Ant-Man Actor Casts Doubt on Return to Paul Rudd's Marvel Franchise

By Richard Nebens Posted:
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Marvel Studios is about to expand heavily into some of its more wild forms of storytelling, many of which have to do with time travel and the multiverse over the next few years. Included in that group is Paul Rudd's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which will continue the solo story for one of the biggest saviors from 2019's Avengers: Endgame.

While most of the plot details for this threequel remain under wraps, this will easily be Scott Lang's most expansive solo story to date as he teams up with Evangeline Lilly's Hope Van Dyne and Michael Douglas' Hank Pym. This is the film that will reintroduce Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror after one of his Variants threw the multiverse for a loop in 2021's Loki on Disney+.

The project will also feature a rise to power for Kathryn Netwon's Cassie Lang as she fully embodies her Stature superhero mantle, although even with filming having begun recently, there are still cast members from the first two films who haven't been confirmed for the threequel. Included in that group is one character who took some time to come around to Scott Lang's double life over the years.

NO WORD ON BOBBY CANNAVALE

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Ant-Man and the Wasp

Ant-Man star Bobby Cannavale revealed to ComicBook that he hasn't heard if he will reprise his role as Paxton in the Paul Rudd & Evangeline Lilly-co-starring Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Not having gotten any word from the top Marvel executives on a potential comeback, Cannavale resigned to the fact that it "doesn't look good for Paxton" in terms of playing the SFPD officer in the third movie. 

"I'm still checking my emails. I know they started shooting so it doesn't look good for Paxton. There's a part of me that thinks I'm not in this one because they've got something bigger coming up."

END OF THE LINE FOR OFFICER PAXTON?

Bobby Cannavale was included as mostly comic relief as SFPD officer Paxton in Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, serving as a semi-parent to Cassie Lang during Scott's incarceration. His interactions with Scott usually brought quite a big round of laughs, especially as he warmed up to the hero in the sequel, before fully coming to Scott's side during his Civil War-induced house arrest.

Fans certainly enjoyed Cannavale's presence during his first two outings, although with the grand scale of everything coming in Quantumania, it may be difficult to figure out where to fit the officer of the law in. Even with the threequel over 18 months away from release, there's a chance he may join the fray later in production, but that will be a game of wait-and-see.

Whether the enthusiastic Paxton makes his return, his adoptive daughter Cassie, Scott Lang, and the team will have their hands more than full by exploring the Quantum Realm in-depth for the first time. With a Kang-sized threat on hand and an expectedly large-scale plot coming in this outing, the team will have to be ready for just about anything.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is set to release in theaters on February 17, 2023.

Release Date
February 17, 2023
Platform
Theaters
- About The Author: Richard Nebens
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.