‘Ant-Man’ Director Peyton Reed in Negotiations to Return for Sequel (Exclusive)

Marvel Studios is getting busy with its deal-making.

Less than two weeks after dating a slew of movies including an Ant-Man sequel for 2018, the studio is in negotiations with Peyton Reed to return as director of Ant-Man and the Wasp.

It marks one of the first deals surrounding Marvel’s recently dated movies. In addition to Ant-Man and the Wasp, those films include Black Panther — which moved up from July 6, 2018, to a Feb. 16, 2018 — and Captain Marvel, which was pushed out from Nov. 2, 2018, to March 8, 2019. The studio also scheduled three untitled movies for 2020.

Read more Marvel Sets ‘Ant-Man’ Sequel for 2018

It wasn’t immediately clear that a sequel to the tentpole about the world’s smallest hero, played by Paul Rudd, would be part of Phase 3, but the movie and the character proved quite popular.

Domestically, the film took in $178 million to become one of the top 10 movies of the year, and it also did solid business overseas. And, in a big heap of icing on the cake, Ant-Man made a huge showing in China over the weekend, earning $43.2 million for an updated worldwide total of $455 million.

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There are no writers yet for the sequel. Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay and Rudd were the credited writers on the first go, and it is all but certain Wright and Cornish won’t be back for the sequel.

The character will be seen next in 2015’s Captain America: Civil War. Disney will release the sequel on July 6, 2018.

Reed is repped by WME and Sloane Offer.