(L to R) Michelle Pfeiffer and Felicity Jones star in ‘Oh. What. Fun.’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Michelle Pfeiffer and Felicity Jones about their work on ‘Oh. What. Fun.’, Pfeiffer’s first reaction to the screenplay, making a Christmas movie from the mother’s point of view, Jones’ approach to her character, and her relationship with her mother.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Pfeiffer, Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Dominic Sessa.
Michelle Pfeiffer in ‘Oh. What. Fun.’ Photo: Prime Video.
Moviefone: To begin with, Michelle, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and the idea of making a Christmas movie from the mother’s point of view?
Michelle Pfeiffer: First, I was so excited to work with Michael Showalter. I think I would’ve done anything that he asked me to do, honestly, because everything he does is so brilliant and it’s all different too. So, I feel like he can tackle any genre of movie making. It wasn’t really on my bucket list to do a Christmas movie and I haven’t seen a ton of them. But it’s one of those things where you don’t even know there’s a story that needs to be told until you read it and you go, “Oh, of course.” It’s like women have just assumed these roles and these responsibilities throughout the generations and done it joyously because they love their families, and they want to be with them. But then I thought, “Wow, that’s so true.” There aren’t any Christmas movies about mothers who are basically the glue to the whole thing. So, I got very excited to do it, and I loved the relationship, the mother-daughter relationship with Channing, and for Claire, the inability to let things evolve. I think that’s the stress and the pressure that Felicity’s character is feeling, the pressure to stay what she was. Anyway, I love the movie.
(L to R) Felicity Jones and Jason Schwartzman in ‘Oh. What. Fun.’ Photo: Prime Video.
MF: Finally, Felicity, can you talk about your character’s relationship with her mother, why she wants to be recognized by her, and creating that relationship on screen with Michelle?
Felicity Jones: Well, it’s just a relationship that’s so true to life, that there’s so much love and there’s so much admiration and affection. But it’s almost like the relationship got a little bit stuck. I think Channing is a bit stuck and she needs to go from being a child to being an adult, even though she’s in her late ’30s. Somehow through the course of the film, she becomes a grown up. When Claire is no longer there, then suddenly, she has all the responsibilities that Claire has, the weight that Claire must hold and suddenly it’s on her shoulders. So, in that happening, she discovers empathy and goes, “Actually, it’s not easy being my mom, and maybe I don’t need to be quite so hard on her.”
‘Oh. What. Fun.’ debuts on Prime Video December 3rd.
What is the plot of ‘Oh. What. Fun.’?
Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer) makes the Christmas magic happen every year for her family, but her children and grandchildren don’t realize the effort it takes, until she goes missing.
Now available on digital, and available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD beginning May 16th is ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ which is the third film in the ‘Ant-Man’ franchise, and the first movie to be released in Marvel’s Phase 5.
What is the Plot of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania?’
Who is in the Cast of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania?’
The cast of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ includes returning MCU actors Paul Rudd (‘Avengers: Endgame’) as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly (‘Real Steel’) as Hope Van Dyne/Wasp, Michelle Pfeiffer (‘Batman Returns’) as Janet Van Dyne/Wasp, Michael Douglas (‘Basic Instinct’) as Dr. Hank Pym, and Randall Park (‘Aquaman’) as Jimmy Woo, as well as Kathryn Newton (‘Freaky’) joining the series as an older version of Cassie Lang, Jonathan Majors (‘Creed III’) as Kang the Conqueror – a variant of his ‘Loki’ character He Who Remains, Katy O’Brian (‘The Mandalorian’) as Jentorra, and Bill Murray (‘Ghostbusters’) as Krylar.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with actress Katy O’Brian about her work on ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ joining the MCU, creating her character, researching Jentorra in the comics, her deleted scene with Bill Murray, working with Paul Rudd, being directed by Peyton Reed, fighting Kang the Conqueror, and where in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Jentorra will appear next.
You can read the full transcript below or click on the video player above to watch the interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, you’ve appeared in a DC project with ‘Black Lightening,’ a ‘Star Wars’ project with ‘The Mandalorian,’ and even Marvel’s ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,’ but ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ marks your first time working in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so what was it like for you to officially join the MCU with this movie?
Katy O’Brian: I wanted to be in a Marvel movie. I think a lot of actors, that’s like a big goal. So the fact that I even got an audition I was excited about and having booked it just seemed completely unreal. Every moment was awesome. It’s huge scenery, and a huge project. It’s the end of the world every time and it was great. I felt like everyone was really welcoming coming in the third part of the franchise. Paul was super great to work with, really welcoming, just really unassuming and lets you drop your guard really quickly. It was just Peyton Reed, the director, he’s phenomenal. He’s so sweet. So it really just felt like I was walking onto the set, walking into a family basically, and they welcome you with open arms.
MF: Can you talk about creating Jentorra? She only appeared in a few comics, but did you research her Marvel history to give you a better understanding of her backstory?
KO: I mean, when I’d spoken to Peyton, he pretty much said it’s not really going the comic route at all for Jentorra. Just by appearance alone, it was pretty obvious, you know? I’m not green, and I’m not blonde. They don’t really bring much of her magic into it or anything like that. So right off the bat he was saying more barbarian, like ‘Red Sonja’, having a really strong, powerful presence. What I love to add to characters is give them a little something that isn’t your super stereotypical warrior person. So I wanted also to have someone who deeply cared, genuinely cared, on an emotional level, and wasn’t afraid to be emotional with her people. Up until I saw the full hair, makeup, wardrobe, my staff, I was questioning how I’m supposed to play this character. I’m like the only straight character in a comedic world. So I felt like really out of place, and I was so worried I’d be boring and all these other things. But the second I saw the uniform, got covered in the dirt, grime, sweat and goo, and then got the magic staff in my hand, just everything clicked and it just felt right.
MF: There are a few deleted scenes on the Blu-ray and DVD, but I understand that you also shot a deleted scene with Bill Murray that did not make the home entertainment release. Can you talk about shooting that and what happens in the scene?
KO: We had a whole section of, basically, it would’ve added quite a bit of time to the movie. But he didn’t originally get killed or whatever happened. We had a whole spaceship pursuit with him, and he wound up with Kang and M.O.D.O.K. (Corey Stoll) and then was taken to a cell as well. So when I was freeing the rest of my people, he was there, had some witty quips, and then we all go off together. So I mean, that was pretty much the majority of that. Just some cool jail time and maybe not as much respect for my character as he was pretending to have for himself. Then just other things that might have gotten deleted on my end. I just think a couple little fight clips and stuff. We had a moment at the end where I was fighting and the ants show up, and I have a very brief interaction with the ants and I’m just like, what in the world’s going on? So just some little things like that that I’m sure were just cut for time. I mean in reality it is a bunch of really big beefy stunt dudes in green suit running around tackling people. So it was really fun to be a part of.
MF: Can you talk about working with Paul Rudd on set?
KO: It’s interesting that my interactions with him generally, it was pretty serious all in all. That’s where he started to realize the situation that he wound up in. So there was some offset jokes and every now and then he would just carry a scene after we were done, or if someone messed up, just keep going with that. But honestly, the person it was hardest to keep a straight face with was Kathryn Newton because her character was supposed to be, I guess, in awe of my character. So every time her mouth is wide open, her eyes are wide open and just looks so ridiculous that I couldn’t keep a straight face.
MF: What was it like being directed by Peyton Reed and walking on to the incredible Quantum Realm sets he created?
KO: He designed all of these wonderful sets, and it was like you didn’t really have to pretend you were transported into this world. Super small details were added. We had real dirt under our feet, and at certain times we had actual flames going up and had to dive around fire. It really felt larger than life and the set was massive. They’re just absolutely massive. So you had a lot of space to move around in, and I think Peyton did an amazing job bringing that world to life, but also showing how big it was, but just managing the time, using the space, taking the same space, and making it look completely different. It was awesome.
MF: Can you talk about Jentorra’s war against Kang the Conqueror?
KO: I don’t think that she acknowledges Kang as someone who runs the Quantum Realm. I think she acknowledges, he is basically using their energy source, their land and their people for his means, but against their best interests. I think it’s a pretty understandable point of view of you’ve destroyed my world, you’ve destroyed the world of all of these people and only for your specific gain. He has no friends. He has no equals. It’s a very, very selfish viewpoint. I don’t think they ever had a sit down and chat of like, “Hey, why are you doing this?” It was just very clearly, your reasons do not align with mine. So I think obviously he is a good villain in that sense that there’s no redemption to him. And you got M.O.D.O.K. who comes in and terrorizes the village. It’s funny because we had to be scared of him, but when you see him, he looks absolutely ridiculous. So I was just like, are you serious? I got to be afraid of this thing. But you think of something that just rolls through your village and kills half of them in one sweep. That’s pretty terrifying all in all. So she’s got a lot on her plate and a lot to overcome. But the thing with Jentorra, unlike Kang, is she’s got heart with her. She’s got people that actually care about the cause, their land, their friends and family. So I think she’s got a good backing because she’s not alone.
MF: Finally, where do you think Marvel fans will see Jentorra next?
KO: It’s so interesting because the thing about the Quantum Realm is that it is outside of space and time, so with the whole multiverse thing, I almost wonder the only way that she would really be able to interact is if they start pushing more people into the Quantum Realm, which she wouldn’t be too happy about and is probably now ruled by ants. Or maybe someone somehow pulled her out. Then I was joking on the internet that I think a great multiverse Jentorra would be Danny DeVito. I don’t know. I think it’d be really fun to see. But yeah, I just think anything’s possible. She could show up anywhere and I would love to see her come back again.
‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ is produced by Marvel Studios, and Kevin Feige Productions. It is available now on digital, and available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD beginning May 16th.
Years after the events of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’, is not only known as a member of the Avengers who helped save the world, but a successful author of his memoir “Look Out For The Little Guy” and popular podcaster. Despite his happy life, Lang desperately tries to reconnect with his teenage daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) to make up for the years lost due to Thano’s snap. Meanwhile, Cassie has been building a device to communicate with the Quantum Realm with the help of Hank and Hope. This resulted in the Ant-family being pulled into the Quantum Realm and set off to battle a formidable opponent.
The official synopsis for ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ is below:
“Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), 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 they thought possible.”
Fans have long heard about the Quantum Realm since the first ‘Ant-Man’ movie. It’s always been depicted as dangerous and unpredictable, and it was further confirmed by Janet Van Dyne who refused to talk about it even to her own family members. Due to the mishap of Cassie’s communication device, the family got a firsthand experience at what the Quantum Realm is all about.
The world is vibrant and wild, filled with various lifeforms and citizens who are on the brink of a rebellion. This is where Janet’s backstory gets fully flushed out – giving a closer look at the years she’s spent in the Quantum Realm, how she survived, and how she meets the film’s ultimate baddie – Kang.
The audience also points out the similarities between the Quantum Realm and ‘Star Wars,’ especially in the bar scene and the use of practical creatures. After all these years of hearing about the Quantum Realm, it was a treat to see finally experience it on the big screen.
Upon the announcement that the next Avengers movie will be called ‘Avengers: Kang Dynasty’, fans have been curious and excited to see who will play Kang and how will his character will be portrayed on screen. Kang (Jonathan Major) was first introduced in season 1 of the Disney+ series ‘Loki’, but it’s not the same version as the Kang we meet in the movie. The Kang from ‘Loki’ calls himself He Who Remains and famously said to Loki and Sylvie: “If you think I’m evil, just wait till you meet my variants.” Enter Kang The Conqueror who we meet in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ – formidable and ruthless. And this is just the tip of the iceberg for multiple Kangs to come in the future of the MCU.
We also get to meet another popular villain in the movie, in the form of M.O.D.O.K aka Mental Organism Designed Only For Killing. This character deviates quite a bit from the comic books but connects directly to the first Ant-man film. Although MODOK creates some comedic moments in the movie, he also serves as quite the challenge for our heroes. Fans are split as to whether this iteration of MODOK worked or not.
Is ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ still in theaters?
The film first premiered at the Regency Village Theater on February 2, 2023 and opened domestically on February 17, 2023. There might still be a chance to catch the movie on the big screen, check below for showtimes in your area, but do know it is very limited.
When Will ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Be Available To Stream?
Lucky for us, we can watch our favorite tiny heroes from home via digital purchase starting April 18th. For those who prefers physical copies, you can purchase the movie on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 16, 2023 (pre-order available). It is unclear when the Marvel flick will be available on Disney+.
Currently playing in theaters is ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ which is the third film in the ‘Ant-Man’ franchise, and the first movie to be released in Marvel’s Phase 5.
What is the Plot of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania?’
The plot ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ revolves around Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), along with Hope’s parents, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Lang’s daughter, Cassie (Kathryn Newton), going on a new adventure exploring the Quantum Realm that pits them against a new and powerful villain, Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).
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Who is in the Cast of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania?’
One again directed by Peyton Reed, the cast of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ includes returning MCU actors Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne/Wasp, Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne/Wasp, Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym, and Randall Park as Jimmy Woo, as well as Kathryn Newton joining the series as an older version of Cassie Lang, Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror – a variant of his ‘Loki’ character He Who Remains, and Bill Murray as a new character named Krylar.
Why Was Cassie Lang Recast?
With the five-year time jump that takes place between ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ Marvel needed to cast an older version of Scott’s daughter Cassandra Lang for ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’. Actress Kathryn Newton (‘Freaky’) takes over the role from Abby Ryder Forston who played the younger version of Cassie Lang in the previous two movies.
Moviefone recently had the opportunity to speak with Kathryn Newton about her work on ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ the success of the film, working with Paul Rudd, and why making the movie was a dream come true for her.
Kathryn Newton stars in Marvel Studios’ ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quanumania.’
You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview with Kathryn Newton about ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.’
Moviefone: To begin with, you recently said at the press conference for the film that you’ve dreamed of playing a Marvel superhero since you first saw ‘Iron Man.’ Now that you’ve done it, was the experience everything you dreamed it would be?
Kathryn Newton: Well, it really was a dream of mine ever since I saw ‘Iron Man.’ I was like, “I want to be Marvel’s biggest superhero of all time.” I had been acting since I was four. So my little eight-year-old mind thought, Marvel, that’s the real deal. And I still believe it’s the real deal. They have the greatest actors of all time in their movies, and I’ve just always wanted to be a part of the MCU.
I think it’s an honor to bring a comic book character to life, and I love the ‘Ant-Man’ franchise. I love Cassie Lang. I think she’s just like me, or I want to be like her. So it’s really an insane thing to be talking to you today, to have the number one movie in the world in theaters and I’m in the movie. It’s crazy. I know it’s corny, but dream big guys, and be specific because Cassie Lang grows 40-feet tall, so she just might be the biggest Marvel superhero of all time!
MF: Can you talk about Cassie and Scott’s father/daughter relationship in this movie?
KN: So Cassie Lang is a new version of this girl. She’s continuing the legacy of her father. She’s trying to be a hero just like him, and she has her own ideas about what’s right. She’s been away from him. So she had to make a choice. She was like, “My dad’s not here. But I’m going to be a good person.” I think that took a lot of bravery to do that, to be a good person.
Scott Lang and her are reconnecting and he’s got to kind of learn to accept this new version of his daughter, and it’s hard. She’s been keeping a lot of secrets, and trying to make him proud. I think you can feel that in the heart of this movie. She just cares about other people. But the one thing that’s kind of a problem is she’s a little bit impatient. She wants to be a hero right now. But he’s like, “No, no, not yet. You don’t know what you’re doing.” That’s kind of where we’re at in this movie.
MF: Is it difficult not laughing when you’re working with Paul Rudd?
KN: Yes. I can’t wait for you to see the gag reel. It’s hilarious. There’s these bits of Paul, and I’m just behind him trying so hard not to laugh, or just me blurting out laughing. I smiled so much making this movie, and in all the pictures of me on set, I’m smiling.
I’m really lucky that I got that opportunity because it was always a dream of mine. So I knew what a big deal it was to be a part of the MCU, but I never took it for granted that Paul Rudd was that incredible to work with. I mean, laughing every day is just a joy, and I promise you I had more fun and gave it everything I got. So I hope the audience can feel that.
KN: What was it like working with Jonathan Majors and watching his process creating the terrifying villain, Kang the Conqueror?
KN: It was really enlightening. He really brought everybody up. I think that he’s an incredible actor and an incredible Kang. I’m really excited for the next Phase 5 of Marvel, ‘The Kang Dynasty’ because they have Jonathan and he really cares. He’s not phoning it in. I’d meet him in the morning and he’s a ray of sunshine, and then he’d put his Kang cape on, and I didn’t want to talk to him anymore.
But he made me a better actor. He knew more about my character than I knew. At some points, that’s how it felt. I thought, “Why don’t I do that?” So for me, what I’m doing now is I took from Jonathan. I’m learning more about the other characters in the movie and then deciding who my character should be because it supports the story in a different way. Even the little bits I have with Kang in this movie, we talked about the characters, what Cassie was going through, who Kang is in this moment, and what he knows about Cassie Lang, their history and their future, just to play with, but not because we’re going to do anything about it.
But as an actor in Marvel, you have an encyclopedia of knowledge. You have so many comics and so many places that your character has been or could be going, but we don’t use any of that, right? We just think about it and then we do what’s on the page. But it was really fun to work with Jonathan because he goes that deep.
MF: Finally, do you know what is next for Cassie Lang in the MCU, and what would you like to see her doing in future Marvel movies?
KN: I have no idea. They don’t tell you anything. I don’t know if I’m ever going to be in another Marvel movie, but I will say that no matter what, even if I’m lucky enough, nothing will ever top this experience. Me and Paul Rudd running around laughing all day, making jokes. I had the time of my life and nothing will ever top it.
Witten by Jeff Loveness and directed by Peyton Reed, the sci-fi, action, adventure, comedy, mystery, thriller ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ is scheduled for release from Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures on February 17th 2023.
‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ the long-awaited third movie in the ‘Ant-Man’ franchise and the first film of Marvel’s Phase 5, opens in theaters everywhere on February 17th and was once again directed by Peyton Reed.
The movie features several actors reprising their MCU roles including Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne/Wasp, Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne/Wasp, Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym, and Randall Park as Jimmy Woo, as well as Kathryn Newton joining the series as an older version of Cassie Lang, Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror – a variant of his ‘Loki’ character “He Who Remains,” and Bill Murray as new character, Krylar.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of attending the virtual press conference for ‘’Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ along with several other members of the press. In attendance were Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Michael Douglas, as well as director Peyton Reed, producer Stephen Broussard, and President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige.
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Here are the 10 things we learned from the ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ virtual press conference:
1. ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ is All About Family
Director Peyton Reed began the press conference by talking about the themes of the ‘Ant-Man’ franchise.
Peyton Reed: The ‘Ant-Man’ movies have really always been about family. It is a generational story about a family of heroes, and Scott Lang, who is not a billionaire or super scientist, getting sucked into this world, and Hope van Dyne who is the legacy daughter of two superheroes, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer. So it’s this generational thing, and now young Cassie Lang, who is probably Scott’s biggest motivating factor. He wants to be a hero, obviously. He’s an Avenger, but it’s really about work-life balance and also finding time with his daughter.
In this movie, Cassie Lang is 18, but we continue the story of this family, and I think in ‘Quantumania,’ one of the things we’ve done is really broaden that story and start talking about the secrets the family members keep from each other, the things they don’t tell each other. At the beginning of the movie, very quickly we find out that maybe Janet hasn’t told the family about her 30 years in the Quantum Realm, and maybe Hope and Hank have not told Scott about what they’re working on with Cassie down in the basement, and maybe Cassie hasn’t told her dad about time she might’ve spent in jail.
So everyone’s keeping secrets from Scott at the beginning of the movie, and suddenly, they’re thrust into the Quantum Realm, and they have to kind of work out these family dynamics while being in this bizarro, wacked-out world. But it really is the theme of family that I think is the constant in the movies.
2. How Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne have changed since ‘Avengers: Endgame’
Paul Rudd discussed how his character has changed since the last time we on screen.
Paul Rudd: I think that he really does want to be a dad, and this is, I think, his main focus. So he always had kind of a love-hate relationship with it, I think, but now I feel as if he’s accepted it. He is happy that all of that, it seems to be in the rearview mirror, and now we get to have kind of a normal life, have some time together. It doesn’t last, obviously, as long as maybe he thought it would.
But I think that he’s kind of grown a lot over the course of nine years or so that we’ve been doing these movies. I mean, this is a guy who, when started off, he had a regular job. He was brought into this group and has no innate super abilities, but then he went up and fought Thanos. So he’s experienced a thing or two, and he’s accepted who he is. When you see this movie, it’s present day. The events of ‘Endgame,’ everything has already transpired. I wouldn’t say he’s taking a victory lap, but others might say that.
He’s written a book, a memoir, “Look Out For the Little Guy,” and he’s explained everything that’s been going on in his life and his experiences with the Avengers, but now he is ready to have some time to be a normal dad. You know, there are some issues there, because we missed out on a lot, and I kind of want to recapture some of those years. Cassie’s older now and she has ideas of her own, so we’re trying to kind of grapple with all of that.
Actress Evangeline Lilly also talked about how her character has changed since ‘Endgame.’
Evangeline Lilly: Hope started the first ‘Ant-Man’ film a very cold, detached, and very isolated woman. She didn’t have a lot of relationships in her life. She had a lot of broken relationships in her life, and over the course of these three films, I’ve had this incredible arc to be able to play where she has, in that time, repaired her relationship with her father. She’s reunited with her long-lost mother. She’s fallen madly in love with Scott, and she’s become a stepmom to Cassie.
So her life is just full of relationships and it’s full of love, and she is really like a blossomed version of the woman that we met, and you see that in the work that she’s doing in the world. She’s thriving and taking that love and spreading it around by trying to do right in the world and fix issues that are massive like global warming and housing crises, and she’s doing it with success.
But there’s this little hiccup. There’s this little missing piece, which is that she had always fantasized about her mom coming home one day. I think because that fantasy started when she was 8 years old, it was like, we’re going be best friends, and she’s going to tell me everything, and we’re just going to be so close. Then she really keeps Hope on the outside, and that’s a wound that is festering at the beginning of the film.
President of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, explained the film’s setting and just what the Quantum Realm is.
Kevin Feige: We first saw it in the first ‘Ant-Man’ film, and I was sort of reminded recently that this was an idea that Paul had early on, before we started filming the first ‘Ant-Man’ film. What if we explore this quantum mechanics? Things act very differently at the quantum level, and Paul was talking about the amount of storytelling, imagination and fun that you could have there. The first ‘Ant-Man’ movie was mainly about meeting the characters and the origin story, of course, but at the very end of that, we got a taste of it, and that is what led to where we took it in ‘Endgame.’
It’s a place that is on the subatomic level where space and time act differently, and that allowed us to time travel at Scott Lang’s suggestion in ‘Endgame,’ and it allowed us to have this entire manic quantumness in this film, where we go to a point where only Janet had ever seen before. As Evangeline said, she didn’t talk about it too much, where there is an entire universe below the surface where we meet all sorts of fun and crazy characters.
At one point during the press conference, Michael Douglas paused and turned to Kevin Feige and asked, “What is Phase 5?” Feige explained to Douglass and the audience Marvel’s plans for the future.
Kevin Feige: Well, to go through Phase 5, we’ll start at phase one. We are making a lot of movies, and I always dreamed of making even more movies. We sort of break it up into these phases. So, from ‘Iron Man’ to the first ‘Avengers’ was one phase. Then we would do Phase 2, which was ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ through to ‘Endgame.’
‘Endgame’ ended what we called Phase 3, and then we started a new saga. We’ve made a lot of films in Phase 4, the last of which was ‘Wakanda Forever.’ We introduced a lot of characters in that. Now, this film kicks off what we call Phase 5 which begins a more specific storyline heading towards some ‘Avengers’ films down the line. We work in about three phases at a time, which three phases together, as we all know, make a saga.
Actor Jonathan Majors first played a different version of Kang the Conqueror called “He Who Remains,” in season one of Disney+’s ‘Loki,’ but plays the real version of the character in ‘Quantumania.’ Majors talked about the character and his approach to playing this version of him.
Jonathan Majors: Who is Kang? I think that is a question that we will all be answering for a very long time. I think the quick answer to that is Kang is a time traveling super villain. Who is also a nexus being, which leads to this idea of variants. There’s multiple versions of Kang. Versions being variants.
They occupy different universes, multi-verses, and they have different intentions. They are all different beings, and yet something that I’m still working on and continue to refine to something as a throughline between them. That, to me, is the Kang gene. Kang the Conqueror, who is in ‘Quantumania,’ is stuck in the Quantum Realm. He has some issues with some variants and he’s not happy about it.
Marvel comic book fans will be delighted to learn that the popular villain M.O.D.O.K. makes his live-action debut in ‘Quantumania.’ However, the character that appears in the movie is much different than his comic book counterpart and director Peyton Reed explained why.
Peyton Reed: For me, it was a personal thrill. I was a kid who spent a lot of my childhood alone in a room reading Marvel comics. M.O.D.O.K. was always this insane character. He’s grotesque. He’s a giant head that has been turned into a mechanized organism designed only for killing. That was intriguing. So, we started talking about, is there a place in the MCU and in the ‘Ant-Man’ movies for a live action version of M.O.D.O.K.? And what would that look like and how would we go about it?
Producer Stephen Broussard also discussed introducing M.O.D.O.K.
Stephen Broussard: It’s a very odd character, to say the least. It’s kind of loomed large in our imagination of how and if we could pull that off. It always felt like a challenge, going back years, here at Marvel. Then we hit on an idea, and we think we had an idea that we were excited about. I don’t want to say too much here in this forum, but I think the time was right to bring M.O.D.O.K. to the big screen, finally.
Much of ‘Quantumania’ revolves around the secrets Janet Van Dyne has been keeping about her time in the Quantum Realm, and actress Michelle Pfeiffer talked about how it affects her relationship with her family.
Michelle Pfeiffer: I will say that after finally being rescued from the Quantum Realm after 30 years and reunited with her lovely husband Hank and daughter Hope, she is just savoring this time together and quite, decidedly so, secretive about her time down there. And not really wanting to get into that until, of course, we all find ourselves down in the parallel universe and parallel world.
She is forced to come forth with the truth and in a place where she had hoped she would never see again. You know, 30 years is a long time. So, I think there are a lot of surprises for the family. For some more than others. Maybe some of her choices were questionable. But they’re a very forgiving family. But, her story is very much a part of the whole family secrets theme that runs through the film.
8. Kathryn Newton Has Always Dreamed of Being a Superhero
Because of the five-year time jump between ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ young actress Abby Ryder Fortson, who played Cassie Lang in ‘Ant-Man’ and ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp,’ was replaced with the age appropriate Newton. The actress, best known for her work in ‘Freaky,’ revealed that being cast in ‘Quantumania’ really was a dream come true.
Kathryn Newton: At the premiere, someone asked me, “What Marvel movie was the first movie I saw?” I said ‘Iron Man.’ That was the first one I saw. I was probably like eight. So since then, since the first time I saw a Marvel movie, I always wanted to be a Marvel superhero, and anyone who knows me from high school, it was probably like my superlative in the yearbook.
So, I really wanted to be part of this, because it made me dream. I went with my dad to the theaters, and I just wanted to be a superhero. It’s funny, because I told myself that I always wanted to be the biggest Marvel superhero of all time. I think it’s ironic that Cassie Lang grows 40 feet. So I’m proof that your dreams come true, because mine did.
Oscar-winning actor and producer Michael Douglas talked about why he thinks the ‘Ant-Man’ movies are the Marvel movies in general are so popular with audiences?
Michael Douglas: I think with the ‘Ant-Man’ pictures we refer to family a lot, and it brings a vulnerability to these super-power characters that we see in a lot of Marvel films. There’s a certain vulnerability, and a sense of humor that exists that I think is really a pleasure.
This is very joyful for me as I’m learning more today about the whole experience than I’ve known, but I think it’s that sort of fun element about it. Certainly there’s the danger but it seems to relate to all different ages. Someone like myself who’s mostly referenced to R-Rated movies, this has really been a pleasure to have younger kids coming up, enjoying it and seeing what’s going on. So, kudos to everybody.
10. If there will be a ‘Wasp’ solo movie or a ‘Women of Marvel’ film in the Future
Finally, both Kevin Feige and Evangeline Lilly discussed the possibility of a solo ‘Wasp’ movie in the future or even a ‘Woman of Marvel’ film featuring all the MCU’s female superheroes teaming up together.
Kevin Feige: Well, the opportunities within the MCU are endless, as they are in the multiverse. So, we will have to see what happens in the future.
Evangeline Lilly: Well, just for the record, if that opportunity did present itself, I’m fully suited up and ready to go.
Witten by Jeff Loveness and directed by Peyton Reed, the sci-fi, action, adventure, comedy, mystery, thriller ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ is scheduled for release from Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures on February 17th 2023.
