Paul Rudd last reprised his titular role in 2023's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and addressed a possible standalone film.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter on the red carpet for his upcoming film, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the actor also addressed his role as Ant-Man. Rudd took on the role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2015 and has headlined three standalone Ant-Man films so far. Following the critically panned Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Rudd opened up about the plans to star in another standalone film.

"I have no idea," the actor replied when asked about a future standalone Marvel film. "I don't know. Yeah, that's not for me to answer, you'd have to go to Kevin Feige and those guys, I guess." No official plans for Ant-Man's future have been announced at the time of press.

With Peyton Reed returning to direct, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania opened in theaters on Feb. 17, 2023. The film was set two years after the events of 2019's Avengers: Endgame, and kickstarted Phase Five of the Multiverse Saga. It followed Scott Lang/ Ant-Man and Hope van Dyne/ The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) getting sucked into the Quantum Realm with Scott's daughter, Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), and Hope's parents, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Jane van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer).

The film also set up Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) as the next big bad in the MCU. The character's journey was to culminate with an epic fight in Phase 6's Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. However, following Jonathan Majors' guilty verdict and firing from Disney, it's unclear which direction the studio wants to take.

Will Ant-Man 4 Ever Happen?

There has been an ongoing conversation about superhero fatigue, and 2023's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania seemed to prove a point. The film only made $463.6 million at the worldwide box office (via The Numbers). While the number isn't as disappointing as The Marvels', for example, it still didn't bring Disney too much profit, considering marketing costs.

On top of its box office numbers, there was another box that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania didn't check: critical reception. Following its release, the threequel was deemed one of Marvel Studios' most unsuccessful projects. The film holds a 46% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics, which is one of MCU's lowest scores, with the film receiving criticism over the departure from the previous two Ant-Man installments. There was a silver lining, because the review aggregator site boasts an 82% audience score, hinting that moviegoers enjoyed the film.

Recent internet scoops hint that Disney isn't planning to pursue an Ant-Man 4 or Captain Marvel 3. The decision seems to be based on their recent performances at the box office, On top of that, Disney has big plans for change for MCU's future, which include less-riskier projects.

However, the fact that there might not be an Ant-Man 4 doesn't mean Paul Rudd can't reprise his role as Scott Lang. Ant-Man could return in any of the upcoming films, and even join the Avengers again in Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars.

The three Ant-Man films are streaming on Disney+.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter