Ant-Man and the Wasp Director Had Major Issues Filming the Same Time as Avengers: Infinity War

If you didn't know by now, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the biggest franchise in Hollywood, and it's very much still in its infancy. 13 years after the franchise first kicked off with Iron Man, the shared cinematic universe will soon boast 26 movies. Since characters are often shared between properties, the Burbank-based outfit is often forced to juggle production schedules on their leading talent. That was especially the case when Ant-Man and the Wasp first entered principal photography, all because Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were shooting at the same time.

In the new book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's said Ant-Man helmer Peyton Reed often had "headaches" because franchise lead Paul Rudd was pulled away to star in the Avengers flicks. The director himself then clarifies that they were able to eventually get things sorted out.

"We were shooting our movie, in which Paul is the main character. He is Ant-Man," Reed says in the book. "But that stuff was sorted out because the Avengers movies shot for months and months and months. So they were able to around us, which was great."

Reed then goes on to say the production's biggest problem was actor availability, but instead, how they would treat the massive post-credits scene in which most of the property's characters get dusted away. As the filmmaker says, the entire franchise is rooted in comedy, and losing three Ant-Man leads in the blink of an eye is far from funny.

"We did not know for a long time how we were gonna deal with it, because [Infinity War] is the biggest dramatic move in the entire MCU," the director added. He says the film's writing team kept kicking the issue "down the road" until they managed to come up with just the right solution.

"At the end end of the third act," Reed explained. "We almost wrap all the characters up into a neat bow: They have rescued Janet. Hank and Janet are back together. Scott and Hope have resolved their things. She's a fully formed hero. Everybody seems great. and then that tag scene came along, and we pull the rug out from the audience and we trap Scott in the Quantum Realm."

The first two Ant-Man movies are now streaming on Disney+. If you haven't signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is now due out July 28, 2023.

What other characters do you think could pop up in the third Ant-Man flick? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!

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