A new rumor indicates Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man 3 film is canceled, but future Ant-Man stories will be heading to Disney Plus.
The rumor comes from Mikey Sutton and his Geekosity Facebook group.
Sutton writes, “I found out before D23 that the sequel to Ant-Man and the Wasp wasn’t going to be announced there.”
He details there won’t be an Ant-Man and The Wasp sequel film, but will instead be an Ant-Man miniseres, “As of this moment, Ant-Man is headed to Disney Plus in the form of a mini-series.” He does add, “This could change.”
Sutton explains the reason to not have an Ant-Man and The Wasp sequel is so Disney and Marvel Studios will be able to focus their attention on the new Fox properties especially the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. However, he also notes they are already exploring new IPs and genres with the recently announced Shang-Chi and Blade films.
Sutton writes, “But with the mutants and the FF now in the Disney catalog awaiting theatrical space after billions spent on Fox, it will become tougher for even the smallest of heroes to find a spot on the roster.”
He adds, “When you have heavy hitters like the X-Men and the Fantastic Four on the bench and you can only produce a certain amount of movies every year, you have to prioritize.”
He then touches on Shang-Chi and Blade, “Marvel Studios wants to pursue new genres with Shang-Chi and Blade while tapping into the Fox IPs in the future.”
Ant-Man 3 Axed for Diversity?
Mike McGloin at Cosmic Book News speculates this rumor could be the result of Marvel Studios’ apparent push for diversity. He specifically points out Shang-Chi and Blade and the recent rumors surrounding the X-Men. (Related: Marvel Studios Boss Kevin Feige Addresses LGBT Lead Rumors for Eternals Movie)
It’s valid speculation as Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige confirmed that’s the direction the studio is taking:
“You look at the success of Captain Marvel and Black Panther. We want the movies to reflect the audience and we want every member of our global audience to see themselves reflected on the screen. And that’s what we’ve been doing for a long time. And certainly, that’s what we’re focusing on going forward.”
Ant-Man 3 Was Reportedly in the Works
Michael Douglas, who plays the original Ant-Man Hank Pym, told ET that an Ant-Man 3 film was in the works back in February:
“There’s been talk [about another Ant-Man]… [but] there’s been nothing formal right now that I know of. They always kind of spring it on me. The first time you hear about it, it’s already in its third rewrite.”
Michael Peña had also confirmed Marvel Studios had already been working on a third Ant-Man film as well. (Related: Ant-Man Star Michael Peña Unwittingly Reveals New Marvel Movie!)
“We talked about it on the first day. It’s a whole different kind of club to be in, the Marvel Universe. I don’t know if they’ll use me for the third movie, I still really don’t know. It’s cool to make a little bit of a mark on that Marvel Universe and it’s kind of a cool club, they run a really cool studio.”
Whether this rumor is true or not, Disney and Marvel Studios are heavily investing in Disney Plus. They recently announced three brand new series in Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight to join their already announced series of Loki, WandaVision, Hawkeye, and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
What do you make of this new rumor? Were you looking forward to an Ant-Man film? Are you more interested in seeing Ant-Man on TV?