While Marvel Studios is busy putting a bow on Phase Three, what with Avengers 4 preparing for reshoots and Captain Marvel roughly halfway through production, their plans for the future are really starting to heat up now.
The Jon Watts-helmed, currently untitled Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel has commenced pre-production, with filming scheduled to begin early next month, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, directed by series stalwart, James Gunn, has now officially entered development.
Funnily enough, though, despite post-Phase Three being the target of a recent flurry of activity, Marvel Studios has yet to wrap-up their highest grossing chapter yet, with the fourth Avengers installment, which is scheduled for a release on May 3rd of next year, and Ant-Man and the Wasp still to bat for the MCU.
The latter, directed by Peyton Reed, has unfortunately drawn the daunting task of following up Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War at the box office this year, both of which, as it just so happens, rank first and second on the Marvel Studios domestic gross chart. Nevertheless, the most significant trait, undeniably, anyone can attribute to the MCU fandom, is that they continuously pack theaters, no matter the size of the release.
So, with anticipation at an all-time high and still mounting, no doubt a byproduct of Infinity War, of course, Marvel has finally disclosed the runtime for Reed’s sequel. According to SuperBroMovies, the twentieth MCU entry will clock in at 118 minutes, which is actually the same duration as the first Ant-Man feature.
Scheduled for release next month, Ant-Man and the Wasp, which will serve as a sort of prequel to the latest Avengers installment, and bridge the gap for the diminutive hero following his appearance in Captain America: Civil War, is the second solo outing for Scott Lang, the first having come in 2015. As we said above, it’s opening in the shadow of two of the studio’s biggest films ever, too, so it’ll be interesting to see if that gives it any kind of boost at the box office.