We’re just over three months from the official launch of Marvel Studios’ “Phase Two” of their cinematic universe when Iron Man 3 hits theaters on May 3. Today, President of Production Kevin Feige updated MTV with plans for future big screen entries that look even further into the future. Ant-Man, he says, will officially launch “Phase Three” and early plans also call for the long-rumored Doctor Strange to be included.
“‘Ant-Man’ is definitely part of Phase Three,” Feige explains. “Like ‘Iron Man 3,’ it’s certainly set in the Marvel Universe, but it’s also through the lens of Edgar Wright which is the only reason we’re making the movie… It’s very much an ‘Ant-Man’ origin movie from the perspective of Edgar Wright and his co-writer Joe Cornish. It will of course be firmly planted in the MCU, but a different corner than we’ve seen before.”
The official line-up for “Phase Two,” then, includes Iron Man 3 in May, Thor: The Dark World on November 8, Captain America: The Winter Soldier on April 4, 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy on August 1, 2014 and, finally, The Avengers 2 on May 1, 2015. That’s all in addition to the upcoming “Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D.” television series, now filming its pilot episode. After that, there are several new characters being considered for features.
“‘Doctor Strange,’ which I’ve been talking about for years, is definitely one of them,” Feige continues. “He’s a great, original character, and he checks the box off this criteria that I have: he’s totally different from anything else we have, just like ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.’ He’s totally different from anything we’ve done before, as is ‘Ant-Man,’ which keeps us excited.”
Check back for updates on the future of Marvel on the big screen as they become available.
