Ever since it was announced that The Avengers writer/director Joss Whedon has been hired to be a major creative force going forward in the Marvel cinematic universe, we've been looking forward to seeing what the studio plans to do next. We knew that Edgar Wright's Ant-Man would factor into the equation, but we weren't sure how it would fit in the larger picture.
Speaking with MTV, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige filled in some of the gaps:
'Ant-Man' is definitely part of Phase Three. 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.
So knowing that The Avengers 2 hits theaters in May of 2015 and Ant-Man is slated for November of that same year, Ant-Man will be the first Marvel film following the hotly-anticipated sequel and will therefore officially kick off Marvel's Phase Three of movies. Cool.
So much of the stories we're telling [right now] is about the core 'Avengers' characters we've now met, and they'll be evolving in big, surprising ways, in Cap's next movie and Thor's next movie and of course in 'Iron Man 3,' as we get them all into the next 'Avengers' film. Beyond that… 'Ant-Man' is the only one officially announced, but you probably don't have to look too far to guess at the next list of characters we're toying with and beginning to develop.
Does that mean seeing our favorite goatee-wearing sorcerer in Phase Three?
'Doctor Strange,' which I've been talking about for years, is definitely one of them," he confirmed. "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.
So while a Doctor Strange movie still hasn't been officially announced by the company, we know that Feige plans to include it in Phase Three, which is good news for fans who have been teased for years about seeing a live-action version of the character come to life. We'll obviously be keeping a close eye on this, so stay tuned for further updates.