Ant-Man and the Wasp Announced for July 2018 Release

BY NOAH CASTAGNA

Ant-Man and the Wasp, the sequel to July’s Ant-Man, was announced by Marvel Studios this week for a July 6th, 2018 release, bringing about great change for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 3. Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd), Hope van Dyne (played by Evangeline Lilly), and Hank Pym (played by Michael Douglas) are all set to return for the film, which will revolve around the partnership between Rudd’s and Lily’s characters.

Ant-Man pulled in a moderate profit for Marvel Studios,  boasting a global gross of $493, 817, 481 on a budget of $130 million. Many speculate that due to its strong Chinese opening of $43 million, Marvel Studios saw potential in the hero and moved ahead with plans for the sequel which will debut Lilly as the titular Wasp, daughter of Hank Pym and bearer of her mother’s mantle.

With the announcement came great change to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 3, pushing Black Panther from its July release date up to February 16th, 2018, premiering during Black History Month, and pushing Captain Marvel back to March 18, 2019, now premiering during Women’s History Month.

Chadwick Boseman is set to star in Black Panther as T’challa, the Wakandan Prince and bearer of the mantle Black Panther. Boseman will make his first appearance within the Marvel Cinematic Universe in May’s Captain America: Civil War, alongside the aforementioned Paul Rudd as well as Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., and Scarlett Johannson. Despite being handed the mantle of the Wasp after the events of Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly is notably absent from the large cast list Civil War boasts, making her next appearance three years after her premiere in last July’s Ant-Man.

Amidst the Marvel scheduling chaos,  new release dates surfaced for 2020, including three unannounced films on May 1st, July 10th, and November 6th, creating wild speculation based around what those three post- Infinity War films could be. Some speculate the November 6th release date is most likely a sequel for 2016’s Doctor Strange, which is also premiering in November, and others predict the July 10th release to be a sequel for the 2017 incarnation of Spider-Man, starring Tom Holland as the titular web-slinger.

Holland’s Peter Parker will appear alongside Rudd’s Ant-Man in Captain America: Civil War on May 6th, which will be followed up by Doctor Strange on November 4th. Ant-Man and the Wasp is set for release July 6th, 2018.