With filming onAnt-Man 2slated to get started this June in Atlanta, the pre-production process has already gotten under way on this Marvel Phase 4 sequel. Today we have word that, during the production, this sequel will be filmed under the secret working title ofCherry Blue, so if you see any signs in Atlanta for a production calledCherry Bluethis summer, that likely means you’re somewhere in the vicinity of theAnt-Man 2set. Now that pre-production has gotten started, perhaps we’ll get the first casting updates soon.
MCU Exchangediscovered the working title posted on a preview for the next issue of Production Weekly. The full issue of Production Weekly will be available on Thursday, and there is speculation it may include the first official synopsis, so hopefully we’ll have story updates on this highly-anticipated sequel by week’s end.Paul RuddandEvangeline Lillyhave long been confirmed to reprise their roles as Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Hope Van Dyne/Wasp, but we recently got confirmation of a few more returning cast members.
After months of speculation,Michael Douglasfinally confirmed last month that he will be back as Hank Pym inAnt-Man and the Wasp. Shortly after the firstAnt-Manmovie opened in the summer of 2015,Michael Douglasrevealed in an interview that he would love to come back as Hank Pym, but only if the writers lessened the amount of “expositional dialogue” his character Hank Pym had to say. With the actor getting ready to play Hank Pym again, it seems that condition was met. It was also recently confirmed thatMichael Penawill be back as Luis, although it remains be seen ifDavid DastmalchianandT.I.will be back as Luis' criminal partners Kurt and Dave.
Peyton Reedreturns to directAnt-Man and the Waspfrom a script co-written by starPaul Ruddand the writing team ofGabriel FerrariandAndrew Barrer, who served as the on-set writers while the originalAnt-Manwas in production. They put in over six months of work into the script, but didn’t receive any screenplay credit for the firstAnt-Man, which was written byPaul Rudd&Adam McKay, along with original writersEdgar WrightandJoe Cornish.Ant-Manwent on to gross $180.2 million domestically and $519.3 million worldwide, from a $130 million production budget. It hasn’t been confirmed yet if this sequel will have a much bigger budget or not.
It is also believed that this sequel will introduce the original Wasp, Janet Van Dyne, the mother ofEvangeline Lilly’s Hope Van Dyne. There has been rumors thatSharon Stonehas already signed on for this role, after it was revealed in a magazine profile last summer that the actress had signed on to play a secretive superhero in an unknown Marvel movie, which many believe ifAnt-Man and the Wasp. It was revealed towards the end ofAnt-Manthat Janet was lost in the Quantum Realm and never returned, but after Scott Lang managed to come back from this mysterious place, it’s certainly possible that Janet may come back as well. With pre-production getting under way, hopefully we’ll learn -Man and the Waspvery soon.
