Peyton Reed has set the bar for "Ant-Man" and made a great introduction to the characters of Scott Lang, Hank Pym, as well as Hope van Dyne in the original film. For the sequel entitled "Ant-Man and the Wasp," he has big plans on how to expand their stories and tug at the heartstrings of audiences.
"I think it's deepening the exploration of those family dynamics. That was one of the things that I think audiences really connected with, was the relatability of these characters - certainly with Scott Lang and his relationship with Cassie (his daughter), but also with the father-daughter relationship between Hank Pym and Hope van Dyne," Reed shared during an interview with Cinema Blend.
At the same time, Scott has come to rely on Hank as a "mentor. It is already a well-known fact that Ant-Man will be joining the Avengers in "Captain America: Civil War," but it seems like Hank will not be too happy with the new arrangement.
"Hank has certain suspicions and feelings that have been earned about anything having to do with the Starks and the Avengers, and it will be interesting to see who those attitudes play out," said Reed.
The director also teased that the "Ant-Man" sequel will be even bigger and better than the original film, which fans loved because of the good balance it had over action, comedy, and drama.
"We know that conceptually 'Ant-Man' works, and that people like the characters, so it does free us up to go some different directions - and we absolutely want to with the second one. I want this movie to be bigger and weirder, and also maintain and increase the intimacy of what's going on between those characters," he said.
There are several other characters who will be joining the Avengers aside from Ant-Man. Tom Holland's Spider-Man and Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther will be making their first appearances in "Captain America: Civil War" as well, although Marvel is trying to keep their storylines under tight wraps.
Marvel is also planning to create these two characters' own standalone movies. Even Benedict Cumberbatch will be part of their superhero universe as "Doctor Strange," and his standalone movie is coming along nicely with Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton, and Chiwetel Ejiofor already on board.
"Ant-Man and the Wasp" has been scheduled for release on July 6, 2018.
