins in the first two movies. Jeff Loveness, who has already written episodes for "Rick and Morty", was selected as the screenwriter. The new film seems to have a lot of humor to offer. Two years after the sequel was confirmed, filming began at Pinewood Studios in nearby London. As with "The Mandalorian", the movie will be shot using StageCraft technology. This involves previously created backgrounds being projected onto large LED video walls on the film set. At the end of November 2021, filming of the last scene was completed, which was much faster than anticipated. In fact, filming was not expected to end until the beginning of 2022 at the earliest, which is why the movie release has now been rescheduled ahead of time to February 2023. 

The Plot

Unfortunately, nothing is known about the plot at this point, so we can only speculate as to how the story might continue. The main question here is how Kang could make an appearance. Does he come from the future, the past, or is it even the version of Kang that lives on Earth at this time? It would also be feasible that he comes to Earth through the quantum realm. Or maybe he needs the, perhaps unintended, help of Krylar and Yellowjacket. To what degree Kang is aware of himself or his other versions also remains to be seen. Maybe he is not introduced as a villain at all, but is still, or even permanently, on the good side as Nathaniel Richards. This would be especially conceivable if you want to bring up Kang as the next big enemy of the "new" Avengers. It also seems to be coming into fashion in the MCU right now to turn former heroes into villains. In any case, he seems a bit too powerful as the sole antagonist for Ant-Man.

Another storyline we are looking forward to is that of Cassie Lang. For us, the recasting can mean two things: first, that Scott's time in the Ant-Man suit is slowly, but surely, coming to an end and that his daughter will take over as superhero Stature. At least she would fit in well with the rest of the "Young Avengers". In the comics, she lives with her father at the Avengers headquarters, where, without the knowledge of the other members, she secretly injects herself with Pym particles. By doing so, she alters her genes and develops superpowers. Like her father, she can shrink or grow taller - but without the suit. However, as we said at the beginning: These are only assumptions about what direction the plot might take. Anyway, it should not take much longer until the first trailer will be released. Then we will surely know more about Scott, Hope and Cassie.