Last year, Screen Rant visited the set of Ant-Man and the Wasp at Marvel’s Pinewood Studios outside of Atlanta. There, we talked to the cast and key creatives of the movie and got a chance to see some of the set pieces that will come into play. We also learned quite a bit about the Quantum Realm, the villainous Ghost, and the continual evolution of Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne as superheroes.
Taking place in a little over a day - before Avengers: Infinity War but after Scott’s imprisonment in Captain America: Civil War - Ant-Man and the Wasp will throw up all sorts of obstacles for our heroes. In between that, they’ll navigate their personal lives as they try to balance being costumed adventures with keeping their families together.
Thanks to our set visit, we know a great deal more about the film than has been revealed in marketing, so strap in and check out the 25 biggest things we learned.
Ant-Man & The Wasp Is About “One Bad Night”
While the first Ant-Man was all about Scott stealing Hank Pym’s suit before finally earning his place as a superhero, he’s now fully in the life thanks to his years of adventures. Modeled after a heist film, the original movie focused on a series of jobs that Scott and his various teams were attempting to pull off. Ant-Man and the Wasp will be much larger in scope now that more heroes, villains, and tech are involved, but it will still look to certain crime movies staples. Specifically, Ant-Man 2 is about one bad night.
Team Ant-Man Has A New Vehicle To Navigate The Quantum Realm
In the first Ant-Man, we saw both Janet van Dyne and Scott Lang turn off their size regulator to shrink down to the subatomic level. For Janet, this meant becoming trapped in the Quantum Realm. Scott, however, was able to escape such a fate and bring back the hope of recovering Janet. As the team unites to rescue the original Wasp, they’ll be utilizing a new Quantum Vehicle to safely explore the treacherous dimension.
The Wasp’s Suit Had To Change From The Post-Credits Scene in Ant-Man
Ant-Man and the Wasp won’t be the first time we’ve seen Hope van Dyne’s Wasp costume on screen. The post-credits scene from Ant-Man unveiled the work in progress and teased the rise of the hero in this year’s sequel. But while the costume was something to behold, it was a pure CGI creation and the Wasp suit had to change when it came time for Evangeline Lilly to actually wear it.
Laurence Fishburne May Suit Up As Goliath in Ant-Man and the Wasp
In the comics, Dr. Bill Foster is the size-changing hero Goliath. But with Laurence Fishburne in the role, we may see the scientist retired from the superhero life like Hank Pym. We did learn, however, that the two scientists used to work together on what would eventually become the Pym Particle. That and the tease from the Ant-Man and the Wasp trailer about Foster growing in size means the hero likely had a super-suit of his own. So will we see Fishburne suit up as Goliath?
Scott Took A Plea Deal After Civil War
Avengers: Infinity War saw a number of heroes sit out of Thanos’ invasion of Earth. Where the Wasp was is unclear, but we know from the film that Scott took a deal and spent the movie presumably under house arrest. According to the minds behind the film, Ant-Man 2 will pick up with Scott having taken a plea deal following the events of Captain America: Civil War and Ant-Man’s subsequent breakout courtesy of Steve Rogers.
Rescuing Janet From the Quantum Realm May Have Larger Ramifications
When it comes to Hank and Hope in Ant-Man and the Wasp, the attempt to rescue Janet is a no-brainer. With Scott proving you can survive being in the Quantum Realm, the crew will be motivated and inspired to free their loved one. But while Janet breaking free will be great for our heroes personally, it was hinted during our set visit that rescuing Janet could have larger consequences.
Scott Lang Is More Concerned With Being a Father Than a Superhero
Ant-Man proved that Scott Lang is the typical hero. Even before donning the suit, he helped to take down corporate corruption while at the same time breaking the law. Once out, his origin story entailed once again doing something illegal. And while taking down Yellowjacket was a worthy cause, destroying a building in the process was hardly by the book. But Scott also showed he was willing to do whatever it takes to protect his daughter Cassie, which is part of the reason he took the plea deal after Captain America: Civil War. So while Ant-Man will be back in action before long, Scott Lang is more focused on being a father than anything else, according to Paul Rudd.
Ant-Man and the Wasp Are Two Very Different Superheroes
We got a taste of the difference between Scott and Hope in the first movie, especially as the younger van Dyne tried to continue her father’s training of the new Ant-Man. Luckily, Ant-Man and the Wasp will be a two-hander, allowing Hope to properly step up as a costumed hero and show why she was born to it. Even though the sequel will see the two team up, Evangeline Lilly says Ant-Man and the Wasp are very different superheroes.
Scott Is the Key to Rescuing Janet from the Quantum Realm
While Scott was off cavorting with the Avengers, it’s presumed Hank and Hope were getting the Wasp off the ground and starting the search for their missing family member. But at some point, they’ll need the help of the new Ant-Man. So while he’s trying to focus on being a dad and not breaking the Sokovia Accords, it turns out Scott will be integral to rescuing Janet from the Quantum Realm. Of course, that means Hank and Hope will have to swallow their pride and ask him for help. Though no one was able to reveal much about the mission, Michael Douglas did tease the inciting incident.
The Quantum Realm Is a Trippy, Interplanetary Place in Ant-Man 2
Executive producer Stephen Broussard was able to reveal quite a bit about Ant-Man and the Wasp, especially in regards to the mysterious Quantum Realm. Though the first Ant-Man introduced the subatomic dimension and the climax showed just what it was like down there, we still don’t know a ton about it. It’s clear, however, that it will play a large part in the MCU to come, meaning the Ant-Man franchise has some work ahead of it in developing the location. Like the first movie, the Quantum Realm will be very trippy, but it will also have a space-like quality to it as the team explores the environment.
Laurence Fishburne’s Bill Foster May Be More Foe Than Friend
Ant-Man and the Wasp will spend plenty of time focusing on the returning characters, from Scott and Hope to Luis and the gang. But a number of new heroes and villains will come aboard. Falling possibly somewhere in between will be Dr. Bill Foster. We know he and Hank used to work together and the one real clip of him we’ve seen shows him as fairly amicable. But his rivalry with Hank runs deep and could affect his character arc. In fact, when Peyton Reed was asked about Foster’s role, he teased that Laurence Fishburne’s character will be antagonistic in a number of ways.
Hank Pym Isn’t Happy About Ant-Man Showing Off His Tech In Civil War
In the first Ant-Man, Hank Pym made it very clear that he didn’t want the Tony Starks of the world to get their hands on his tech. He left both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the superhero game not after losing his wife, but when questionable characters began coveting his Pym Particles as a tool for war. The whole climax of the film was even about stopping Darren Cross from using the technology for that very purpose. So, how does Hank feel about Scott showing off in Captain America: Civil War? As Douglas tells it, he’s not thrilled.
It Sounds Like Jimmy Woo Won’t Be a SHIELD Agent in Ant-Man 2
Back when Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Hannah John-Kamen were announced as part of Ant-Man and the Wasp, we also learned that Randall Park would be playing Agent Jimmy Woo. In the film, he’ll be an FBI agent who looks to be keeping an eye on Scott Lang during his house arrest. But in the comics, the character is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with an unusual team of his own that spans multiple decades. Sadly, it appears that take on the character won’t be joining the MCU as specialty costumes supervisor Ivo Coveney told us, there was no SHIELD suit designed for Woo. That means he’s just another name plucked from the comics and downgraded to a normal person, more or less. Then again, perhaps the events of Ant-Man 2 will open the door for Park to hop over to Agents of SHIELD and join the team.
The Wasp’s Suit Is Way More Advanced Than Ant-Man’s
The suit Scott wore in Ant-Man was the same one Hank Pym used to fight crime in back in his day, but it got an upgrade when the new hero joined Captain America: Civil War. But despite the incredible tech that exists in the MCU and the upgrades the Wasp costume has, Ant-Man is falling behind. He won’t have wings or blasters, something he won’t be pleased about. And according to Evangeline Lilly, the Wasp’s suit is way more advanced than Ant-Man’s.
Aside from the added features, the Wasp suit doesn’t require a clunky button to change size. Like with Iron Man’s tech, the suit responds to Hope’s mental commands, allowing her to change size a lot quicker than her partner.
Ant-Man 2 Features Marvel’s Biggest Practical Set Piece
Marvel movies have had huge budgets and have worked wonders bringing superhero costumes and powers to life. but occasionally, the MCU films have suffered from an overabundance of CGI. That’s why it was important to director Peyton Reed to do a lot of effects in-camera and build plenty of real sets for the actors to work with. As a result, Ant-Man 2 has Marvel’s biggest practical set, in the form of Hank Pym’s audacious new lab.
The Quantum Realm Is Very Different from the Dark Dimension
Doctor Strange expanded what started in Ant-Man by exploring alternate dimensions within the MCU. The most prominent of those was the Dark Dimension, home to Dormammu and a place Stephen Strange spent a long time stuck in a time loop. That location was certainly as trippy as the Quantum Realm, but Ant-Man and the Wasp will show the latter is much more nuanced. Instead of dark and mysterious, it seems as if the Quantum Realm is unique from the Dark Dimension and has more life to it than just a monstrous supervillain.
Ant-Man & The Wasp’s Working Title Is An Homage to Tim & Eric
With so many people desperate to hunt down clues about blockbusters films during their production, films often use working titles to hide what they’re shooting if it’s out in a publicly accessible place. But more and more, the working titles of films are known to the public often before cameras even roll. Sometimes, they’re something simple or are tied to the movie, but with Ant-Man and the Wasp fans were curious to learn it was shooting under Cherry Blue. At first assumed to be tied to Ant-Man’s suit color, it turns out the Ant-Man 2 working title is a Tim & Eric reference.
Evangeline Lilly Made Sure To Honor The Wasp From The Comics
While Evangeline Lilly is technically playing a character invented for the MCU, she made sure to honor the Wasp from the comics in Ant-Man 2. For the actor, that meant working with the stunt team and the costume designers to make the character more feminine and elegant in her look and movement. To Lilly, that was a staple of Wasp in the comics, from how she moved to fought.
Being Stuck in The Quantum Realm May Have Changed Janet
The first Ant-Man had the idea of Janet being stuck in the Quantum Realm in the background, but it really only explored it in terms of how it affected Hank and Hope - and as foreshadowing for the film’s climax. With Ant-Man and the Wasp, however, we’ll finally get to dive into the dimension and meet Janet van Dyne. But after decades stuck in the subatomic world, how has the original Wasp survived. The new movie will certainly answer these questions, along with how Janet may have changed in the Quantum Realm.
Hank Pym’s New Lab Is a Portable Office Building
The trailers for Ant-Man and the Wasp have teased the big Marvel set piece, but mostly only with glimpses of the outside. One of the key gags in first teaser was even the reveal that Hank’s lab is a portable office building that he can shrink down and wheel around. More than just a joke, however, it will allow Hank a lot of freedom when it comes to traveling with and expanding his lab. Not only that, but it will play with the very thing that makes Hank unique as a scientist.
