Michael Pena Confirms Return For Ant-Man And The Wasp

Following his scene-stealing performance in Ant-Man, Michael Peña has confirmed he's reprising his character Luis for Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Fans, of course, will fondly remember Peña's character from the first Ant-Man film. Luis was introduced to moviegoers as Scott Lang's former cellmate. One of Ant-Man's allies, Luis provided plenty of comedic relief in a film already filled with pointed laughs. The character is perhaps best remembered for Ant-Man's ending scene as fans watched Luis ramble on about the Avenger's interest in Scott's alter-ego. The long-winded explanation has been immortalized in all sorts of Youtube homages and Internet memes, solidifying fans' support for Ant-Man's sort-of sidekick.

Currently, Ant-Man and the Wasp is set to start shooting sometime next year. Directed by Peyton Reed, the sequel will star Paul Rudd (Scott Lang) and Evangeline Lilly (Hope van Dyne/The Wasp) as leads alongside Michael Douglas (Hank Pym). Kevin Feige will act as executive producer, and the film is slated for a June 2016 release. Of course, the franchise's titular hero has been seen since his big screen debut. Ant-Man appeared most recently in Captain America: Civil War where he sided with Team Cap, going so far as to reveal his Giant Man stature to secure the patriot's safety.

So far, Marvel Studios has remained tight-lipped about where Ant-Man and the Wasp will take the franchise. Peyton Reed did confirm that Evangeline Lilly would not play a support character in the film. Speaking with Modern Myth Media, the director said, "I always thought of Ant-Man and Wasp as a team and that's a lot of what the second movie is really about is how they work together, what their personal and professional relationships are like. To show her finally fully formed in this movie is really exciting."

"We really get to introduce this character into that universe. I mean we've introduced the character, but we haven't seen her with her full power set and everything, so to me she's not a supporting character in this movie. It's every bit as much her movie as it is Scott Lang's," he finished.

The director also mentioned Michael Peña in the interview, saying he couldn't afford to lose any part of Ant-Man's cast. "We had an amazing cast- Paul [Rudd] and Evangeline [Lilly], and Michael Douglas and Michael Peña. You kinda can't lose with that cast," he explained.

As for Peña, the actor has just finished work on Collateral Beauty alongside Will Smith. His next projects include a remake of CHiPS and The LEGO Ninjago Movie. The actor also garnered critical praise after his recent role in The Martian.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is set to crawl into theaters June 28th 2016.