Bill Murray Spoiled His Secret Marvel Role in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Bill Murray has a not-so-small secret: he's joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The super-sized third movie in the Marvel Studios Ant-Man franchise, rumors swirled Quantumania added Murray in a secret role when a casting call sought a photo double for Murray in a project codenamed Dust Bunny. The Ghostbusters and The French Dispatch star would ultimately confirm his role in an interview with a German magazine, praising three-time Marvel director Peyton Reed but saying he's otherwise "not interested in these huge comic book adaptations."
"Well, I'm not supposed to say. They're making a movie," Murray said when pressed for answers about his undisclosed Marvel role on Jimmy Kimmel Live. "Paul Rudd plays Ant-Man, and Evangeline Lilly plays the Wasp, and Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer, they're all in the movie. But I'm not at liberty to talk about it."
Towards the start of filming in February, Reed wished his Twitter followers a "Happy Groundhog Day" with an autographed photo of Murray. "A Pre-SNL Bill Murray played The Human Torch in the Fantastic Four Radio Show back in 1975," Reed tweeted. "I was a fan. Years later, at the GROUNDHOG DAY junket, he signed this for me."
A Pre-SNL Bill Murray played The Human Torch in the Fantastic Four Radio Show back in 1975. I was a fan. Years later, at the GROUNDHOG DAY junket, he signed this for me.
— Peyton Reed (@MrPeytonReed) February 2, 2021
Happy Groundhog Day! pic.twitter.com/m2sUrhTPzc
"Recently, I made a Marvel movie. I probably won't tell you, but never mind," Murray said in a translated interview with German magazine Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. "In any case, some people were quite surprised why I decided on such a project. But for me the thing was quite clear: I got to know the director — and really liked him very much. He was funny, humble, everything you want from a director."
Reed's 2000 cheerleader comedy Bring It On was "damn good," Murray told the magazine, "so I agreed, although I'm not interested in these huge comic book adaptations as an actor otherwise."
Murray spoiled his involvement but did not disclose who he would play in the Ant-Man threequel, where Kathryn Newton will play a recast Cassie Lang and Loki's Jonathan Majors returns as the time-traveling Kang the Conqueror.
"Let's put it this way: the director is a good guy, and now I've at least tried out what it's like to shoot a Marvel movie," Murray said. "But I don't think I need that experience a second time."
Marvel Studios opens Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in theaters on July 28, 2023.
