Last year, one of the most interesting parts of the Marvel panel at the San Diego Comic-Con was the presentation of the test footage for Edgar Wright’s long-developing “Ant-Man” movie.
It was surprisingly rough, but I think it speaks to Marvel’s enthusiasm for the project that they would decide to show it anyway. As a proof-of-concept, it’s incredibly effective. Basically, it’s just Ant-Man running down a hallway and then knocking out a couple of goons with guns. What makes it feel so fresh is the way Ant-Man alters his own size during the run and the fight. Devin Faraci described it as “size fu” after we all saw that Comic-Con panel, and that’s a perfect way to sum up what it is that Wright seems to be doing. He and Joe Cornish have been working on a script for the film for a while now, in-between other projects, and it looks like they’ve decided where “Ant-Man” fits into the larger picture.
Kevin Feige spoke to MTV Splash Page about Phase Three, which is going to be the batch of films made after “The Avengers 2” arrives in theaters in 2015. They set a November 6, 2015 release date for the film in October last year, and Feige set the record straight on how “Ant-Man” fits into things. It sounds like they’re going to really start to stretch and try new things once they’ve got “The Avengers 2” in theaters, which Feige says is coming together well right now.
“There’s a lot of work still to do… but there are already seven things in there that are worth the price of admission alone,” he recently said about the super-sequel. He’s started doing “Iron Man 3” press, which is why we’re getting more new quotes about what to expect in this batch of films that starts arriving in theaters in May. He says “there’s certainly a road that’s being paved… you just might not notice it.” There are things that have been peppered through “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” and of course “Iron Man 3” that will all become more important or more apparent once we finally get to the sequel that Joss Whedon is currently scripting, even as he directs the pilot of “S.H.I.E.L.D.” for ABC.
The most exciting thing that Feige confirmed in the piece is that Dr. Strange will be a part of the Phase Three films, and that’s been a long time coming. Feige has always been up front during interviews about how much he loves the character, and if they’re willing to now peg “Strange” to a release during Phase Three, there may have been a creative breakthrough by someone. I have no idea who is currently attached to the character, but I am thrilled that they’re getting closer to bringing the Sorcerer Supreme to the screen.
Could the previously-rumored “Black Panther” end up in the Phase Three films as well? It’s probably going to be a while until we get a final line-up out of Marvel, but for now, I’m going to keep my fingers crossed for “H Is For Hero” or “What If?” to make it into the rotation.
“Iron Man 3” arrives in theaters May 3, 2013.