Coming hot off the heels of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, director Peyton Reed teased the potential story of an Ant-Man 4.
While Quantumania just starts its run at theaters, talk of a potential fourth film for Paul Rudd's MCU hero has started to bubble.
Marvel Studios producer Stephen Broussard recently teased that Marvel Studios is "already thinking about [Ant-Man 4]," but he didn't "want to say anything" too specific at that time.
Star of the Ant-Man film Paul Rudd said that he doesn't "know anything" about a fourth movie, with co-star Michael Douglas remarking that if it were to happen he would be "happy to be there."
An Ant-Man 4 Tease for the MCU
In a recent interview, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania director Peyton Reed hinted at some ideas he has for a potential Ant-Man 4.
Speaking with Yahoo Entertainment UK, Reed said they'd "have to" do something a little smaller scale with a fourth movie. He noted that Ant-Man 4 would likely see characters "ping-ponging back and forth [to and from the Quantum Realm]:"
“I think you’d have to. I think one of the things [you’d want] is ping-ponging back and forth [to and from the Quantum Realm]. It was really fun to create the Quantum Realm and all these sorts of characters.”
He thinks "there’s more story to tell" in the Quantum Realm, but one also "can’t lose sight of those family dynamics:"
“I think there’s more story to tell down there as well... But I also think that you can’t lose sight of those family dynamics and the idea of this ‘street-level’ quality of Ant-Man, of the Wasp, in the first couple of movies."
The MCU director lamented that "no matter where they are" the "key thing" is the "Scott-Cassie relationship:"
“But the family dynamics, no matter where they are, that’s the key thing. And particularly, I think that Scott-Cassie relationship.”
Reed added that he wants to see Kathryn Newton's Cassie Lang "becoming a big part of the MCU:"
“I like the idea of certainly Cassie becoming a big part of the MCU ongoing. I think there’s a lot more story to tell with these characters. This one [Quantumania], I was treating it like a trilogy; as if this were the last one. You can never presume you’re gonna get to make another one. But I think there’s a lot of story to be told with these characters. So we’ll see.”
As a part of the same interview, Newton chimed in, saying she is a fan of scaling it down for Ant-Man 4:
“I really like the down-to-earth Ant-Man. I loved 'Ant-Man and the Wasp.' I like how they’re normal."
Wasp star Evangeline Lilly even got in on the idea of a dialed-back Ant-Man sequel:
'"Ant-Man,' the original, is still my favourite, I think I would [dial 'Ant-Man 4' down] if I was the director, or the writer, or Kevin Feige.”
Will Ant-Man 4 Happen?
Right now, there is no official confirmation that Ant-Man 4 will happen; however, it feels like an inevitability.
Despite the lackluster response of Quantumania, Paul Rudd is beloved amongst MCU fans, so if he is up for more, why not bring the gang back together?
As for the scaling back of the Ant-Man franchise for this next film, it would make a lot of sense to turn to a more grounded story next time around.
One of the biggest complaints about Ant-Man 3 is how big it feels compared to the other Ant-Man movies. So not to say this would be an effort solely based on fan reaction, but going back to the franchise's roots for a fourth film would likely be welcomed.
And if the cast and crew are up for more Ant-Man adventures, then why not greenlight another movie?
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is in theaters worldwide now.
