Despite the nearly complete shutdown of all of Hollywood, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is inching forward. Last week Disney announced its release schedule, and now THR is reporting that they’ve landed on a writer for Ant-Man 3. Rick and Morty writer and co-producer Jeff Loveness has been tapped to write the screenplay for the third adventure of the tiny hero, who ended up playing a massively important role in Avengers: Endgame.
There is, in fact, an argument to be made that, despite the lower box offices and more humorous tone of the Ant-Man movies, they are some of the most important in the MCU. It makes sense then that the studio would want to pull in a writer who has worked on one of TV’s most popular animated series — one that blends comedy and pathos as the Ant-Man films have.
The previous two films in the franchise had a host of different writers attached to them, especially Ant-Man, which saw the controversial outing of Edgar Wright from the movie. A guy who writes for Rick and Morty might sound like the kind of writer that would lead to the same kind of creative conflict that developed with Wright, but Loveless cut his teeth on late-night television and the Oscars, so the guy clearly knows how to play it safe. Loveness has also written for Marvel Comics for characters like Groot, Nova, and Spider-Man.
Ant-Man 3 (or is it Ant-Man and the Wasp 2?) is at a very early stage. The movie hasn’t been slated for release yet, and with production delayed on all MCU films, it’s unclear when it will truly start getting into gear. Peyton Reed, who directed the first two films, is confirmed to be returning to direct this one. Both Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lily are expected to return as well.
