Outside of having bothAnt-Manand the Wasp in a sequel that is appropriately titledAnt-Man and the Wasp, there is probably one and only one character from the firstAnt-Manmovie that fans really want to see.Michael Penaas Luis was easily one of the best parts of that first movie. Up till now, it looked like a sure thing that he’d be back inAnt-Man 2, but it looks like that may not be as certain as we thought. Marvel hasn’t calledMichael Penaabout reprising his role yet. And the movie is just a few months away from shooting.
The news comes courtesy of Collider, who recently chatted withMichael Penaabout a couple of his upcoming projects, includingChipsandThe LEGO Ninjago Movie. When asked about his potential return inAnt-Man 2, the actor gave a somewhat surprising response. It turns out Marvel hasn’t called him about it. At least not yet. Here is what he had to say.
“No, no, I haven’t gotten the phone call yet. I don’t know if I’m gonna get the phone call. Who knows?”
Ant-Man and the Waspis supposed tostart shooting in July, and with shooting that close, it seems like it may be a little less likely thatMichael Penawill definitely be in the movie. At least not in a major capacity. He is a very in-demand actor and his schedule will probably fill up if Marvel doesn’t lock him down. Granted, if it is a much smaller role he probably won’t have to actually be on set all that long. It was reported last year by The Hollywood Reporter thatMichael Penawould be returning inAnt-Man 2and they are about as reliable as it comes as far as sources for this kind of information goes. Still, it is at the very least interesting that Marvel hasn’t reached out yet.
Expectations were tempered forAnt-Manwhen it was released, given the semi-troubled production and directorEdgar Wright’s departure, but the movie was very well-liked by fans and critics. Fortunately for Marvel, that also translated to a pretty decent box office take of $519 million worldwide. That is on the lower end of things for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that is still a solid number and was more than enough to give the sequel a green light. It is often the case with sequels, especially within theMCU, that the sequels outgross their predecessors. SoAnt-Man and the Waspis likely to do better than that $519 million number next year. But it will definitely bum some fans out if Luis isn’t along for the ride next time around.
We’ll have to see what ends up happening here, but it is hard to imagine thatMichael Penawon’t show up in theAnt-Mansequel in some capacity.Peyton Reedis returning to direct this time around withPaul Rudd,Evangeline LillyandMichael Douglasall confirmed to be reprising their respective roles.Ant-Man and the Waspis scheduled to hit theaters on June 12, 2025.
