Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania from February 15, 2023 in cinemas

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania from February 15, 2023 in cinemas

The Marvel Studios epic adventure Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania will arrive on February 15, 2023 in Italian cinemas, distributed by The Walt Disney Company Italy.

In the film, which officially kicks off Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Super Heroes Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and The Wasp. Joined by Hope's parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures, and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what it is. that they thought was possible. Jonathan Majors joins the cast as Kang. Peyton Reed returns to direct, while Kevin Feige and Stephen Broussard are producers.

Production

In the Marvel Studios movie Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne continue to live their lives as a couple, who also happen to be a Super Hero couple. Their lives are going great: Scott has written a book, Hope supports humanitarian causes, and their family—Hope's parents, Janet Van Dyne and Hank Pym, and Scott's daughter, Cassie—is finally part of their daily lives. . Cassie has discovered that she shares her new family's passion for science and technology, especially when it comes to the Quantum Realm. But her curiosity will lead them all on an unexpected one-way journey into the vast subatomic world, where they will encounter strange new creatures, an oppressed society, and a master of the weather whose ominous deeds are only just beginning. Scott and Cassie are led in one direction, Hope, Janet and Hank in another: they are lost in a world at war and have no idea how to get home. This fast-paced cinematic adventure kicks off Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and contains all the excitement and humor fans of Marvel films have come to expect. “The Ant-Man movies have always been about family,” says director Peyton Reed. “At Quantumania we are deepening and complicating family dynamics while painting our story on a much larger canvas. In the first two films we had started to feel the waters of the Quantum Realm and this time we wanted to give the film a completely different look: it is an epic experience”.

The stakes are high, Reed says: Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania sets the stage for several films to follow. “This was extremely thrilling for me,” he says. “Creating the Quantum Realm is the ultimate act of creation. The idea is that our protagonists go deeper into the Quantum Realm than we've seen in previous films. In addition to creating the look of these cities and civilizations, we needed to create an internal logic and story, as well as populate these places with a wide variety of creatures, living beings and structures". "We gathered a lot of visual inspirations, from photographs taken from electron microscopes to images featured in heavy metal magazines from the XNUMXs and XNUMXs,” continues Reed. “I collected many illustrations taken from the covers of old paperback science fiction books: they were done by artists like John Harris, Paul Laird, Richard M. Powers. These were truly evocative and very melancholic paintings. We really liked that vibe and tone for the look of the Quantum Realm.” Adds producer Stephen Broussard: “It's a microscopic subatomic space located within the world as we know it. We asked ourselves, 'What would technology, society, religion and politics look like in a world like this? I think one of the reasons the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been so successful and has such a longevity is that we use new characters and new stories as an opportunity to open doors to entirely new worlds.”

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne/Wasp, Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror and Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang, while Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas play Janet Van Dyne and Hank Pym, respectively. The film also stars David Dastmalchian as Veb, Katy O'Brian as Jentorra, William Jackson Harper as Quaz, and Bill Murray as Lord Krylar. Directed by Peyton Reed from a screenplay written by Jeff Loveness, the Marvel Studios film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is produced by Kevin Feige and Stephen Broussard. Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso and Kevin de la Noy are executive producers. The creative team includes cinematographer Bill Pope, production designer Will Htay, editors Adam Gerstel and Laura Jennings, and costume designer Sammy Sheldon Differ. The team also includes visual effects supervisor Jesse James Chisholm, visual effects producer Fiona Campbell Westgate and special effects supervisor Paul Corbould. Christophe Beck composed the epic score. Principal photography on Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania began in mid-2021, wrapping up in late November of the same year. Principal photography took place on the iconic British soundstages of Pinewood Studios, located just outside London.

Characters

SCOTT LANG/ANT-MAN is an ordinary man who accidentally turned into a Super Hero: he even became an Avenger who literally saved the world. Life is great in San Francisco. Scott enjoys promoting his book, titled “Watch Out for the Little Guy!”, and cares deeply about his relationship with Hope Van Dyne, both when he spends time with her at the top of the Golden Gate Bridge and when he hangs out with her parents, Hank and Janet. More than anything, Scott wants to make up for lost time with his daughter Cassie. Even though he's 18 now, he's still his father. “He Missed Half His Daughter's Life,” says screenwriter Jeff Loveness. “She tried to be a hero and saved the world, but at the same time she lost more things than anyone…and she can't make up for lost time”

Paul Rudd returns to the big screen as Scott Lang/Ant-Man. “A lot has happened to Scott over the past few years,” says Rudd. “He was a man who led a quiet life until he committed a Robin Hood-style crime, because he's always been a good guy. He was in prison for a couple of years and then was recruited to become a Super Hero. He joined the Avengers, got trapped in the Quantum Realm, came back and saved the Universe.” “The film takes place after the events of Endgame,” Rudd continues. “For the first time in many years, Scott is finally able to catch his breath, to relax, to spend time with his daughter, to be present in his life. But it won't last long." Rudd, who started playing this character in 2015, says he senses an affinity for Scott Lang and Ant-Man. “One of the funniest things about this role is that Scott has nothing extraordinary about it,” says Rudd. “He doesn't have any superpowers: he's not a thunder god, he's not strong, gigantic and green, he can't fly. He's just an intuitive and intelligent guy. It's fun playing an ordinary man who never wanted any of this but is forced to be heroic.” As this new story unfolds, audiences will see a new side of Scott, who is excited about the present and hopeful for the future. of the future. “Scott has rested on his laurels,” says director Peyton Reed. "He's still celebrating his victory when he is drawn into an unexpected adventure."

HOPE VAN DYNE/WASP she is the brilliant leader of the Pym Van Dyne Foundation, which uses the revolutionary Pym Particle to advance humanitarian aid in innovative ways. On a personal level, Hope is relieved to have her mother back by her side, even though Janet has never told anyone about her experiences in the Quantum Realm. Hope and Scott's relationship is booming and she has a special relationship with Scott's daughter, Cassie: her independent nature reminds her of herself at that age. Evangeline Lilly returns once again to play this courageous, determined and selfless character. “At the beginning of the first film, Hope was an isolated, cold, unattached woman who was hurt in childhood and therefore lacked friendships and relationships,” says Lilly. “She Now she has healed her relationship with her father, she has saved her mother from the Quantum Realm and she has fallen madly in love with Scott Lang: they are a dynamic duo, a pair of Super Heroes. Plus, she basically adopted her daughter Cassie and is revitalizing Pym Tech, using it to make the world better.” But, according to the director, Hope struggles to handle the reality of her mother's return. Says Reed, “Hope had expectations: 'I've finally found my mother after 13 years. She will listen to all her stories. I will be able to relate to her as a real person and take that as a point of reference of her.” But in reality, this didn't happen. They have a good relationship, but Janet has created something of a barrier. There are things she doesn't want to talk about. Hope finds this situation quite frustrating and, over the course of the film, they will be forced to face those secrets. It all happens while they find themselves on the run in the Quantum Realm. That's the main emotional arc that Hope will be addressing in this film: the idea of ​​expectations colliding with reality.” Lilly adds, “Hope had brought her mother back home from the Quantum Realm and was thrilled. I think she had some childhood fantasies about what she was going to be that returnee. 'Mum and I will tell each other everything, we will become best friends and she will be the mother I didn't have when I was XNUMX'. Then her mother came back, and between the last film and this one, Hope discovered that her mother wasn't so willing to open up. She wasn't that intimate and vulnerable.

There's a part of Janet that Hope can't reach and it hurts her. Reality has collided with her expectations of her and this disappointment is a source of great suffering for her ”. As producer Stephen Broussard explains, the character's look has been updated with a reference to the future and some references to her comic past. “The Wasp suit has a completely different color palette in this film – it's closer to the classic look of the character from the comics,” says Broussard. “Evangeline also has the same iconic short haircut that Hope sports in the comics – she looks very different , has a very unique and exciting aspect in this film.”

KANG THE CONQUEROR is probably the greatest threat the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever had: this antagonist has multiple variants, each more terrifying than the last. Known as the One Who Remains in Loki, this dangerous new version of Kang is bent on increasing his power, forcing Scott, Hope, Janet, Hank and Cassie to try to stop him before it's too late. It seems that time is Kang's secret weapon, who has a unique understanding of time and wants to use this ability to conquer worlds far beyond the Quantum Realm.” Although we wanted to continue to tell a very familiar story intimate, we decided to go big,” says director Peyton Reed. “And to do that, we needed a top-notch villa. I grew up reading all the Marvel comics and have always loved Kang the Conqueror. He was one of the best antagonists ”. Jonathan Majors, who plays a variant of Kang in Loki, takes on the role of Kang in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Says Majors, “I think this film is primarily about the relationship we humans have with time and the role time plays in our interpersonal relationships. Love, friendship, one's legacy: the story is about this and all the characters, from Hank to Janet to Scott, deal in different ways with the threats or promises represented by time". According to Reed, the key to Majors' performance was embracing the character's unique powers. “Early on, we had a lot of conversations about how this character should move and talk,” says Reed. “Kang is able to live in the past, present and future at the same time. How could this feature be represented? Basically, he conserves his energy. With him, there is never a gesture or a word that is wasted: if Kang says something, it means he's serious”. “Jonathan brought a completely different energy to the set,” Reed continues. “The Ant-Man movies have always been comedies. I like to create a really relaxed and fun atmosphere on set so the actors can get in front of the camera and feel comfortable improvising weird scenes. It's a safe space. Jonathan came to set as a kind of destroyer, as a menacing force. He always played music when he came: that way, we knew Kang the Conqueror was there. It was really juxtaposing his energy with Paul Rudd's, mirroring what happens in the film. Many might consider Ant-Man the 'weakest' Avenger: 'What can this guy do? He shrinks down and talks to the ants. He's ridiculous.' It felt really thrilling to force this hero to face Kang the Conqueror, the most powerful being in the multiverse”