Skip to footer

'Ant-Man': The sequel's release date and how the first won over audiences

Marvel recently announced a release date for a second 'Ant-Man' movie. The first came out this summer and stars Paul Rudd as an ex-convict who trains to become Ant-Man.

|
Zade Rosenthal/Disney/Marvel/AP
'Ant-Man' stars Paul Rudd.

A sequel to the 2015 superhero movie “Ant-Man” will arrive soon – and the film has an interesting title.

The Marvel sequel, titled “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” will be released in theaters in 2018. The first movie, which came out this summer, stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, who is convinced by scientist Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to help steal technology from his old company. 

The Wasp of the title is presumably Hope van Dyne, who is portrayed by Evangeline Lilly in the first movie and is Hank’s daughter. Hank’s wife and Hope’s mother, Janet, went by the Wasp when she was still alive. At the end of “Ant-Man,” Hank discusses the possibility of Hope getting a suit. It seems that Hope may now be taking on the Wasp name.

“Ant-Man” did well at the box office this past summer, though it is still one of the lesser-grossing Marvel entries, coming in far below such top grossers as 2012’s “The Avengers” and a Marvel movie that also came out this summer, “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

Many found the first “Ant-Man” movie to be far from a standard-fare comic book movie adaptation. For one, protagonist Scott Lang is an ex-convict who becomes involved in Hank’s affairs because he breaks into Hank’s house – a far cry from the deeds of Superman. In addition, the movie has many humorous lines (no surprise since it stars Rudd of the “Anchorman” movies) and revolves around Hank’s plan. “It's a heist movie,” director Peyton Reed said of the film. 

Marvel is on top of the world right now, with various superhero movies, such as the “Avengers” series, “Captain America” movies, and “Iron Man” movies becoming box office champions. However, there is of course the danger of Marvel and superhero fatigue, especially with rival studio Warner Bros. planning such films as the 2016 movie “Batman v Superman.” 

But Marvel’s solution seems to be making comic book movies within certain genres. Reed himself said “Ant-Man” was a heist movie, and when “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” co-directors Anthony and Joe Russo came aboard the 2014 film, they were “told… that [Marvel] wanted to do a ’70s thriller,” Russo said. In addition, Robert Redford, star of such ‘70s thrillers as “All the President’s Men” and “Three Days of the Condor,” stars in “Winter.”

Continuing the “Ant-Man” series, the first movie of which is very different in tone and plot from such entries as, for example, the first "Captain America” film, seems like a sign that Marvel is continuing this plan of having different genres represented in their comic book films.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to 'Ant-Man': The sequel's release date and how the first won over audiences
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Culture-Cafe/2015/1008/Ant-Man-The-sequel-s-release-date-and-how-the-first-won-over-audiences
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe