Marvel Star Michael Douglas Implies He Will Not Return For A Potential ‘Ant-Man 4’: “I Don’t Think I’m Going To Show Up”
Spencer Baculi
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Whether because he saw the dwindling quality of the overall MCU or because he simply found himself wanting to move on from the role of its original Micro Avenger, Hank Pym actor Michael Douglas has hinted that he will absent from any potential fourth entry in the Ant-Man film series.
Douglas shared this insight into his Marvel Cinematic Universe future during an April 16th appearance on The View.
Per a recap of his appearance provided by Entertainment Weekly, amidst a discussion of his current starring role as the titular Founding Father in Apple TV’s Franklin, the actor was pressed by show co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin about his past comment, as given to The Hollywood Reporter in 2023 on the red carpet for Quantumania, that he would only come back for a fourth Ant-Man film “as long as I could die”.
In turn Douglas admitted to Griffin, “This actually was my request for the third one.”
“I said I’d like to have a serious [death], with all these great special effects,” he elaborated. “There’s got to be some fantastic way where I can shrink to an ant size and explode, whatever it is. I want to use all those effects.”
Interestingly, in bringing his elaboration to a close, the actor seemingly suggested that even though his character was still alive, he had no intention of returning for a potential Ant-Man 4.
“But, that was on the last one,” he ultimately lamented of his request. “Now, I don’t think I’m going to show up.”
Notably, while Marvel Studios has yet to officially announce a fourth Ant-Man film, according to the studio’s VP of Production & Development Stephen Broussard, its production has been actively discussed amongst himself, Ant-Man series director Peyton Reed, and MCU boss Kevin Feige.
Speaking to ComicBook.com in February 2023 ahead of Quantumania‘s premiere, when asked about the status of a potential sequel, Broussard asserted, “We’re already thinking about it.”
“It’s like, every movie’s its own battle and you bear the scars of making it and wanting to make it great,” he further detailed. “But hope springs eternal and you start to put yourself back together after the journey of making the movie. You’re like, ‘Yeah, what if we did X and what if we did Y?’ Like the wheels start turning, you can’t help yourself. I don’t want to say anything about specifically what those are, but yeah, you can’t help yourself. Those conversations, those whispers have already started to happen between myself and Peyton and Kevin.”
Unfortunately for Marvel Studios, since Broussard’s statement, not only did Quantumania close out its theatrical run as certified box office bomb, but the overall franchise has absolutely lost its reputation among fans.
As such, whether or not a potential Ant-Man 4 is even still on the table is currently unknown.
To this end, it should be noted that in March 2024, scooper Daniel ‘DanielRPK’ Richtman reported that while Ant-Man 4 was at one point in development, plans for its production have since been abandoned following the absolute failure of Quantumania.
However, as of writing, neither Disney nor Marvel have yet to offer any official word on Scott Lang’s next potential adventure.
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