Paul Rudd and Michael Peña have teamed up yet again onscreen, though not for a third installment of the Ant-Man franchise. Instead, the duo play desperate astronauts in a Pepsi MAX commercial. The advertisement is charming enough, but it also leaves some fans longing for another Marvel movie starring the two actors to complete the trilogy. In fact, one of those people is none other than Rudd himself.
“You need to make a call to the top brass and start a campaign to make it happen,” says Rudd, who currently has no idea whether or not another standalone film for Scott Lang is being considered.
While maybe not as popular as some of the other superheroes in the MCU, the Ant-Man series has already grossed over a billion dollars at the box office after just two movies. Though both projects were extremely expensive to make, the end result ultimately justified the spending.
Rudd’s plea may end up being answered at the annual D3 summit in late August, as Disney is expected to reveal a slate of upcoming Marvel projects at the expo on the 23rd. If a third installment isn’t announced then, it may not be happening. That being said, a strong campaign from fans could end up convincing the executives that another chapter in the story would be worth it from a financial standpoint.
As the MCU moves into its fourth phase, it’s unknown where Ant-Man currently stands. He’s one of the remaining Avengers, of course, but it remains to be seen whether the franchise decides to pivot from the familiar faces in favor of younger talent or keep the old guard in place to help mentor the new school of heroes.
It’s also unknown if fans even want another Ant-Man movie. It would seem they do, considering box office numbers, but it’s uncertain whether they’re dying to see a continuation of the series. It seems likely that an announcement should be made in the near future but for now, we should just enjoy the Pepsi MAX commercial and hope it’s not the last time Peña and Rudd ever team up.