Peyton Reed, director of both Ant-Man & The Wasp, is very hopeful for a third film in the series and claims to have planted seeds that could be developed in another movie. Although Paul Rudd's Scott Lang has yet to make an impact as an official member of the Avengers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, both of his solo turns as Ant-Man have been commercially successful and well-received critically, arguably offering the franchise's most light-hearted and comedic adventures.
However, both Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) are set to have an increased role in the wider MCU with the currently untitled Quantum Realm, a place the movie hints is connected to time travel. With the next Avengers movie strongly rumored to feature time-hopping antics, Ant-Man will likely play a key part - partly because he's one of the few superheroes still alive.
Related: Rotten Tomatoes Gives The Smallest Award To Ant-Man & The Wasp
While fans of the MCU eagerly await Rudd and Lilly's Avengers 4 appearances, the positive reaction to Ant-Man & The Wasp has raised questions over whether the pair would return in a third solo outing. Speaking with Screen Rant while promoting the home media release of Ant-Man & The Wasp, director Peyton Reed confirmed that while he has no firm idea of Marvel's plans for the series, he is very interested in making another Ant-Man movie. The exchange regarding a potential Ant-Man 3 went as follows:
Screen Rant: Ant-Man and the Wasp opened many story possibilities for Ghost and Jan and Bill as well as Scott and Hope and his daughter Cassie. Do you hope to pay these off, these threads off in the near future? Possibly with an Ant-Man and the Wasp, I guess 2 slash 3, or even a Wasp solo film?
Peyton Reed: Well, I hope that we get to do a third one. I'm being completely sincere when I say we really don't know yet, because I know in the run up to the next Avengers movie, everything is being played very, very close to the vest. But as we were writing and shooting this movie, we certainly set things up in this movie that we hope we get to pay off. And we talked a lot about everybody’s arcs and where we want everybody to go next. So, I'm really hopeful that we'll get to do a third one, because I really do. I really have fallen in love with these characters and I think there's a lot more story to tell with them.
Fans of the Ant-Man movies will be mightily reassured not only because it sounds like a third movie is very much on the table, but also because it seems highly likely Reed would return to direct it. Although the development of the first Ant-Man was disrupted by the departure of original director Edgar Wright, Peyton Reed ultimately brought a grounded sense of levity to the character, along with an endearing group of genuine and relatable characters.
It's interesting to ponder exactly what Reed is referring to when he speaks of setting things up in Ant-Man & The Wasp that could be explored in a future movie. The director could perhaps be referring to Michelle Pfeiffer's Janet Van Dyne, a fascinating character that the movie barely had time to scratch the surface of. Alternatively, Ant-Man & The Wasp made several references to Scott's daughter Cassie wanting to take over her father's mantle as a superhero. Could Ant-Man 3 see a slightly older Cassie take her first steps into wanton vigilantism?
More: Everything In The MCU Set AFTER Thanos' Snap
Ant-Man & The Wasp is available digitally right now and will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 16th.
