Michelle Pfeiffer Open to Doing Ant-Man 3

Marvel Studios has a lot of great films coming up on its Phase 4 slate with titles such as Black Widow, Eternals, Shan-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and now Spider-Man 3. Missing from that list, though, are some sequels that fans have been hoping for and while Black Panther 2 and Captain Marvel 2 seem like sure things, Ant-Man 3 is a bit of a wild card. The third Ant-Man film is one that’s been mentioned largely in terms of “if”. And if Ant-Man 3 does happen, it sounds like Michelle Pfeiffer would be all for coming back as Janet Van Dyne.

During the red carpet premiere for Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Variety asked Pfeiffer if it’s possible that she’ll return for Ant-Man 3 should it happen and it’s something that Pfeiffer was fairly enthusiastic about.

“It’s possible, if there is one. Oh yeah!” Pfeiffer said.

While there’s been no official confirmation of Ant-Man 3 happening, that doesn’t mean it won’t. Anticipated announcements for Black Panther 2 and Captain Marvel 2 also haven’t yet happened and when it comes to Ant-Man 3, star Paul Rudd reportedly may have slipped that the film is in the works. It’s one of those things that should be taken with a huge grain of salt, but back in August it was reported that Rudd had told a fan that the script for the film was finished — but when the fan explained what was said to another person, Rudd backtracked and said he just wanted to see how fast that rumor would spread. It’s one of those reports that falls more into the “rumor’ category of things.

That said, director Peyton Reed has been pretty open that his plan for Ant-Man is for it to be a trilogy and he’s previously explained that there are threads in each film that sets up the next one.

“I think that was the case in the first movie, particularly when Adam McKay and Paul [Rudd] were reworking the script on the first movie,” Reed said. “In that movie, we added the Quantum Realm and Janet and stuff like that knowing that if we were able to make a sequel that that could be fertile ground.”

Reed added, “There are definitely things in this movie that, if we’re fortunate enough to make another one, there’s a lot to play with. We spend more time in the Quantum Realm in this movie, obviously, than the first movie but it feels like we’re just dipping our toes into it.”

If they are just “dipping [their] toes” into the Quantum Realm, it would make sense to have Pfeiffer’s Janet return. After all, she has the most experience with the Quantum Realm, something that would make her a very useful character in a third film.

Ant-Man 3 is not currently on the release schedule from Marvel Studios.

Upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in Fall 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision is set to hit Disney+ Spring 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, Spider-Man 3 on July 16, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022. Marvel Studios Disney+ series without release dates include Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk.