Looks like Marvel can pat themselves on the back now. They put a female hero in the title of something!
After being a moderate success in Marvel terms this summer, it looks like Ant-Man will be returning in his own solo movie, which the studio announced on Thursday. The film will be called Ant-Man and the Wasp, which signals an expanded role for Evangeline Lilly’s The Wasp after she was hinted at becoming the heroine during the post credits of the first movie.
The release date is set for July 6, 2018 with no word yet if director Peyton Reed or one of the stars, Michael Douglas, will return. Marvel has only gone back to a franchise’s original director four times — Jon Favreau with Iron Man, Joss Whedon with The Avengers, James Gunn with Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Russo Brothers with Captain America — so a changing of the guard is likely.
The addition of an Ant-Man sequel also forces a few properties to shift their initial release dates. Black Panther will move from July 6, 2018 to February 16, 2018 while Captain Marvel shifts from November 2, 2018 to March 8, 2019. The move now puts Black Panther before both Avengers: Infinity Wars movies. The studio also announced three mystery projects with dates in 2020.
Ant-Man starred Paul Rudd as the titular hero, Douglas, Lilly, Michael Pena, and Corey Stoll.