Among the plethora of superheroes to have stormed the screens over the past fifteen years, Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, is undoubtedly one of the most endearing. A former Robin Hood burglar, Lang enjoys a capital of all the greater sympathy since he is played by Paul Rudd, an actor whose portrait could accompany the definition of the word “irresistible” in the dictionary.
After a first solo film in 2015, a second in 2018, participations in Captain America: Civil War (Captain America. Civil war) And Avengers: Endgame (Avengers. Final phase), Scott is back in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Ant-Man and the Wasp. Quantumania). This part is the most ambitious of the adventures of this “man-ant” capable of shrinking to infinitesimal, even subatomic sizes. We were able to discuss it with director Peyton Reed, who has been watching over the character’s destiny from the start.
“I was happy to be able to make this third film because in the previous two, several narrative elements had been put in place in anticipation of future films. When Kevin Feige [président et producteur en chef de Marvel Studios] and I started discussing it, we immediately agreed that we wanted to offer a different film: the first two films take place in San Francisco, while this one explores the quantum realm”, summarizes Peyton Reed , joined in Los Angeles by videoconference.
quantum universe
Without revealing any surprises or reversals whatsoever, we will simply specify that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania sees Scott and everyone close to him—Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton)—thrown into the quantum dimension. Dimension which is not, but not at all, as deserted as one would have thought.
This explaining that, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is, of the three blockbusters Ant Man, the one that relies the most on the contribution of cutting-edge special effects. Which effects required three and a half years of development.
“Of the three films, this was for me the one that was both the most exciting and the most stressful to make: the Quantum Realm had to be created in its entirety. There was no shooting in real places since this place does not exist. »
Spotlight on Michelle Pfeiffer
In earlier films, audiences had had a glimpse of the subatomic universe in question, but it remained largely unexplored. From a cinematographic point of view, this world of the infinitely small was therefore an immense canvas, almost blank, just waiting to accommodate the imagination of the artisans of Marvel Studios.
“We brought together an incredible team of artists from all over the planet,” recalls Peyton Reed. I loved that part, because it allowed me to bring together, in this same vision, all these influences that have been dear to me since childhood, and which continue to inspire me. »
What influences are we talking about? It is in this case very eclectic: The Wizard of Oz (The Wizard of Oz1939), Barbarella (1968), Flash Gordon (1980), among others… Without forgetting Star Wars (Star Wars, 1977). Regarding this last film, it is sometimes as if the emblematic “canteen sequence” unfolds exponentially.
“It is an infinite universe that is home to myriads of distinct civilizations. Bringing them to life was as much a challenge as a joy. »
Janet van Dyne, wife of scientist Hank Pym and mother of Hope (aka “The Wasp”), was a prisoner of the Quantum Realm for thirty years, so she has some secrets to share about the place.
“Basically, I felt, and I was not the only one, that we owed an explanation to the public about these thirty years that Janet spent in the quantum realm. She was rescued from it, but what did she do during all those years she lived there? What kind of life did she lead there? »
Answering these questions meant increasing the importance of Janet’s character, which turns out to be a great decision. By doing so, Michelle Pfeiffer’s screen time also increases: another plus.
“I love Michelle Pfeiffer: I ran after her to get her to take part in Ant-Man and the Wasp. You will notice that in this film, I present her at the beginning in a very domestic context. She serves pizza to her family, and that’s neat because the movie has a lot of family in it, but one can’t help but wonder if she’s happy with her lot. But as soon as we find ourselves in the quantum realm, we understand that Janet is also a heroine who kicks ass. Besides, Michelle completely let go of the “physicality” of the role. »
Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet, for memory the immortal Catwoman of Batman Returns (Return of Batman), knows the quantum realm, its inhabitants, their habits and customs. In such a way that this formerly secondary character becomes central here.
A long journey
On the novelty front, every Marvel Studios movie has its own set of new characters, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is no exception.
“As we were in phase 5 of the MCU [Univers cinématographique Marvel]the time was perfect to introduce the most formidable of all Marvel “villains” into the saga: Kang the Conqueror [Kang le conquérant]. »
Jonathan Majors (the series Loki, Devotion) portrays her in the film, and Peyton Reed is full of praise for her, and with good reason.
Impossible, finally, not to mention the star of the film, Paul Rudd, who immediately put on the costume of Ant-Man as if it had been a second skin. For Peyton Reed, the actor is now much more than a collaborator.
“This long journey that is Ant Man, Paul and I have been doing it together for nine years now. It represents a significant part of our respective lives. These films talk a lot about the family, and precisely, over the years and the films, with Paul, Evangeline, Michael, Michelle and now Kathryn, we have become a bit like that, a family. »