Paul Rudd Says ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA Was Inspired by THOR: RAGNAROK
Marvel fans seem pretty excited about Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is the third film in the Ant-Man franchise. As we’ve seen in the trailers, this is going to be the biggest most epic Ant-Man movie yet and it properly introduces Kang The Conqueror, the next big villain in the MCU.
Director Peyton Reed previously said that he “metaphorically kicked in Kevin Feige's door" demanding an Avengers-sized Ant-Man movie and it looks like that’s what we’re going to get as Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne, and their family is sucked into the Quantum Realm, which is going to be fun to explore!
During a recent interview with Empire Magazine, Paul Rudd was asked about the development of the film and if he had any conversations with the writers while it was in early development, and he shared that Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok served as inspiration for the movie, and explained:
"I didn't really have the time to do it. But we kept talking during the process. I kept thinking about Thor: Ragnarok, where it was like, 'Whoa, we can't believe this is the third one, it seems so different.' There was something appealing about doing something unexpected."
Thor: Ragnarok was so much fun and I loved the shift in the tone. When talking about the shift with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Reed said the shift was instead towards the film delivering major ramifications for the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe:
"People felt like, 'Oh, these are fun little palate cleansers after a gigantic Avengers movie. For this third one, I said, 'I don't want to be the palate cleanser anymore. I want to be the big Avengers movie.'"
In the film, “Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.”
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania also stars Jonathan Majors as Kang, David Dastmalchian as Veb, Katy O'Brian as Jentorra, William Jackson Harper as Quaz and Bill Murray as Lord Krylar.
The sci-fi adventure opens in theaters on Feb. 17, 2023.