Ant-Man and the Wasp is Marvel‘s sequel to Ant-Man, with businesswoman Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) getting equal billing as the Wasp.
Director Peyton Reed will be behind the camera again as Ant-Man returns to the silver screen following his supporting role in Captain America: Civil War. Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is now on the run from the law, fleeing the consequences of siding with Captain America‘s rebel Avengers.
The first full-length trailer arrived hot on the heels of Avengers: Infinity War—but don’t worry, no spoilers! Fast-paced and kind of silly, it suggests a more lighthearted, kid-friendly tone than the apocalyptic themes of Marvel’s last big blockbuster. There’s still no sign of Michelle Pfeiffer’s Wasp, but we get a great look at Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost.
Ant-Man and the Wasp trailer
The first trailer arrived on Jan. 30, shortly after the Black Panther premiere. That may not have been the best timing, because while everyone is talking about Marvel, Ant-Man looks a little underwhelming compared to the king of Wakanda. Introducing the Wasp in action with her new suit, the trailer mostly focuses on the Ant/Wasp gadgets, using their shrinking and growing powers for some very imaginative action scenes.
The full Ant-Man and the Wasp trailer that debuted May 1 can be seen above.
Ant-Man and the Wasp plot
At Marvel’s “open house” press event in April, journalists got a sneak peek at some concept art for the movie. The art included images of Scott Lang using the Ant-Man suit to grow instead of shrink (like in Civil War), and Peyton Reed confirmed that Ant-Man is getting a costume upgrade.
“This is a whole new suit,” said Reed, explaining that the original costume looked old-fashioned because Hank Pym designed it decades ago. Apparently, Scott Lang’s “3.0” Ant-Man suit is “very specific for the needs of the story” in the sequel.
Scott Lang is on the run again. #CaptainAmericaCivilWar pic.twitter.com/8gda9kP4Nk
— Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (@AntMan) August 18, 2016
We also learned that Hope Van Dyne will be a prominent part of the film, appropriate for her title billing.
“It’s something we’re excited about,” Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige said in an interview with Collider. “For me as a comic nerd, I always thought of Ant-Man and Wasp as a team and that’s a lot of what the second movie is really about is how they work together, what their personal and professional relationships are like. To show her finally fully formed in this movie is really exciting. We really get to introduce this character into that universe. I mean we’ve introduced the character, but we haven’t seen her with her full power set and everything, so to me she’s not a supporting character in this movie. It’s every bit as much her movie as it is Scott Lang’s.”
READ MORE:
- The complete Marvel Studios movie calendar
- Everything you need to know about Marvel’s The Defenders
- 7 fascinating facts about Squirrel Girl, Marvel’s most powerful hero
Ant-Man and the Wasp news
In celebration of Marvel legend Jack Kirby’s 100th birthday on Aug. 28, Evangeline Lilly posted the first photo of herself in the Wasp costume, hanging out in what looks like a classroom or lecture hall.
On Jan. 16, Marvel released the first set photo of the two superheroes in costume together. Wasp’s costume appears to be a more feminine version of Ant-Man’s super suit, complete with (groan) boob armor. But at least the outfit seems sturdy enough to withstand fights, falls, and shrinking.
Ant-Man and the Wasp cast
At San Diego Comic Con, Marvel announced that Michelle Pfeiffer will join the cast as Hope’s mother Janet van Dyne, the original Wasp. Hope spent most of her life assuming her mother was dead, but Janet was actually trapped in another dimension due to a nuclear missile accident. Laurence Fishburne also joined the cast as Dr. Bill Foster (Giant Man), and Walton Goggins will play Sonny Burch, the CEO of a weapons company.
READ MORE:
- Why Black Panther is already one of Marvel’s most exciting new movies
- The best order to watch the X-Men movies
- 10 deadly facts about Domino, the ‘Deadpool 2’ mercenary
- 10 things you need to know about Cable, Deadpool’s time-traveling partner
Rudd and Lilly return as Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne, with Michael Douglas reprising his role as Hope’s father Hank Pym, inventor of the particle-shrinking Ant-Man technology. Michael Peña is back as Lang’s friend and former cellmate, Luis.
Black Mirror actress Hannah John-Kamen joins the cast in an undisclosed role will play Ghost, a masked villain who was previously depicted as male in the comics. In behind-the-scenes photos from the film set, you can see John-Kamen in a more stylish version of Ghost’s pale grey costume.
Randall Park (Fresh Off the Boat) will play S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jimmy Woo, a long-running character from the comics. This suggests that S.H.I.E.L.D. will once again have a role in MCU, most likely ignoring the tumultuous events of the TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Ant-Man and the Wasp release date
Ant-Man and the Wasp comes out in the U.S. on July 6, 2018.
